Latest News

Investigations continue into suspected murder of Grafton teacher

Police have released new information as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance and suspected murder of Sharon Edwards one year ago. Sharon Edwards – a 55-year-old mother, grandmother and dedicated teacher at a local school – was reported missing on Tuesday 17 March 2015. As part of their inquiries, detectives have confirmed Mrs Edwards was last seen by her husband at about 10.30pm on Saturday 14 March 2015, when she arrived at her home on Riverdale Court, Grafton, following dinner at a local pub with friends. Mrs Edwards was due to teach classes the following Monday (16 March 2015), but failed to attend. Strike Force Burrow was formed by the Coffs/Clarence Local Area Command to investigate her disappearance. Coffs/Clarence Local Area Command’s Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Darren Jameson, said despite their extensive investigations, Mrs Edwards has not been located. “Detectives have been working tirelessly to locate Mrs Edwards, and with the evidence at hand and knowing there has been no contact in 12 months, we believe she may have met with foul play,” Det Insp Jameson said. “We have received incredible support from the community and we have followed a number of lines of inquiry; however, we have not been able to locate Mrs Edwards, or her handbag and mobile phone. “Her mobile phone is a key element in our investigation and we are analysing forensic data from mobile service providers.” Following preliminary forensic examination of her mobile phone transmission data, it appears her phone signal has migrated from Grafton, moving north to the Lawrence area. The last signal transmission from her mobile phone was in this area in the early hours of Sunday 15 March 2015. Detectives are continuing their ana- lysis of this data, as well as that of other mobile services which may have communicated with her phone during this time. “We are particularly keen to speak with anyone who may have been travelling between Grafton and Lawrence late on the Saturday night or early Sunday morning,” Det Insp Jameson said. “During initial searches, Mrs Edwards’ car was found in her garage in Grafton, so if she was in possession of her mobile phone, and travelled north to Lawrence, someone might be able to help us work out how she got there. “This is a tight-knit community, so if anyone saw anything unusual that night, we’d love to hear from them,” Det Insp Jameson said. Sharon’s son, Josh Edwards, also thanked the community for their continuing support of the Edwards family. “The last year has been very tough on our family but the people of Grafton have been very good to us; showing us how much they, too, love mum,” Josh said. “Not only did we have friends and family helping look for her, we had people from across the community offering to help out in any way they could. “A year is a long time without any contact and any answers. It’s heartbreaking for all of us – we miss her so much. “On behalf of our family, I’m asking for anyone who knows anything that could help us find our mum to get in touch with police,” Josh said. At a media conference outside the NSW Police headquarters in Sydney last Friday, Detective Inspector Darren Jameson said Mrs Edwards’ husband, John Edwards, is now regarded as a suspect. Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.