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A NSW politician has claimed the "worst serial killer in Australia's history" may be to blame for dozens of missing or murdered women in the state.
A fresh spotlight is now on the investigations into 67 women who were killed or went missing between 1977 and 2009 on the NSW North Coast.
Former Greens MP and member of NSW legislative council Jeremy Buckingham gave an impassioned speech in parliament about the scores of unsolved cases in the area which he said had "alarming similarity".
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Buckingham called on NSW Police to give the cases more time and resources as a "matter of urgency" and claimed he was told the cases could be linked.
Among the 67 missing women is Narelle Cox, 21, who was last seen in Grafton in 1977.
She left a note for her family which read: "Gone to Noosa to see Faye, be back on Monday."
A truck driver said he had picked up Cox and dropped her in Brunswick Heads.
She was never seen again.
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Then there's Rose Howell, 18, who went missing in 2003 and was last seen in Bundagen, about 25km from Coffs Harbour.
Buckingham said Howell's mother is still desperately fighting for justice.
Susan Maree Kiely, 33, has been missing from Bellingen on the Mid North Coast since 1989 and her body has never been found.
Her brother "broke down" when he spoke to Buckingham.
"They have failed these women," the politician said of NSW Police.
Buckingham admitted he'd been accused of being "alarmist" but said it was his view and the view of some senior police, such as Detective Gary McEvoy from Coffs Harbour, that the cases are linked.
"Some of these were individual incidents; there is no doubt about that. But many are linked, and there is a single perpetrator," he went on.
"It is impossible to think that there are 67 individual murderers in the area from the North Coast to the Tweed Heads who have escaped justice.
"Someone has done these things repeatedly."
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Greens MP Sue Higginson supported Buckingham's call for police action in parliament today.
"The memory of these brave young women and girls deserves the attention and the seriousness of the NSW Police Force," she said.
They have also called on Premier Chris Minns to have a special commission of inquiry into the deaths and missing persons cases.
In a statement to 9news.com.au, NSW Police said there is "no evidence to indicate a common offender was responsible for the disappearance".
"The matters remain under investigation by State Crime Command's Homicide Squad Unsolved Homicide Team and the Missing Person Registry and as part of the recent recommendations handed down by the Special Commission of Inquiry, all unsolved cases will be reviewed every two years," the statement said.
It said there are a number of strike forces continuing to investigate the murders on the North Coast, including Task Force Fenwick, Strike Force Arapaima and Strike Force Alethia, an administrative task force.
"In February 2024, the NSW Police Force commenced Task Force ATLAS to work through all recommendations made by the Special Commission of Inquiry as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the service and accountability of NSW Police Force," the statement continued.
"All recommendations relating to the processes around unsolved homicide cases have been accepted."
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