Peta Weber vanished on a cliffside walk with her husband Richard. Years passed, then he killed himself. At last, her tortured family’s questions may finally be answered
Peta Weber disappeared on a cliff walk with her husband Richard. Years passed, then he committed suicide. Finally, the questions of her tormented family can finally be answered
Peta Weber disappeared in 1997
The family of a young mother who disappeared 25 years ago while walking along a cliff with her husband will soon finally discover what happened to her.
Peta and Richard Weber took a pre-dawn walk to The Gap, southwest of Albany, Western Australia, on June 21, 1997.
The night before, Richard said, they had dropped off their two children, ages two and seven, at his parents’ house.
The pair were out fishing at around 6:45 a.m. when, according to Richard, Peta said she needed to go to the toilet and ran off.
Forty-five minutes passed before Richard sounded the alarm by waving down a car and asking the driver to take it to a place where he could find cell reception. He then called the police to report his wife missing.
Officers searched for Peta, 25, for three weeks but were unable to find her.
Richard took his own life in 2000, while the police followed him covertly.
Peta’s case was treated as a missing persons case until 2017, when a murder investigation was opened.
An inquest into her death opened Tuesday and the coroner’s counsel, Jon Tiller, shed new light on the case. WA Today reported.
He told the inquest that Richard was treated as a “significant” person of interest before his death.
Peta and Richard Weber took a pre-dawn walk to The Gap, southwest of Albany, Western Australia, on June 21, 1997.
“From a very early stage in the police investigation into Peta’s disappearance, suspicion was centered on Richard. He was believed to have motive, means and opportunity,” Mr. Tiller said.
“Richard was interviewed several times and consistently denied any involvement in Peta’s disappearance, claiming he last saw her walk away from the swim.”
Mr Tiller added that it appears Richard had dropped the children off with his parents alone and that no one else claims to have seen Peta after this point.
The inquest learned that Peta was planning to leave Richard and told a friend that her marriage was crumbling just a day before she disappeared.
“In late 1996… some believed that Peta was afraid of Richard. There is evidence that he was very controlling of Peta and restricted her access to finances, friends and the outside world,” Mr Tiller said, adding that Peta had told friends Richard that he had abused her and her son John from a previous marriage.
The inquest also heard that Peta did not like fishing, but would sometimes go with Richard if John went too.
Richard took his own life in 2000 after breaking up a new relationship.
The judicial investigation continues.
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