Scarred family hopes podcast will yield clues in 22-year mystery of missing teen

In a bid to shed light on Niamh Maye’s disappearance 22 years ago, her family has launched a podcast with the award-winning true crime team Casefile Presents.

Niamh (pronounced Nieve) was 18 when she was last seen at a campground in Jingellic with friends on the morning of Saturday, 30 March, 2002, during the fruit-picking season in Batlow. She planned to travel by bus from Batlow to Cootamundra and then on to Sydney to see family, but she never used her bus tickets and was never seen again. It is suspected she met foul play.

At the time of her disappearance, Niamh was last seen carrying a blue backpack, a tent, and a sleeping bag. Her belongings included clothing, cookware, an SLR camera, a Discman, and CDs –none of which have ever been found.

After her family reported her missing, Riverina Police District established Strike Force Yola and conducted extensive investigations into Niamh’s whereabouts, but they have been unable to locate her.

Niamh’s family and friends hope the new podcast Missing Niamh, which delves into her story, will lead to answers in their search for their daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

In their search, the family connected with the Casefile host, which led to a 12-episode, in-depth series.

What started as research for a single episode revealed so many intriguing elements that the Casefile host spent four years writing and creating the new series.

“I felt drawn to tell Niamh’s story, mainly because I wanted to help her family find answers to the many questions they’ve had over the years,” the host said. “Not only about her disappearance but also the aftermath, the investigation, and helping them understand the many twists and turns that took place.

“But I also felt drawn to Niamh, maybe because we were a similar age and had similar tastes in music.

“Niamh was just a young person setting out on an adventure with friends and testing the waters of life, like so many 18-year-olds do. But unlike the rest of us, she didn’t make it home, and I want to help her family find her.”

Niamh’s sister, Fionnuala Hagerty, thanked the Casefile team on the family’s behalf.

“We can’t thank the Casefile team enough for the painstaking research they conducted to bring Niamh’s story to life – and with such incredible care and compassion throughout,” Fionnuala said.

“The respect they have shown in telling Niamh’s story is just so appreciated.

“The ongoing pain of having a missing loved one is indescribable. The lack of answers or information, the inability to change the situation, and the lack of power over or understanding of police or coronial procedures can be really traumatising over time.”

Fionnuala said Casefile revealed missed opportunities at critical points, which was difficult but helped the family understand and come to terms with what occurred.

She added that it renewed hope the family might still find answers that will lead them to Niamh.

“We miss our beautiful Niamh every day and are still hopeful that we might just find the missing piece of information we need to bring her home and give her a proper resting place,” Fionnuala said.

Niamh’s brother, Kieron Maye, said it was difficult to revisit awful memories.

“It’s important to share Niamh’s story,” Kieron said.

“We want to thank everyone who revisited such difficult memories to help us find answers.

“A huge thanks to the Casefile team, the dedicated police who have worked hard to bring Niamh home over many years, locals who continue to help search, and advocates like The Missed Foundation, who have been an incredible support to our family.”

Last year, for her 40th birthday, NSW Police announced a $250,000 reward in a bid to shed light on her disappearance.

A coronial inquest in 2012 found that Niamh had died at or near Tumut on or around 30 March, 2002. Nobody has ever been charged over her disappearance.

Missing Niamh is now available to stream in full on all podcast platforms.

Niamh’s family has launched a website about her disappearance in the hope of reaching a larger international audience.

The website, missingniamh.com, details the events and circumstances surrounding the teen’s disappearance – information the family hopes will draw more clues and help them understand what happened to Niamh.

Anyone with information that may assist Strike Force Yola detectives is urged to contact Crime Stoppers or call 1800 333 000.

Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.