Elaine and Kerry’s disappearances were not the first to unsettle The Shire. 

Sadly, other young girls have also gone missing from Cronulla and nearby areas — cases with striking similarities to Elaine and Kerry’s, and which, like theirs, remain unsolved to this day.

In this episode, we look at some of those cases. They were chosen for the same reason Elaine’s sisters know them so well. At first, it was to see whether they could be linked.

But even when it became clear that a single perpetrator was unlikely, there was still valuable insight to be gained. The way missing persons reports were handled, how families were treated, and how early investigations unfolded all have the potential to shed light on what went wrong when Elaine and Kerry disappeared — and why, 45 years later, the people who love them still don’t have answers.

A culture of victim-blaming and a pattern of inaction may hold part of that answer.

Searching for Elaine is a series from Out From The Cold, part of Happy Tuesday Productions.

If you have information about Elaine Johnson or Kerri Ann Joel, you can get in touch at Help Find Elaine Johnson or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Searching for Elaine was produced by Kate Kachor and Sally Spicer, editing by Dan McHugh and Matt Haywood, artwork by Nic Watts.

'Wildflowers' by Jess Ribeiro.