More than a decade after a terrifying ordeal left a teenage girl fighting for her life, the hunt for her attackers continues, with police convinced someone in the local community holds the key to solving the case.
A night that changed everything
In the early hours of April 20, 2014, a passing motorist made a shocking discovery on Northcliffe Drive in Lake Heights. 17-year-old April-lee Gillen was found lying unconscious and seriously injured by the roadside. Initially, authorities treated the incident as a possible hit-and-run.
The reality was far more sinister. April-lee had left her Lake Heights home around 7pm the previous evening to visit her boyfriend near the Illawarra Yacht Club. She was walking back home along Northcliffe Drive when her night took a horrific turn.
Her injuries were severe and life-threatening: a broken ankle, a collapsed lung, and bleeding on her brain. Her condition was so critical that she required life support in intensive care, and surgeons had to remove a section of her skull to relieve pressure.
Community rallies and a crucial social media clue
The Illawarra community responded with an immediate outpouring of support for the injured teenager and her family. An online fundraiser aimed to raise $7000 to help her mother, Leonie Gillen, afford accommodation near Liverpool Hospital, where April-lee was being treated.
Local businesses like Berkeley Cakes and Pies joined the effort, selling pink-frosted cupcakes over two days. Store owner Lisa Jackson spoke of being overwhelmed by the community's generosity, recounting how one man donated $100 for a single cupcake.
The investigation took a pivotal turn in November 2014, when police focused on a Facebook post April-lee had made just before she was found. She wrote: "Phones on 1 per cent walking from warrawong to berks [Berkeley] and some Asian guy just stopped me telling me to come home with him cause it's safe and I need help wtf sos".
This post, combined with CCTV footage, led detectives to conclude this was an attempted abduction, not a traffic accident.
The black BMW and a desperate escape
Police released images of a black SUV, believed to be a BMW, seen making a sudden U-turn on Northcliffe Drive and heading back towards April-lee. The vehicle contained two men.
Acting Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis outlined the theory: "We believe she was dragged into that vehicle and something has happened in that vehicle, and shortly afterwards she was ejected from that vehicle, dragged along, where she suffered some serious injuries." He praised April-lee's bravery, suggesting she managed to wrestle open the door and jump from the moving car.
At a press conference, Detective Superintendent Wayne Starling made a direct appeal to the public. "At 12.20am on a Sunday morning, I would be extremely surprised if it was not someone in this community," he said. "This is a small community. No doubt somebody knows who the driver is." He emphasised there wouldn't be many black BMW SUVs in the area.
Life after the attack
April-lee had no memory of the attack or her desperate escape. She also had no recollection of writing the crucial Facebook plea for help. In a further twist, while recovering in hospital, she had to be repeatedly reminded she was four weeks pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy son on Christmas Eve 2014.
Her mother, Leonie Gillen, spoke of the family's enduring devastation at the press conference, but also of the strength they drew from community support.
Eleven years later, the identities of the two men in the black BMW remain a mystery. The case is still officially unsolved. Police maintain their belief that the answers lie within the Illawarra community, and that someone holds the information that could finally bring justice for April-lee Gillen.
