Marion Barter's 1997 disappearance linked to a conman's dark secrets
Marion Barter, a 51-year-old teacher, vanished in 1997 after being last seen at a Queensland bus depot. Her disappearance remained unsolved for decades, with police later declaring her dead in 2024. A coronial inquest revealed she had secretly married a convicted conman before she went missing. Marion Barter was last spotted on June 22, 1997, at a bus depot on Scarborough Street in Southport, Queensland. Shortly after, she travelled to the UK under a new identity—Florabella Remakel—claiming she was married and living in Luxembourg. She returned to Australia on August 2, 1997, using the same name.
Before her disappearance, Barter had legally changed her name to Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel. She had also married Ric Blum, a man with multiple aliases and a criminal record for fraud. Her daughter, Sally Leydon, reported her missing in October 1997. In 2023, NSW Police offered a $1 million reward for new information about her case. An inquest in 2024 concluded that Barter had died around October 15, 1997, while still involved with Blum. The Coroner recommended that the investigation stay with the State Crime Command’s Unsolved Homicide Team. Authorities also noted that someone had accessed her bank account after she vanished.
The coronial inquest officially declared Marion Barter dead, ending years of uncertainty. Police continue to investigate her disappearance, with the case remaining open under the Unsolved Homicide Team. The $1 million reward for information still stands, as authorities seek answers about her final days.
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