Operation Stewart: $50,000 reward for information about missing person Kaye Stewart

$50,000 Missing Person Reward

On Thursday 15 March 2007, Police announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information which leads to the discovery of Mrs Stewart’s body or for material information or evidence which leads to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.

The Commissioner of Police will determine the amount of the reward and will apportion it if there is more than one claimant.

An indemnity against prosecution will be considered for any accomplice - not being a principal offender responsible for her disappearance - who shall first give such information or evidence.

The offer will remain in force until 13 July 2007.

Information can be supplied by

• visiting your nearest Police Station
• phoning 0800 TIP OFF or 0800 691 102
• contacting the investigators via email

Driver of quad bike still sought

Police still want to identify the driver of a quad bike, possibly red and maybe towing a trailer, seen on the Forest Park Road at about 1.50pm on the day Mrs Stewart went missing.

Background

Mrs Stewart was 1.75m tall, medium build with greying light brown hair. On the day she went missing she was wearing a light nylon dark blue jacket, anorak style, dark tracksuit pants, a pink ribbed jersey and white sandshoes.

She went to the Catchpool part of the Rimutaka Forest Park at about 10.30am on the morning of Monday 13 June. She was lightly clad and planned a short walk before meeting family in Wainuiomata at 12.30pm. When she failed to arrive, they went to the park, found her car locked and, after a check of nearby tracks, contacted the Police.

Police inquiries established that she had spoken to a Department of Conservation staff member in the Rimutaka Forest Park visitor centre at about 10.30am to decide on a suitable one hour walk.

The last reported sighting of her was at about 1.05pm when it's believed she spoke to a second DoC worker at the Department’s workshop on the Wainuiomata Coast Road, about 2km from her car. He gave her directions for how to find the car park, but she did not return to her car.

If she had followed the directions given to her, the tracks and roadway were well-marked and police believe she should have been able to find her way back to her car.

A four-day search involving over 40 searchers, helicopters, heat seeking camera equipment, search dogs and police divers was launched the night she went missing.

Conditions were cold, wet and windy giving searchers little hope that Mrs Stewart would have survived in the open in the light clothing she was wearing.

Searchers combed trails, tracks, bush, logging areas, roadside verges, streams and the Wainuiomata River. Aerial sweeps were made out to the Wainuiomata coast.

Nearly two weeks later on 28-30 June, a second intense search was launched. DoC closed the park to the public and up to 80 people including police and volunteer search and rescue personnel, police divers, the police specialist search group and 20 army personnel were involved.

In the meantime, detectives and recruits from the Police College had canvassed homes on the Wainuiomata Coast Road to make residents aware of her disappearance and ask them to check their properties.

However, in late June 2005, in the absence of any clues as to where she was or where she may have gone, it was no longer feasible to continue the search.

Her disappearance remains a mystery. Kaye was in good health and good spirits.

Before retiring she had been a physiotherapist treating many top sportspeople including former All Blacks.

Mrs Stewart’s unexplained disappearance has had a huge toll on her husband, daughters and grandchildren who want to lay her to rest.

See also

• A4 PDF leaflet 242 K bytes

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Contact the investigators

Phone 0800 TIP OFF or 0800 691 102

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