DETECTIVES investigating the disappearances and suspected murders of three young women in Lake Macquarie have homed in on a 1979 fundraising event at Swansea that could hold the key to solving the 40-year mystery.
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Lake Macquarie detectives established Strike Force Arapaima in 2019 to reinvestigate the 1979 disappearances and suspected murders of Robyn Hickie and Amanda Robinson, as well as the 1994 kidnapping and suspected murder of Gordana Kotevski.
As part of the investigations, detectives have been focusing on activities in Swansea on the night Amanda went missing on April 20, 1979, including a private fundraiser for Scouts at the former Swansea Bowling Club on that night.
While exploring that line of inquiry, detectives say they uncovered information relating to the alleged sexual abuse of two boys in the late 1980s and early 1990s by two men who were known to them.
Following extensive inquiries, detectives arrested 69-year-old Richard Mateer at Seven Hills two weeks ago and his identical twin brother Stephen Mateer at Greenacre on Thursday.
Richard Mateer, who was a Scout leader in the 1970s, has been charged with a string of sexual assault offences and was refused bail to reappear in court in January.
Stephen Mateer was charged with 41 offences and appeared in Bankstown Local Court on Thursday where he was granted bail.
Strike Force Arapaima detectives also charged Warren John McCorriston with a string of historical sexual assaults in January, 2020. McCorriston was this year jailed for eight-and-a-half years.
As the investigations continue, detectives say they want to identify and speak to anyone who was at the function at the old Swansea Bowling Club.