A view of the Murray at Jingellic where Niamh Maye was last seen 23 years ago. Photo: Missing Niamh/Facebook.
More than two decades after 18-year-old Niamh Maye vanished from the NSW Snowy Valleys, her family is clinging to one final hope for answers: a podcast.
With police now confirming they’ve exhausted all avenues of inquiry, the true-crime series Missing Niamh may be the last chance to uncover what happened to the teenager whose disappearance remains one of Australia’s most haunting mysteries.
Launched in September 2024, the 12-episode podcast produced by the award-winning and anonymous Casefile Presents [Casefile] team has quietly built momentum – amassing more than two million downloads in just six months.
“The response to the Missing Niamh series has been incredible, both in Australia and internationally,” says the Casefile host, known only as Casey.
“While Australia remains the largest segment of our audience, we’ve also seen significant listenership from the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, along with listeners tuning in from around the world.”
It hasn’t triggered any major new developments, but the popular podcast has brought Niamh’s case back into public consciousness and drawn a new generation of listeners.
For her family, the series is more than a retrospective – it’s their final shot at closure.
In a 2022 interview, Niamh’s mother, Anne Maye, said: “We hope that with new ways of spreading the word and gathering information, like podcasts, we might be able to get some answers. She has always been with us and always will be.”
In a statement this week, the NSW Police Media Unit confirmed that detectives from the Riverina Police District have “exhausted all avenues of inquiry at this time”.
While the investigation remains open, officers will now focus on reviewing any new information that emerges – particularly from those who have come across the podcast and might recall something previously overlooked.
Niamh, from Armidale in northern NSW, had been on a working holiday in the Snowy Valleys region, picking fruit at orchards near Batlow with friends.
In the lead-up to Easter 2002, she told her sister Fionnuala she was planning to travel to Sydney, where the two would meet before returning home to spend the holiday with family.
Niamh was scheduled to catch a bus from Batlow to Cootamundra, then board a train to Sydney. But she never arrived – and never boarded the bus.
Her last confirmed sighting was on the morning of 30 March, 2002, as she left a campground near Jingellic, close to the NSW-Victoria border.
At the time, Niamh was carrying a blue backpack, a tent, a sleeping bag, a camera, cookware, and a Discman. None of these personal belongings have ever been recovered.
One name has shadowed the case from the beginning: Jason “Jack” Niklasen, a fellow fruit picker who was in the area at the time.
He was reportedly the last person to see Niamh, offering her a lift from Jingellic in his black HT Holden Hearse.
His conflicting statements and violent criminal history led police to name him as a prime suspect.
Just months later, Niklasen was arrested for an unrelated violent crime but escaped from prison shortly afterwards and fell to his death – dashing any hope of questioning him further about Niamh’s disappearance.
A 2012 coronial inquest determined that Niamh had likely died on or around the date she disappeared, somewhere near Tumut, but the coroner could not determine how she died or where her remains might be.
The inquest also formally found she was a victim of homicide.
In 2023, on what would have been Niamh’s 40th birthday, the NSW Government announced a $250,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of her remains or to a conviction.
Superintendent Andrew Spliet, Commander of the Riverina Police District, said any new leads sparked by the podcast would be “vigorously investigated”.
”Any information, no matter how small, could be the missing piece of the puzzle we need to locate Niamh and finally bring answers to her family,” he said.
The Casefile team has received a substantial number of messages from listeners since the podcast launched.
“As we’ve said on the show, no detail is too small,” Casey told Region.
“We’ve been encouraged by how many people felt compelled to come forward, whether with memories, theories or potential leads.”
He said podcasts such as Missing Niamh could be powerful tools for reigniting public interest in cold cases.
“In many instances, they’ve helped bring renewed attention, prompted new witnesses to come forward, or even led to breakthroughs,” Casey said.
“While we’re cautious about overstating the role of media, we’ve seen firsthand how sharing these stories widely can make a real impact.
”Every download represents someone newly invested in a case, and sometimes, that’s all it takes to unearth the missing piece.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a report online. The $250,000 reward remains on offer.
