Mystery Clothing Causes Suspicion
Newcastle Herald
Thursday May 25, 2006
POLICE are investigating the discovery of a collection of women's clothes, including underwear and shoes, uncovered in a remote part of a Lake Macquarie mine that has not been used for decades.
Workers at the Centennial Coal-owned Newstan mine near Fassifern found the clothes in a "sink hole", a crack in the earth which occurs during major mine subsidence, on Tuesday night.It was not until yesterday that the majority of the items, which included a shirt, dress, pants and underwear, were recovered by police from an area about two metres down the hole.Although there were no signs of foul play, such as holes made by a knife or bullet, detectives will send the items to the forensic services laboratory in Glebe for further analysis."It is the fact that it is quite unusual, and that where they were found is quite remote [that is suspicious]," Lake Macquarie crime manager Detective Chief Inspector Brad Taylor said. "We'll get them analysed and then go from there."He said initial investigations of the scene, which is in bush west of Fassifern, indicated the clothes were above ground and not inside a mine shaft.Detective Chief Inspector Taylor said the clothes could have fallen into the hole when the subsidence occurred, been put there afterwards or even been washed down.He said a short search yesterday failed to uncover any other evidence and investigators would wait for forensic experts before deciding on whether to hold a larger search of the area.He said early indications showed the area had not been mined for probably more than 20 years.A Centennial Coal spokesman said last night the area was disused and "under rehabilitation" but could not indicate how long since it had been mined.Sink holes occur when there is subsidence deep underground and the earth opens creating a large crack.
© 2006 Newcastle Herald