During the last weeks of her life, 20-year-old Renae Marsden was looking at bridal websites and preparing to marry the man she loved. Her bedroom in Glenhaven in Sydney was lined with her favourite peep-toe shoes in every colour, and she would lie on her bed and scroll through pages of dresses and veils, and plan her perfect day. At just 152cm she was diminutive, but she always filled up a room with her loud laugh and bright personality.
“That laugh of hers …” her mother Teresa says, breaking off. “We’d go to awards nights at the school and she’d cheer for her brothers, and the principal would say, ‘Okay Renae, we know you’re here.’ That’s how vocal she was. She was proud of them.”
All Renae ever wanted was a family of her own. The evening she went missing, she had been babysitting her little sister Monique while Teresa took her boys, Jake and Luke, to their swimming lesson. Renae told her mother she was planning to have dinner with friends and would drop Monique at their grandfather’s house on her way out. The date was August 5, 2013. She was never seen again.
Later that night, Renae’s car was discovered abandoned at The Gap, a notorious suicide spot in eastern Sydney. Police determined she had taken her own life. But Teresa and her husband Mark sensed something darker was at play.
“We said from day one, ‘This is not normal’,” Teresa says. “We were ringing up everyone we could think of. We went to the police and said, ‘Something’s not right here.’ They thought I was stupid. ‘You’re just a mum. Go home.’”
This story is from the April 2020 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2020 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Where to go in 2024
Who doesn't love fantasising about their next trip? We've gone for lesser-known locations, and whether you're seeking bright lights, striking natural scenery, serenity or excitement, here's where you're sure to find it.
The woman behind The King
As Sofia Coppola's biopic Priscilla readies to hit screens, we look back at the early life and great love of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.
Say hello to the Cockatoo cake
When we put a call-out to our readers for their best children's cakes we were inundated with recipes, and this clever cockatoo was ahead of the flock.
Trump's women
Will it be the jailhouse or the White House for Donald Trump this year? The women in his life could make all the difference.
REBECCA GIBNEY “I feel very much at ease in my own skin”
The beloved actress chats exclusively with The Weekly about family life, empty nesting, and the contentment and hard-won self-acceptance she's found with the passing years.
Barbra Streisand – No Regrets
Barbra Streisand writes candidly about her loves and losses in her must-read new memoir. Here, she talks about a fleeting, heady relationship with handsome Miami Vice star Don Johnson.
Merry macadamias
Delightful, delicious edible presents from your kitchen to please everyone! These sweet and spicy nuts are great for snacking and add a crunchy burst of flavour to sprinkle over salads and desserts.
Season's greetings
Despite decades of practice, Christmas still sneaks up and surprises the best of us.
Rewriting a GREEK TRAGEDY
The children and grandchildren of deposed King Constantine II of Greece have wealth, beauty and fame, and are some of Europe's most glamorous royals. But they do not have a kingdom... yet.
'NEXT CHRISTMAS I'LL BE a married woman!'
Sophie Delezio is ready to celebrate the holiday season with her best friend and fiancé, Joseph, after a year that's seen an engagement, a move to a new home and another critical surgery.