'She did not abandon her family': Police offer $1 milllion reward in 1997 school teacher cold case
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"Dedicated" NSW school teacher and loving mum Marion Barter boarded a flight from Australia to Britain and vanished without a trace in 1997.
Her daughter Sally Leydon, haunted by her mother's disappearance, has been searching for the truth for nearly 30 years.
The baffling cold case has now reached a crucial new milestone after police announced they had doubled a reward for information to $1 million.
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Marion Barter was last seen at a Queensland bus stop on June 22, 1997. Supplied
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This is because, as Leydon explained, "someone knows something".
"This is kind of like my last bite at the cherry to see if we can actually find somebody who knows something," Leydon told Nine.com.au.
"I'm 100 per cent confident that people know... they just need to speak up."
Mother-of-two Barter, then aged 51, was last seen at a bus depot on Scarborough Street, near Railway Street, at Southport in Queensland.
It is believed she took a bus to the airport, before leaving for a trip to the United Kingdom on June 22, 1997.
Barter travelled abroad under the name Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel, which she had changed by deed poll a month before leaving the country.
Police believe Barter then re-entered Australia under her new name on August 2.
Marion Barter was reported missing to Byron Bay police in October 1997 after she failed to call and wish her son a happy birthday. Nine
Her incoming passenger card stated she was married and lived in Luxembourg.
Barter has not been seen or heard from since then.
She was reported missing by family in October, and around the same time an unknown person appears to have accessed a bank account belonging to Barter in Byron Bay.
An exhaustive investigation pursued leads both in Australia and overseas, but detectives are yet to find out what happened to Barter.
In 2024, the NSW State Coroner found that Barter died on or after October 15, 1997.
The cause or nature of her death was unable to be confirmed.
"You lose your keys, you lose your mobile phone, and your whole world falls apart. But imagine losing your mum, and what that feels like," Leydon added.
"It's a tragic thing to have to experience.
"And the ambiguity of living in this space can eat you up."
Police today announced an increased reward of $1 million leading to the arrest and conviction of any person or persons responsible for Barter's disappearance or death.
A $250,000 and $500,000 reward for information has already been offered regarding the cold case.
Leydon said it is a great show of faith that detectives believe that Barter's disappearance can be solved.
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Barter's daughter Sally Leydon believes "someone knows something". NSW Police
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Leydon does not believe that Barter wanted to leave her children behind.
She is concerned her mother became involved in a situation "she did not fully control".
"My mum was a loving mother, a dedicated teacher and a woman who valued her relationships," Leydon told reporters during a police press conference today.
"She did not simply walk away from her life and she did not abandon her family.
"She was an award-winning school teacher, a devoted mum to me and my brother Owen, a friend to many...
"She would have been an incredible grandmother, I know my children would have adored her... I miss her."
Leydon launched her own podcast, Missing Matters, where she followed her mum's footsteps to the UK and Europe in a pursuit for answers.
"She deserves to be found," she added.
"For so long, her identity has been as a missing person."
Mother-of-two Marion Barter has not been seen since 1997. Supplied
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said the increased reward offered some hope for Leydon and her family.
"No family should have to live with the uncertainty of not knowing what happened to a loved one," Catley said.
"That's why we are again asking anyone who may know something, no matter how small the detail, to speak up."
Police have not given up on finding the truth and are pursuing "every possible avenue", Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi added.
Doueihi said the reward had been doubled partly because investigators did not have "enough evidence at this stage that would result in a successful prosecution."
"We're hoping that today's release will bring to light new information to the investigation team, which may allow us to progress the investigation," Doueihi said.
Anyone with information about this Marion's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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