182:
photographs which did not resemble Blades' hairstyle at the time of her disappearance. A detective said that gang members or their associates may have been involved in the disappearance. Blades had gang affiliations, and gang members may have been travelling on the road to a gathering in
Wellington that weekend.
181:
programme in July 2018. The programme revisited the case with expert detectives and re-examined the original files hoping to find new leads. The experts concluded that the original investigation focused too heavily on the hunt for the orange Datsun and may have misled potential witnesses by using
145:
man now living in
Australia, have remained "persons of interest" for police. Hughes has gone public in newspapers and on television about his frustrations at being on the suspects list and has denied he had anything to do with the alleged murder.
161:
his family had not talked to the media during the previous 30 years about their feelings because it was too hard on them, especially their mother, who was then in her 80s, and her father had died not knowing his daughter's whereabouts.
133:
police investigated John
Freeman who had rented an orange Datsun the weekend that Blades disappeared. On the day two weeks later that police announced they were searching for an orange Datsun, Freeman shot and wounded a student at
153:
house, which the house's occupants feared might be a makeshift grave. It was discovered that the name had been inscribed on concrete as a joke six years earlier, and the former owner of the property apologised to her family.
191:
121:. A truck driver saw Blades getting into the Datsun and witnesses reported seeing a matching vehicle veering off the highway and stopping on rural Matea Road.
448:
438:
453:
433:
135:
315:
392:
86:. Her body and belongings have never been found and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance and presumed
111:
295:
240:
417:
372:
344:
377:
349:
320:
142:
103:
99:
149:
In 2003, police investigated a report that Blades' name had been found etched on a garage floor in a
443:
150:
107:
300:
211:
269:
67:
56:
427:
118:
115:
83:
79:
37:
130:
166:
165:
In
January 2012 police dug up the concrete laundry floor of a house in
373:"Twist in Mona Blades cold case following new television documentary"
87:
169:
looking for her body, but found nothing of interest.
63:
52:
44:
30:
23:
393:"Gang links in decades-old Mona Blades cold case"
141:An elderly New Zealand man and Charlie Hughes, a
129:There have been about five suspects in the case.
110:long weekend, and was allegedly last seen on the
59:for 49 years, 8 months and 26 days
157:In 2005, Blades' brother, Tony Blades, told the
218:. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage
106:on Saturday 31 May 1975, the first day of the
8:
235:
233:
20:
264:
262:
177:The Mona Blades case featured on TVNZ's
203:
7:
270:"Decades old murder re-investigated"
138:in Auckland before killing himself.
82:woman who disappeared in 1975 while
449:Missing person cases in New Zealand
241:"Mona Blades suspect again quizzed"
14:
343:Morton, Jamie (27 January 2012).
345:"Cop v Cop in cold-case murder"
371:Makiha, Kelly (27 July 2018).
192:List of people who disappeared
16:New Zealand disappearance case
1:
296:"Blades find a prank: police"
316:"The mystery of Mona Blades"
98:Blades was hitchhiking from
439:1975 murders in New Zealand
395:. Stuff.co.nz. 31 July 2018
470:
454:New Zealand murder victims
434:1970s missing person cases
216:New Zealand History Online
276:. TVNZ. 7 February 2005
378:The New Zealand Herald
350:The New Zealand Herald
321:The New Zealand Herald
212:"Mona Blades vanishes"
136:St Cuthbert's College
76:Mona Elizabeth Blades
25:Mona Elizabeth Blades
78:was an 18-year-old
418:New Zealand Police
301:New Zealand Herald
245:New Zealand Herald
304:. 25 August 2003.
247:. 7 December 2005
112:Napier–Taupo Road
73:
72:
461:
420:page on the case
405:
404:
402:
400:
389:
383:
382:
368:
362:
361:
359:
357:
340:
334:
333:
331:
329:
312:
306:
305:
292:
286:
285:
283:
281:
266:
257:
256:
254:
252:
237:
228:
227:
225:
223:
208:
108:Queen's Birthday
21:
469:
468:
464:
463:
462:
460:
459:
458:
424:
423:
414:
409:
408:
398:
396:
391:
390:
386:
370:
369:
365:
355:
353:
342:
341:
337:
327:
325:
314:
313:
309:
294:
293:
289:
279:
277:
268:
267:
260:
250:
248:
239:
238:
231:
221:
219:
210:
209:
205:
200:
188:
175:
127:
96:
40:
35:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
467:
465:
457:
456:
451:
446:
441:
436:
426:
425:
422:
421:
413:
412:External links
410:
407:
406:
384:
363:
335:
324:. 16 July 2005
307:
287:
258:
229:
202:
201:
199:
196:
195:
194:
187:
184:
174:
171:
126:
123:
95:
92:
71:
70:
65:
61:
60:
54:
50:
49:
46:
42:
41:
36:
32:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
466:
455:
452:
450:
447:
445:
442:
440:
437:
435:
432:
431:
429:
419:
416:
415:
411:
394:
388:
385:
380:
379:
374:
367:
364:
352:
351:
346:
339:
336:
323:
322:
317:
311:
308:
303:
302:
297:
291:
288:
275:
271:
265:
263:
259:
246:
242:
236:
234:
230:
217:
213:
207:
204:
197:
193:
190:
189:
185:
183:
180:
172:
170:
168:
163:
160:
155:
152:
147:
144:
139:
137:
132:
125:Investigation
124:
122:
120:
119:station wagon
117:
114:in an orange
113:
109:
105:
101:
94:Disappearance
93:
91:
89:
85:
81:
77:
69:
68:New Zealander
66:
62:
58:
55:
51:
48:1975 (age 18)
47:
43:
39:
33:
29:
22:
19:
397:. Retrieved
387:
376:
366:
354:. Retrieved
348:
338:
326:. Retrieved
319:
310:
299:
290:
278:. Retrieved
273:
249:. Retrieved
244:
220:. Retrieved
215:
206:
178:
176:
164:
158:
156:
148:
140:
128:
97:
75:
74:
18:
444:Hitchhiking
116:Datsun 120Y
84:hitchhiking
80:New Zealand
64:Nationality
45:Disappeared
38:New Zealand
428:Categories
356:27 January
198:References
159:Daily Post
179:Cold Case
173:Aftermath
399:1 August
274:One News
186:See also
143:Hamilton
131:Auckland
104:Hastings
100:Hamilton
280:12 June
251:12 June
222:12 June
167:Kawerau
57:Missing
328:21 May
151:Huntly
88:murder
53:Status
401:2018
358:2012
330:2017
282:2009
253:2009
224:2009
34:1957
31:Born
102:to
430::
375:.
347:.
318:.
298:.
272:.
261:^
243:.
232:^
214:.
90:.
403:.
381:.
360:.
332:.
284:.
255:.
226:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.