A major breakthrough in a Queensland cold case could finally solve the nearly 11-year-old mystery that left a tight-knit Aboriginal community heartbroken.
Ms Bernard was only 23 years old when she disappeared in February 2013 after a night out at a Far North Queensland pub.
Witnesses said the young mother of two was seen leaving the Exchange Hotel in Coen with a stranger. She is believed to have disappeared somewhere between the Archer River and her hometown of Kowanyama.
Subsequent police investigations and coronial inquiries were unsuccessful in revealing the circumstances of her disappearance, though inquiries did focus on one person of interest.
A 62-year-old Coen man has now been charged with Ms Bernard’s murder, and is expected to face Cairns magistrates court on Wednesday.
In a statement, the family remembered a beloved member of their community.
Ms Bernard was a cheeky little girl who grew into a quiet, proud and loving mother. She loved to dance and to swim in the freshwater on her Country.
Ms Bernard’s mother and Uncle Teddy Bernard have kept pressure on investigators over the last ten years to find answers into her death.
“This has been a long sad journey for us as a family.
The family also made criticisms of the police investigations.
“Our women do not go missing and they don’t run off into the dark for no reason.
“We are grieving and we want her returned home.”
The major development comes less than a year after
Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905