Mandurah Honors Missing Women in Memorial Service

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A solemn memorial service will be held in Mandurah to honor the lives of missing women Hayley Dodd, Raelene Eaton, and Iveta Mitchell, offering comfort to their families and raising awareness about long-term missing persons.

The Mandurah community will come together this month to remember three women who vanished under heartbreaking circumstances: Hayley Dodd, Raelene Eaton, and Iveta Mitchell. As part of National Missing Persons Week, a special memorial service will be held to honour their memory and support the families who continue to live with the pain of not knowing what happened to their loved ones.

The service is part of an ongoing effort to shine a light on long-term missing persons cases in Australia. It aims to provide families with a space for reflection, healing, and community support. For many, the event is also a powerful reminder of the emotional toll that unsolved disappearances leave behind not only for families but also for friends, law enforcement, and the wider public.

Hayley Dodd was only 17 years old when she disappeared while hitchhiking near Badgingarra in 1999. Her disappearance shocked the nation and sparked one of Western Australia’s largest missing persons investigations. Despite the conviction of a man in connection to her case, Hayley’s remains have never been found, leaving her family without full closure.

Raelene Eaton, a mother of two, disappeared from Mandurah in 2003. Her sudden and unexplained absence continues to baffle authorities, and she remains listed as a missing person more than two decades later. Similarly, Iveta Mitchell vanished in 2010 after leaving her Mandurah home one night. Although there were reported sightings and ongoing inquiries, her whereabouts remain unknown.

These women are among hundreds of long-term missing persons in Western Australia, and the annual service in Mandurah provides a way to keep their stories alive. Organised in partnership with the families, police, and local government, the event also hopes to encourage anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Balfour from the Western Australia Police Force said these services are essential for raising awareness and supporting those affected. “Every missing person is someone’s daughter, mother, or friend. Events like this remind us that behind every name is a family that needs answers,” he said.

In addition to the memorial, candles will be lit and tributes shared to honour the lives of Hayley, Raelene, and Iveta. Support organisations will also be present to offer counselling and information to families of missing persons.