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THE sister of a model who vanished three decades ago believes the truth about her disappearance will never be revealed.
Revelle Balmain, 22, is feared to have been murdered on November 5, 1994 – and her sister believes police at the time failed to investigate properly as they judged her work as an escort.
Revelle Balmain disappeared 30 years ago
The Australian
Her bag and one of her shoes were found after she disappearedShe had turned to escort work to make quick cash and was just days away from leaving for Japan for a dance tour when she disappeared in Sydney, Australia.
Detectives have never solved Revelle’s case – leaving her family tortured by 30 years of crippling wonder.
Police are certain Revelle was murdered, despite her body never being found and no suspect ever charged.
Her sister Suellen Simpson believes detectives who initially investigated Revelle’s case were dismissive as they “labelled her as an escort” – meaning key clues could have been missed.
She told The Sun: “In the beginning the detective in charge failed because of his attitude towards escorts.
“With his old school thinking he ignored important witnesses, missed certain things, made too many mistakes and this is the reason why it is back in the coronial court.
“If only he had done his job and put in half the effort, it could have been a whole different outcome.”
Just weeks before her disappearance, Revelle had her first big breakthrough when she appeared on the cover of fashion magazine Oyster.
Hoping to carve out a new life for herself, Revelle planned to meet one final client before heading to Japan for a dance tour.
Revelle met with keen surfer Gavin Samer on the evening of November 5, 1994 and was due to meet her friends after.
But suspicions were raised when Revelle failed to show up.
The finger then started to be pointed towards Samer, then 26, when several of her belongings were found in streets near his home.
Cover girl Revelle’s diary was discovered in a gutter, her keys and make-up bag on a roadside, and one of her cork-heeled platforms in a bin.
Alamy
60 Minutes Australia
The Australian NewspaperIn 1999, an inquest concluded Revelle, who studied at the former Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts in London as a teenager, had died “at the hands of a person or persons unknown”.
This year, the case was reopened in the coronial court but adjourned by the end of the first week of hearings as they were unable to get through all witnesses asked to attend.
Suellen said: “Some of the ladies who attended in April 2024 barely knew Revelle and had to sit in the box and talk about their experiences in 1994, to me they showed amazing strength and courage.
“There was an air of no fear and little did they know, that was all the support I needed.
“There was another date booked in December for one day but that was cancelled again due to availability.”
“Every case is important and my sister’s case no more than any other, but I think any family who has been waiting 30/40/50 years should be given some urgency to finalist the inquest, otherwise family members might not be around.”
Revelle’s parents Jan and Ivor died without ever knowing what happened to their daughter – and Suellen fears the truth will never be uncovered.
Suellen has praised police now probing her sister’s disappearance, but believes it would take a “miracle” to uncover what really happened.
Who was the prime suspect?
GAVIN Samer was named as a suspect by police after Revelle Balmain vanished in 1994.
When he was 26, he hired Revelle to go to his home at Kingsford, in Sydney’s south-east.
Revelle failed to meet friends after, and Samer said he had dropped her at a nearby pub at around 7pm.
He was named as a person of interest – but his involvement in her disappearance and likely death was dismissed by Deputy State Coroner John Abernethy in May 199.
Abernethy said: “Not only is she dead, but I am firmly of the opinion that her disappearance involves her homicide.
“While Mr Samer certainly had the opportunity to kill Ms Balmain, and rightly in my view is the main person of interest to police, there is no plausible motive proved.”
During a coronial inquest, it was revealed police did not search Samer’s house with a specialist forensics team.
His car was not searched for nine days and police did not ask him to hand over the clothes he was wearing that night.
Samer has never been charged over Revelle’s disappearance and has always maintained his innocence.
She added: “The short answer is no, I don’t think I will ever find out what happened, but in saying that it’s not over yet.
“I’m too far along to expect or hope for anything but it would be nice if those involved would tell the truth.
“I don’t believe in miracles, but I think this time around is what is needed.
“This time around the police haven’t failed, for me it is the coronial system that had let me down.
“As it stands now, I believe the inquest will continue again early 2025 for the final few witnesses to hopefully delve deeper into finding that single clue that will make a difference.”
Samer was never charged in connection to Revelle’s disappearance despite being a prime suspect as police said there was no plausible motive.
After Revelle’s disappearance, he spent 15 years living as a recluse in Tasmania in a bid to evade the public’s attention.
Suellen believes there is someone out there who knows what happened to Revelle – but is too cowardly to come forward.
She said: “I believe for every murder there is always one if not more who are aware of what happened, by who and why.
“They either don’t care or are too scared to get involved for fear it might reflect on them.
“Most I would think hide their past from family and friends – it’s only by luck that they have got away with it.”
A previously unseen picture shows a young Revelle with dad Ivor in London when she was studying at Bush Davies School of Theatre ArtsSupplied
Revelle in her childhood bedroom with her great auntSupplied
English (US)