Imagine if one day you were with your best friend, and two days later they were gone forever. No chance to tell them how much they mean to you, no chance to say goodbye, no chance to tell them you love them.
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That was the nightmare Tracey Howard’s friends and family have had to live through for the past 20 years.
Now they are still waiting for justice.
“She was taken by evil and selfishness,” said her best friend Kate*, not her real name.
“We need reasons why. We need to know whoever did this can never do this again.”
After a night of partying with a girlfriend, Tracey left Cheers Nightclub (now the Miners Tavern) and walked over to a taxi rank on the corner of Lydiard and Sturt Street.
Her friends never saw her again. Tracey’s naked body was found 17 hours later, strangled and face-up – though not sexually assaulted – in long grass besides Clarkes Hill Road, Pootilla.
The police have yet to charge anyone with her murder.
Two decades on from the horrific incident, Kate still reminisces about the lifetime of memories she shared with Tracey before her tragic departure.
“We would spend a lot of time going up to the river camping, going out to clubs and pubs, working together, she was always so much fun to be around.
“She was a great friend, she was always there for you. You could rock up to her place any time of night for a chat and she'd be all ears.”
In 2015 when police upped the reward for information surrounding the murder of Tracey to $1 million, they stated that they believe she may have been killed in her own home and her body later dumped on the Clarkes Hill Road.
She was always so much fun to be around
The events of the day Tracey disappeared still replay through Kate’s head.
“I remember her boyfriend rang me and asked if I had seen her because she hadn't come home. I went into panic mode – that was really out of character for her,” she said, fighting back tears.
“I couldn't go to work on the Monday. The entire day I sat with friends trying to figure out why, how, what happened...
“We kept ringing the police to see if they had any updates, kept checking with her boyfriend.”
Kate found out her body had been discovered on the evening news.
“We found out through the bloody TV. I had been talking to the police all day but I found out on the news that my best friend was dead.”
Kate collapsed to her knees in uncontrollable sorrow.
“I was angry, I was devastated, it was everything you’ve ever seen in a movie but tenfold.”
After 20 years of grieving, all Kate wants is justice – not just for Tracey’s murder, but for the heartache suffered by her family and friends.
“If you know anything, please put her family at ease, put her friends at ease. Nothing will bring her back, but we need closure.”
While the investigation into the death of Tracey remains unsolved, police are still confident her murder can be solved and encourage anyone with information to come forward.
Any information given will be treated as confidential and may be given at any time to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or call the Homicide Cold Case and Missing Persons Squad on 8690 2606.
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