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Authorities are on an urgent quest to locate a second individual linked to the “horrific and unimaginable” sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman, a crime that has remained unresolved for nearly thirty years.
The victim was forcibly pulled into a car and transported to a secluded parking lot at Elwood Beach, where the assault occurred.
In the aftermath, the young woman bravely reported the incident and underwent a forensic medical examination. However, at the time, law enforcement was unable to identify the perpetrators.
Recently, a breakthrough came when DNA technology revealed a match between the genetic material collected from the victim in 1998 and a suspect, bringing renewed hope for justice.
The suspect, Rielly, confessed to his involvement, admitting he had assisted in forcing the woman into the vehicle, muffling her cries for help, and participating in the assault.
Rielly admitted he helped shove her into the back of the car, covered her mouth as she screamed for help and took turns raping her.
He told the court he met the other men that same night and never saw them again.
Detectives are still trying to find the second man and appealed to the public today to reach out with any information.
”To be a 19-year-old woman, walking home after a night out with friends, then suddenly her world is changed in a horrific and unimaginable way,” Detective Senior Sergeant Brett Robinson said.
“Whilst we are pleased we have been able to give her some answers and closure with a nearly ten-year prison sentence for one of the males, it still looms over her every day that there is a second man still living his life, not being held to account for this heinous crime.
“We will not stop; we will not give up on this investigation until we have answers. Until this male is in custody and justice is served for the victim.”
The judge in Rielly’s trial said the woman had been an aspiring painter and was due to begin an art course.
Now in her 50s, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and agoraphobia, and has been unable to hold down a job.
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