Summary

Renee Joy Aitken went missing on the 16^th of February 1984 at the age of 5 years old. She was last seen in her bed at around 11:15pm in Narooma, NSW. At around 4:45am on the 17^th February 1984 Bradley Aitken (Renee’s brother) noticed that Renee was missing and notified their mother (Morna Aitken). Police started to investigate where Renee could be and organised a search with more than 200 people, one of the biggest searches conducted in Narooma. There have been a few unconfirmed sightings of a young girl that possibly could be Renee Aitken in Bega district and Tugun. Two more searches were conducting to find Renee, but nothing was ever found. In 2001 Bateman’s Bay detectives released an age progression photo of what Renee is believed to look like at 22 years old. In 2003 a Coronial Inquest into Renee Aitken’s disappearance was conducted at Albury Courthouse, where an open verdict was returned. In the coronial inquest it was discussed that Renee was most likely murdered on or shortly after the 16^th February 1984.

Theories

The most common theory is that Renee was kidnapped by either a stranger or someone who had contact with Renee. Another theory that was introduced but quickly disproved was that Renee ran away. The last theory is that Renee was murdered, and this is the most believed theory due to Renee not being located yet.

Suspects

The main suspect on this case is Brain James Fitzpatrick also known as Spider. Brain had a connection to the Aitken family due to him knowing Bonnie Aitken (Renee’s Aunty) and was in Narooma when Renee went missing. Due to these reasons and his suspicious behaviour Brain is the number one suspect in the Renee Aitken case. Another suspect that could be involved in this case is Michael Guider. Michael hinted about his involvement in the Renee Aitken case while in jail serving time for 68 offences against 14 children.