WA: Police to phone residents in bid for vanished woman clues

AAP General News (Australia)
12-27-2001
WA: Police to phone residents in bid for vanished woman clues

By Selina Day

PERTH, Dec 27 AAP - Police have resorted to telephoning residents of several near-city
Perth suburbs in their bid to solve the disappearance and probable murder of a 42-year-old
woman.

But detectives say their use of the mass-message system is to complement investigations
into the case of mother-of-two Susan Margaret Christie, and not because their probe is
at a stalemate.

Ms Christie was last seen about 10pm on November 15 by a neighbour as she returned
from buying a bottle of wine at the nearby Wembley Hotel.

Since her disappearance her two sons, aged five and 10, are being cared for by their
fathers, and spent their first Christmas without their mother.

Detectives said today they were treating Ms Christie's case as a homicide and, although
they were following a number of leads, would take advantage of the mass-phone message
to help their inquiries.

Residents of areas around Jolimont, where Ms Christie lived, would receive the recorded
police message about 7pm tomorrow.

Major Crime Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Rick Weskin (Weskin) said householders
would be given details of Ms Christie's disappearance and be urged to think back to the
date of the event and the week leading up to it.

They would be encouraged to call CrimeStoppers.

"It's just another line of inquiry," Det Snr Sgt Weskin said.

Ms Christie did not contact her family over Christmas, adding to police suspicions
she had been murdered.

"She would have if she could have," Det Snr Sgt Weskin said.

AAP sd/jmd

KEYWORD: CHRISTIE

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