💔 **“We just want her home.” A family’s desperate search for missing Steph has now moved into the bush…** As the agonising wait continues, Steph’s heartbroken family has refused to sit back and hope for answers. Instead, they are now searching through bushland themselves, desperately looking for anything that could lead them to her. Every hour without news has brought more questions. Every stretch of bushland searched raises the same terrifying uncertainty: **where is Steph?** Her loved ones say they have only one wish — to bring her home. 😢 Now, as the search intensifies, the family is pleading for anyone who may have seen something, heard something, or knows anything that could help to come forward. 👇 **The latest developments in the desperate search for Steph are in the comments.**
**‘We Just Want Her Home’: Heartbroken Family Continues Searching Dense Bushland for Missing Stephanie Cordery After Police Scale Back Official Effort**
Almost a month after Stephanie Cordery vanished without a clear trace, her family refuses to stop looking. The 42-year-old was last seen on the morning of 5 August 2026. Her car was later found abandoned on her boyfriend’s remote property in the Nightcap Range in northern New South Wales, with her handbag, wallet and keys still inside. Police have conducted extensive multi-agency searches but have now scaled back the active land search. Stephanie’s relatives and close friends have taken up the task themselves, walking dozens of kilometres through difficult terrain in the hope of finding any sign of her.
“We’ve searched, I don’t know, probably 50 to 60 kilometres through the bush. Can’t really find any leads, any clues to her whereabouts out here,” her cousin Jamie told *A Current Affair*. Friend Justin added that the terrain is unforgiving and that there has been no evidence or track of her. Best friend Tennille summed up the family’s state of mind: “Her family has all sorts of scenarios going through their head and we just want her home.”
Stephanie’s mother Joyce delivered an emotional plea during her interview. “Love you, Steph. Always have. Always will. I miss you. You are my soulmate. Please come home. I love you so much.” Her sister Monique appealed for information, even if it is given anonymously: “If someone knows something, if they’re holding back, we need to know.”
### A Trail That Goes Cold in the Nightcap Range
Stephanie’s last confirmed movements were captured on CCTV and road cameras. Footage released by police shows her leaving temporary accommodation in Ballina at about 5am on 5 August. She placed items in the boot of her car. According to her sister, she did not appear panicked or in a hurry. Road cameras later tracked the vehicle heading west through Lismore and then north through Nimbin at around 6am. The car was subsequently found in the driveway of her boyfriend’s property deep in the Nightcap Range. Stephanie herself was nowhere to be seen.
Her boyfriend notified Monique at 1.19pm that day that the car was there but Stephanie was not. Monique eventually contacted police when the family could not locate her. The relationship had been on-and-off for about eight years. Police have stated they are comfortable that the boyfriend has been cooperative and forthcoming. He opened his property and family members’ properties without hesitation, and his vehicle was examined. *A Current Affair* requested an interview with him; he declined. The program has made clear it is not suggesting any involvement on his part. Monique noted that he and his family are private people living in what she described as a closed community, and that he is concerned about unwanted media attention or online harassment.
Forensic examination of Stephanie’s car yielded no publicly reported clues. Her phone was later found left behind at the temporary accommodation in Ballina—an unusual detail that has puzzled the family. “Who leaves their phone? Who doesn’t notice they don’t have their phone?” Monique asked.
### Official Search Effort and Its Limits
NSW Police have described a significant and sustained multi-agency response under Strike Force Lumina. Search operations in the Nimbin area took place across 13 days: 5–7 August, 9–14 August, 16 August, 19–20 August and 26 August. Personnel involved included local Richmond Police District officers, Police Rescue, the Police Dog Unit, Marine Area Command, NSW SES, SES Bush Search and Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service, Volunteer Rescue Association specialist teams, and Queensland Remote Area Tracking personnel.
Specialist resources were deployed, including drones for difficult terrain. On 26 August, police divers searched dams and waterways near where the vehicle was located. A geo-targeted text message was sent to thousands of mobile phones in the Nimbin and Lismore areas on 6 August, and public appeals were made through traditional and social media.
Despite these efforts, Stephanie has not been located. Police have indicated that further discussions are underway with specialist search-and-rescue personnel about possible future activity. They remain committed to all appropriate lines of inquiry and urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Family members say they were told the land search was effectively over. Joyce stated: “We were told that the search was over.” Monique responded firmly: “You search for someone until they’re found. You don’t give up and say, OK, that’s the end.” Joyce added that police conducted a comprehensive search within a 300-metre radius of the car and that by the tenth day they were adamant Stephanie was not in that immediate area. “So if she’s not there, where is she?” Monique asked.
### The Human Toll on a Close Family
Stephanie grew up in nearby Lismore, where she was school captain and widely liked. She does not have children of her own but is described as the fun aunt, the life of the party, and someone who is deeply caring. During the major floods that hit the region, she was out helping neighbours clean homes and delivering food. Her mother recalled those acts of practical kindness with pride.
The prolonged uncertainty has taken a severe emotional and physical toll. Monique said she does not want her parents to pass away without knowing what happened to Stephanie. Joyce expressed concern about the impact on her husband Barry’s health. Barry himself acknowledged the strain: “It’s tough. Yeah, it’s not getting much better.” Monique has spoken of the impossibility of proper grieving while the outcome remains unknown. “We want to hold hope that she’s still out there somewhere, but it’s not looking good, and we can’t even grieve because we don’t know.”
Each passing day makes the prospect of finding Stephanie safe and well less likely, yet the family continues to hold on to hope while confronting darker possibilities. Monique has also raised a broader concern about the number of missing people, particularly women, in the region over recent decades, questioning whether it points to resource limitations or something more sinister. She emphasised that the family cannot and should not assign blame or suspicion; that work belongs to the detectives.
### Community, Privacy and the Challenge of Remote Terrain
The Nightcap Range is characterised by dense bushland, steep country and limited access. Searching it thoroughly is physically demanding and logistically complex. Family members and friends have walked long distances without finding tracks, belongings or other indications. The private nature of some local properties and communities has added another layer of sensitivity. Monique has been careful to stress that the boyfriend and his family have cooperated fully and that the family is not pointing fingers.
The absence of Stephanie’s phone at the scene and the presence of her personal items in the car create a puzzling picture. She left accommodation in the early morning, drove a known route, and then disappeared after arriving at or near the property. No confirmed sightings have been reported after the road-camera footage near Nimbin.
Continuing Appeals and the Need for Information
The family continues to appeal for any information, no matter how small. They have made clear they are open to anonymous tips. Joyce’s simple, heartfelt message—“I just miss her, and I just want to know what’s happened”—captures the core of their ordeal.
Police maintain that the investigation remains active even if large-scale land searching has been scaled back. Specialist capabilities and further search options are still under discussion. For Stephanie’s relatives, however, waiting for official updates is not enough. They are out in the bush themselves, covering ground that official teams have already examined or deemed lower priority, driven by the conviction that someone must keep looking until there are answers.
Stephanie Cordery was a well-known and well-liked figure in her community—a former school captain, a helper during floods, a devoted sister, daughter and friend. Her disappearance has left a painful void. As the weeks stretch on, her family continues the practical, exhausting work of searching while living with the daily emotional weight of not knowing. Their message remains consistent and clear: they just want her home.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Even small details could prove significant. For Joyce, Monique, Barry, Jamie, Tennille, Justin and the wider circle of people who care about Stephanie, the search—official or unofficial—will not truly end until she is found.
