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Small town 'mystified' by much-loved mother, daughter who vanished after Sunday lunch
Small town mystified by much-loved mother, daughter who vanished after Sunday lunch . Judy Stephens, 53, and her mother Isabel, 89,were seen leaving the Tatong Tavern in northeast Victoria, Australia together on Sunday.
Isabel and Judy Stephens only ordered something light at a pub in Australia on Sunday afternoon to save themselves for the evening meal. Not long after they finished their lunch at the Tatong tavern in northeast Victoria, the 89-year-old woman and her 53-year-old daughter vanished.
Usually, Sunday lunch is one of the busiest times for the English-style country pub, but that day she did not need a booking.
Police and Victorias State Emergency Service search the banks of Lake Benalla for the missing mother and daughter . They walked in and sat in the dining room, with six other customers.
Isabel Stephens has known the owners wife for years. She visited the pub with her daughter Judy on the odd occasion, tavern owner Chris McCabe said.
My wife took their order, when they came up to pay they apologised for only having small meals because they said they were going out for dinner that night in [her hometown] Benalla, McCabe said.
Isabel Stephens daughters Helen Stephens and Barbara Walter on Thursday told reporters the incident was very out of character.
They were talking to my wife as they paid and then she accompanied them to the restaurant door and saw them walk across the road to their car. And then she waved them goodbye and they headed towards Benalla, 26 kilometres away.
About 1pm on Sunday, the two women got into a white 2007 Toyota Yaris, registration WAB580.
The pair were last seen travelling in a white 2007 Toyota Yaris with the registration number WAB580. Police say it was the last time they were seen.
On Friday - five days after the women disappeared - search teams scoured waterways around Benalla, looking for any clues to their whereabouts. Everybody is mystified and wants to know what happened, McCabe said.
The English-style country pub, the Tatong Tavern in Victoria, Australia, where the pair were last seen having lunch. The general consensus is everyone is concerned and hopes they are found and that nothing untoward has happened to them.
However, its believed Isabel may have made it to Benalla in the end. McCabe said hed heard the 89-year-old woman had afternoon tea with a neighbour on Sunday afternoon. Its not known if Judy was also there.
Police and Victorias State Emergency Service search the banks of Lake Benalla for the missing mother and daughter . So theyre now looking at what happened to them after that, he said.
Police have not been able to confirm this information. The pair live separately in Benalla. Isabel lives in an independent living unit at Cooinda, a residential aged care facility opposite the local hospital.
Cooinda residential aged care, in Benalla, Victoria, Australia, where Isabel Stephens was living. Elderly residents there are devastated by her disappearance, too distraught to speak to media.
Isabels two other daughters, Helen Stephens and Barbara Walter, are struggling to comprehend what has happened. Its almost like youre in a bad movie and youre going to wake up and everything will be OK, Walter told media on Thursday.
We just cant get a grip on it at all. Theyre very ordinary and lead very ordinary sort of routine lives. This has just shocked us terribly. We dont know what to think..
Judy is insulin dependent and requires daily medication. She also has an intellectual disability. Judy not having her medication, that has serious health implications for her, Stephens said.
Your mind boggles because theres no answer. You cant imagine they would have driven any further afield because they dont do that generally.