A man has been charged three decades after a New South Wales mother disappeared and three years after her cold case was reopened.
Pauline Sowry, also known by her married name Pauline Lawrence, was 49 when she was last seen by her family in the northern suburbs of Wollongong in December 1993.
Her whereabouts remain unknown, although a 2008 coronial inquest found that she had died, most likely after an unconfirmed sighting in 1994.
Police said a 64-year-old man – who had a “connection” with Sowry – was arrested on Thursday at a unit in Gwynneville. He was taken to Wollongong police station and charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder and concealing a serious indictable offence.
He was refused bail to appear in Wollongong local court on Friday.
NSW police’s southern region assistant commissioner, Joe Cassar, said he expected investigations to continue after the man was interviewed.
Cassar would not say what evidence had led to the man being arrested. Whether he would be charged depended on “how the interview goes today”.
“To this date, we still have not located the body of Pauline, which is quite unfortunate,” the assistant commissioner said.
“I would expect there will be continued investigations until we can try and locate Pauline and to see if there are any other suspects.”
Pauline’s son, Jason Lawrence, said: “We have waited more than 30 years.
“We welcome today’s news that a person has been arrested in relation to the suspicious disappearance of our beloved mum,” he said.
“We miss her every day, and her disappearance has taken a huge toll on myself and our entire family. We thank the police officers for never giving up hope and we look forward to the outcome of this investigation.”
Police reopened the investigation in 2022. In December 2024, police revealed they had found black pants and a cream button-down blouse with white and orange stitching after searching the Illawarra escarpment at Figtree.
Officers did not confirm whether the clothing belonged to Sowry but said the items included hand-stitching in coloured cotton and the mother was known for altering clothing for herself and her children.
In March last year, police and the state government announced a $500,000 reward for information leading to the “arrest and conviction of anyone responsible”.
Police searched bushland in October 2024 and previously in March and May 2023.
Cassar said on Thursday: “I made a promise that the NSW police would leave no stone unturned to seek a resolution and the persistence and effort by my officers has resulted in today’s arrest.
“I commend the tireless commitment of our officers in finding answers for Pauline’s family and they continue to work hard to bring this matter before the courts,” he said.
