The weeks-long search for a missing 41-year-old mother in outback South Australia has entered a somber new phase, with authorities announcing they will comb through roughly 1,000 abandoned mineshafts and drain a local dam for a second time as they hunt for clues to her fate. Trisha Graf was last seen nearly two months ago in the remote mining town of Andamooka, vanishing in the early hours of December 12 under puzzling circumstances that have left investigators and community members grasping for answers.
Graf’s disappearance began unfolding on the evening of December 11, when she visited a hotel in the nearby town of Roxby Downs. She left the establishment at 12:19 a.m. on December 12, behind the wheel of her white 2012 Ford Territory, registered as S254BCX, and headed toward Andamooka. Not long after entering the area, she collided with a kangaroo on the road outside the small township. After the crash, Graf and a friend traveling with her continued into Andamooka and stopped at a residence in the town’s northwest district. It was shortly after 2 a.m. that she was last spotted by witnesses.
Within hours, alarm began to spread when Graf’s partner and the friend accompanying her found her vehicle abandoned: the Ford was perched on a dirt embankment near Blue Dam, a remote water body just outside Andamooka. Since that discovery, South Australian Police have launched repeated search operations in the area, deploying ground teams, aircraft, and dive units to comb the dam and surrounding terrain. The first search of Blue Dam included draining the water body to allow divers to check for evidence, but the operation turned up no conclusive answers. Investigators have also been unable to rule out the possibility that critical clues remain in the dam, leading to plans for a second draining operation in the latest search phase.
On Monday, investigative teams returned to the Andamooka region to launch the new phase of the search, one that marks a grim shift in the case after weeks of unsuccessful efforts. In addition to re-draining Blue Dam, police will systematically search approximately 1,000 disused mineshafts scattered across the immediate area around the dam, where Graf’s car was found. The remote outback region around Andamooka has a long history of mining, leaving hundreds of abandoned, unmarked shafts scattered across the terrain that have been unused for decades.
Graf’s disappearance has drawn widespread attention across South Australia, with local communities and police continuing to appeal for any information that could crack the case. Authorities are urging any member of the public who has details about Graf’s movements in the hours and days leading up to her disappearance, or who may have information about her current whereabouts, to come forward. Tips can be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers South Australia via their official website or by calling the 24-hour tip line.
This latest expansion of the search comes after months of dead ends, leaving investigators hopeful that the new sweep of the mineshafts and dam will finally uncover the information needed to solve the mystery of Trisha Graf’s disappearance.