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A scrap of clothing found by a member of the public is believed to have prompted police to re-examine a mine shaft where the body of an amateur prospector — whose wife remains missing — was found eight years ago.
- Jennie Kehlet has been missing for more than eight years
- A coroner ruled she is deceased and her husband Ray was killed
- The bottom of the shaft is expected to be dug up by police
The ABC understands a Good Samaritan who has been assisting the Kehlets' family members to search the area recently located a garment at the base of the shaft and handed it to police.
Jennie and Raymond Kehlet disappeared while on a camping trip 30km south of Sandstone, in WA's Mid West region, in March 2015.
Mr Kehlet's body was found just under three weeks after he was last seen alive, down a long-abandoned mineshaft 1.8km north from where the Kehlets were camping.
In 2021 a coroner found his death was a homicide and Ms Kehlet was deceased, although her remains have never been found.
The pair had made camp at an old gold mining area known as Bell Chambers, where they were learning to prospect for gold in an area they apparently dubbed the "three million dollar patch".
When the Kehlets' dog, Ella, walked into the town of Sandstone hungry and dehydrated family members raised the alarm.
Loading...A major search and rescue operation failed to find Ms Kehlet.
This year some of her family members returned to the area to search for some evidence of her remains.
A member of the public — an army veteran with experience in search and rescue techniques — has been assisting the family.
It is understood he found a scrap of clothing at the base of the shaft which has prompted police to revisit the site.
A recent investigation by the ABC's Background Briefing revealed concerns about how WA Police initially approached the couple's disappearance.
Police initially treated it as a missing persons case although family members say they raised concerns early on about foul play.
WA Police have previously told the ABC the investigation into the couple's fate remains active and ongoing.
The WA government announced last month that they would increase the reward for information that led to a conviction in their case to $2 million.
The Kehlet's case is one of 64 unsolved cold cases where the rewards were increased.
Editor's note: Reporter Ashleigh Davis is related to Jennie Kehlet's children by marriage.