‘We just want her home’: Heartbroken family scours bushland for missing Steph

Stephanie Cordery vanished seemingly without a trace almost a month ago.

The 42-year-old was last seen on August 5, and her car later turned up on her boyfriend’s remote property in northern NSW.

Police told her family they’ve called off the search, so they’ve gone looking for themselves deep in dense bushland.

“We’ve searched, I don’t know, probably 50 to 60 kilometres through the bush. Can’t really find any leads, any clues to her whereabouts out here,” Stephanie’s cousin Jamie told A Current Affair.

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“Just no evidence of anything, or track of her. And it’s not the easiest terrain, as you know, around here,” her friend Justin added.

“Her family has all sorts of scenarios going through their head and we just want her home,” best friend Tennille said.

Stephanie’s family is desperate for answers.

“Love you, Steph. Always have. Always will. I miss you. You are my soulmate. Please come home. I love you so much,” Stephanie’s mother Joyce tearfully pleaded during her interview.

“If someone knows something, if they’re holding back, we need to know. Make it anonymous,” her sister Monique added.

After weeks of scouring the area, police have scaled back the land search, but Stephanie’s loved ones aren’t giving up.

“We were told that the search was over,” Joyce said.

“You search for someone until they’re found. You don’t give up and say, OK, that’s the end,” Monique told A Current Affair.

Stephanie’s trail runs cold deep in the Nightcap Range in the state’s north.

Her car was found abandoned on her boyfriend’s property with her handbag, wallet and keys still inside.

“And each day we get further from August 5, we know the chances of finding Stephie safe and well is becoming more and more unlikely,” Monique said.

“We want to hold hope that she’s still out there somewhere, but it’s not looking good, and we can’t even grieve because we don’t know.“

Monique, Joyce and father Barry have been living in agony.

“I don’t want Mum and Dad to pass away not knowing where Steph is,” Monique tearfully told A Current Affair.

“And it’s taken a terrible toll on Barry, I think, health-wise, and that’s a real worry for all of us,” Joyce added.

“It’s tough. Yeah, it’s not getting much better,” Barry said with a heavy heart.

Stephanie grew up in the nearby town of Lismore, where she was school captain and very popular.

She didn’t have children herself. She’s the fun aunty, the life of the party, and incredibly caring.

“During the floods, she was out there just helping everybody, helping people clean their houses, delivering food,” Joyce said.

“She was my best friend, and she will always be my best friend. I just hope that she knows that, wherever she is, and I can’t imagine a Christmas, birthday, or Easter not having her around,” Monique said, breaking down in tears.

Police have released CCTV to A Current Affair of the last known sighting of Stephanie leaving temporary accommodation in Ballina about 5am on August 5.

“She got up, put some clothes and things in the boot. She didn’t seem panicked. She didn’t seem in a rush,” Monique explained.

Road cameras then tracked her car driving west through Lismore, then north through Nimbin at 6am, before it was abandoned outside her boyfriend’s home in the Nightcap Range, with Stephanie nowhere to be seen.

“It was found in the driveway of her boyfriend’s property. I mean, it’s been an off-and-on relationship for eight years, but they do care about each other a great deal,” Monique told A Current Affair.

“And he lives up here with his family, you know, it’s almost like a closed community where the family lives together on different properties. They’re very private people.“

It wasn’t until 1.19pm on August 5 that Stephanie’s boyfriend called Monique telling her Steph’s car was there, but she wasn’t.

Monique eventually called police when the family couldn’t find Steph.

“He was very forthcoming with answering any questions. He opened up his property and his family member’s property with no hesitation at all. His vehicle, everything. The police were pretty adamant in speaking with us that they were comfortable he was being honest,” Monique said.

A Current Affair asked Stephanie’s boyfriend for an interview, but he declined. A Current Affair isn’t suggesting he’s involved in Stephanie’s disappearance.

“He is concerned just about how private a lot of the people are in this area, that him and his family may be targeted by unwanted, I guess, media attention, online trolls,” Monique said.

“We can’t put blame on anybody. We can’t be suspicious of anybody. We’ve got to leave that to the detectives,” Joyce added.

Forensics seized Stephanie’s car, which has since been released back to her family.“And they couldn’t find any clues from her car?” A Current Affair asked.

“Nothing. We haven’t heard anything at all from the forensics,” Monique said.

With Stephanie’s phone missing, Monique tracked its location.

“She left it in her accommodation in Ballina. It’s very strange. Who leaves their phone? Who doesn’t notice they don’t have their phone?” Monique said.

“The police have done a search. They’ve had drones out here, some police dogs, SES,” cousin Jamie said.

“They (police) said they did a very comprehensive search of a 300-metre radius of where the car was,” Joyce told A Current Affair.

“But by the tenth day, they (police) were adamant she wasn’t there. So if she’s not there, where is she?” Monique said.

“The detectives are still working on the case, but the search, the search is finished,” Joyce added.

“Enough with the number of missing people around this area. It’s not just women, but it is predominantly women. Why is it this area? Is there someone out there that is potentially hurting people?

“Or is it a lack of resources in finding these people? But when the number gets to 70 over the last 20 to 30 years, that needs to be looked into,” Monique said.

“I just miss her, and I just want to know what’s happened,” Joyce pleaded.

Full statement from NSW Police:

The search for Stephanie Cordery has involved a significant and sustained multi-agency response since she was reported missing on Wednesday 5 August 2026.

Search operations in Nimbin have been conducted across 13 days, including 5-7 August, 9-14 August, 16 August, 19-20 August and on Wednesday 26 August 2026.

Those searches have involved local police attached to Richmond Police District, assisted by Police Rescue, the Police Dog Unit, Marine Area Command, NSW SES, NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue, NSW RFS, VRA Rescue NSW Specialist Operations Rescue Unit, and Queensland Remote Area Tracking personnel.

As part of the investigation, the NSW Police Force issued a geo-targeted text message to thousands of mobile phones in the Nimbin and Lismore areas on Thursday 6 August 2026 and has made public appeals for information through social media and traditional media channels.

Specialist capabilities have been used throughout the operation, including drones and other specialist search resources to assist in difficult-to-access areas.

On Wednesday (26 August 2026), police divers attached to Marine Area Command conducted searches of dams and waterways in the vicinity of where Stephanie’s vehicle was located.

Despite extensive search efforts, Stephanie has not yet been located.

Further discussions are underway with specialist search and rescue personnel regarding future search activity.

The NSW Police Force remains committed to all appropriate lines of inquiry and search opportunities aimed at locating Stephanie under Strike Force Lumina.

Police urge anyone with information about Stephanie’s whereabouts to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.