For some, National Missing Persons Week seems like something out of a television show but for others it is a painful reminder of the questions that are still left unanswered.
Missing Persons Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons and will run until next Saturday, August 7.
In Australia, police receive more than 38,000 missing persons reports each year and whilst most are found soon after, the remaining 2600 are considered ‘long term missing’.
Parramatta is not immune to the unsolved mysteries of missing persons cases.
Deborah Balken and Gillian Jamieson have been missing since Saturday, July 12, 1980 and were last seen in the company of each other at the Tollgate Hotel, Parramatta.
The pair are said to have left the hotel some time after 7pm.
About 9.15pm, Ms Balken called her flatmate stating that they were going to a party in Wollongong and would return on July 18, however the 20-year-old friends have not been seen since.
Ms Balken would now be 60-years-old and Ms Jamieson, 61-years-old.
In 1987, on August 17 William Clarence Horne was last seen leaving his home in Wentworthville to go shopping in Parramatta.
Mr Horne, who would be 96-years-old today has not been seen or made contact with family or friends since.
Wojtek Stasiak, who would now be 42-years-old has been missing since February 2, 2001.
He was last seen in the Parramatta area and no one has heard from him since.
In more recent years, Yuping Li was last seen on March 28, 2018.
The then 53-year-old was on a tour from China and was last seen leaving the Mercure Hotel, Parramatta.
There have been no confirmed sightings of her since.
If you have information that may assist police to locate any of the above mentioned missing persons, please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.