By David Lohr
April 24, 2007
BELGRAVE, Australia (Crime Library) — The search for two missing teenagers ended tragically Sunday when their bodies were found in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Their deaths have sent shockwaves through the community. Friends and family members are both confused and saddened by the girls' deaths, which appear to have been the result of a suicide pact.
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| Stephanie's Birthday |
On April 15, Stephanie Gestier and Jodie Gater, both 16, told their parents they were going shopping at Ringwood's Eastland Shopping Center. Both girls left their Belgrave homes at about 9:30 a.m. When neither girl returned home for dinner, their parents notified police. Jodie's father, Robert Gator, told police they might have gone to see someone they met on the Internet. Neither girl had a history of running away, so the fact that they were missing caused authorities to be concerned for their safety. Descriptions of both girls were sent out to all area patrol units, and special investigators were brought in to track the girls' Internet activity.
For the next week, authorities interviewed dozens of the girls' friends and searched all of their known hangouts. Despite all of their efforts, no one had seen the girls since the day they disappeared. While they had no clear indication the girls were in danger, investigators were concerned by Jodie's profile on MySpace.com. The day before she disappeared, she had updated it and left behind two very troubling messages.
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| Jodie's Myspace page |
She changed the title of her page to read, "let steph n me b free," and in the "about me" section of the profile, she left the following message for her boyfriend: "i luv u sooo soo much allan. miss u heaps and heaps. Xoxoxo. i will always remember u."
The messages seem to suggest the girls knew they would not be returning. Police were not the only ones concerned. On April 17, a user with the screen name Hit Things left behind this comment on Jodie's profile: "Where the f—k are you, people are worry about you. Please tell us where you are."
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