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23 years on and more questions than answers for Gail’s family

Posted on 07/07/2020

It is now 23 years since Gail King disappeared without a trace.

The 28-year old mother was last seen alive at a home on the Yorke Peninsula that she was renovating with her defacto husband on 7 July 1997.

Police investigations have revealed Ms King arrived at the Minlaton house on the evening of Sunday, July 6, 1997.

Her defacto husband had arrived there with their two young children several days earlier.

On the Monday they had visited several locations including Troubridge Point and Pondalowie Bay, before arriving back at Minlaton about 5.30pm.

Ms King’s partner told investigators that she said she had to return to Adelaide that night because of an occupational health and safety meeting the next day. She reportedly left about 7pm, just 24 hours after arriving.

Enquiries with her employer, an aged care facility at Gilles Plains, confirmed there had been no scheduled meeting.

Her de facto said he drove his gold Ford Falcon station wagon with the children back, arriving at their Brahma Lodge home about 6pm on Tuesday, July 8.

He found his partner’s white Toyota Corolla in the driveway at the property.

The house was locked and in darkness, apart from a single light in the lounge room. There were no obvious signs of a disturbance.

The overnight bag she had taken to Minlaton containing some clothes was there, but her black vinyl handbag and purse were missing. Her house and car keys were also missing.

Besides her handbag, the only items her partner says were missing from the house were several photo albums containing family pictures.

While Ms King’s de facto husband remains a person of interest, police are also aware that Ms King had been having an affair and investigators have spoken to that person too.

Ms King was also believed to have been 3-months pregnant.

Ms King hasn’t contacted any members of her family or touched her bank account, leading police to believe that she has been murdered.

While investigators continue to keep an open mind in the investigation, they believe there are two likely possibilities. Firstly she was killed by a close associate in the Minlaton area, with someone then returning the vehicle to Adelaide to stage the scene, or secondly she was killed by another person, who is most likely known to her, after returning to Adelaide.

A $200,000 reward remains on offer for information that leads to a conviction in this case and/or the recovery of her remains.