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Underwear, shirt and torch found on Friday in Federal Falls search for Esther Wallace
December 9, 2022
By Peter Holmes
The baffling disappearance of Esther Wallace more than nine days ago near Federal Falls took another twist on Friday morning when a solar-powered torch, underwear and a white shirt were found by searching parties.
At a press conference around 10:30am on Friday at Orange Police Station, acting superintendent Gerard Lawson told reporters that a number of items had been found. He said one of them was a crocheted white shirt, but would not name the others.
The Orange News Examiner has been told that the other items include a solar-powered torch and underwear. Earlier this week an orange jacket was found. Police are still awaiting test results.
Based on the location of the items, it appeared as if the order in which the clothing had been removed was the shirt, then the jacket, followed by the underwear. The torch was found near the underwear.
“The shirt was taken off close to her last known position,” a source said, adding that it was not outside the realms of possibility Wallace had removed her shirt and kept wearing the all-weather orange jacket.
The shirt was found on a branch, separate to the torch and underwear.
One of the items was said to be discovered up a contour of land that had been written off as being completely inaccessible.
However a BSAR (bush search and rescue) team was able to access the area and discovered items this morning (Friday December 9, 2022).
Asked how someone like Wallace may have been able to access such an area, they said: “No idea.”
Acting superintendent Lawson said there was no person of interest or suspect, and asked the public to refrain from posting accusatory theories on social media about what might have happened to Wallace.
In response to a question Lawson said it was possible that Wallace had chosen to vanish. Police, as ever, were keeping an open mind on all possibilities, no matter how slim the odds.
CORRECTION
An earlier version of this story misstated that shorts had been found on Friday.
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