An age-progressed image of long missing Sydney woman Elaine Johnson has been released as part of this year’s National Missing Persons Week, in the hope it jogs a memory that finally brings her family answers.
Ms Johnson was 16 when she disappeared from her home in Kurnell on Friday, 1 February 1980. She is believed to have met up that day with her friend Kerry Anne Joel, who also went missing from her home in nearby Caringbah.
Both women were reported missing that same month, and extensive inquiries conducted across Australia over the years have failed to locate either of them. Ms Johnson would now be 63.
Ms Johnson is one of eight long-term missing people, one from each state and territory, featured in this year’s campaign, which runs from 2 to 8 August. Each has been missing for more than three months.
The theme of this year’s campaign is Answers Still Matter, honouring the ongoing hope held by families of missing people while recognising the pain felt every day without answers.
The age-progressed images were developed by Australian Federal Police forensic artists, who do not use artificial intelligence. Instead, they rely on family photographs, inherited characteristics and the natural effects of ageing, working closely with families and investigators to make each image as accurate as possible.
Nationally, 49,084 people were reported missing to police in 2025. Of those, 53 per cent were female, and 56 per cent of all reports involved people aged between 13 and 17. The number of missing persons reports fell in 2025, but missing persons work remains a significant part of state and territory police activity.
AFP Commander Human Exploitation Joanne Cameron said National Missing Persons Week brought awareness to the broader community and could lead to answers for families.
“The uncertainty and pain for families can be overwhelming, so we will always highlight efforts to find answers to where their loved ones are,” Commander Cameron said.
“The week raises awareness of missing persons and appeals to the public for information that could help investigations. Even the smallest piece of information can be crucial in these cases.
“We have developed these age-progressed images in the hope they resonate with a member of the public, who may have seen these individuals.”
National Missing Persons Week was established after the 1982 disappearance of Tony Jones, with the inaugural week held in Townsville in 1988. It continues today, supported across the missing persons sector and the wider community.
The AFP’s National Missing Persons Coordination Centre is a non-operational arm of the AFP that coordinates the annual campaign with state and territory police. It does not investigate missing persons cases itself; all investigations are carried out by the relevant state or territory police force.
Anyone with information relating to a missing person is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via crimestoppers.com.au.
More information on Elaine Johnson’s case is available at missingpersons.gov.au.
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