
Almost 10 years ago, a couple, their daughter and a family friend disappeared from a sleepy West Australian town without a trace. The case has baffled authorities for a decade, not least because it’s been tied to a bizarre doomsday cult. With a coronial inquest set to begin in December, we look back at the story so far.
Chantelle McDougall was just 16 years old when she met Simon Kadwell in Melbourne in the mid-1990s.
At 32, the Englishman was twice her age, but the teenager was smitten with the older man and their relationship led to the birth of a daughter, Leela.
In 2003 the family moved to Nannup, a quiet town south of Perth, with a friend of the family, Tony Popic, searching for a new home for their alternative lifestyle.

Chantelle, Leela and Tony quickly integrated into the small community but Simon remained withdrawn, rarely venturing from the remote farmhouse where they lived.
While residents remembered him as odd - some described him as "controlling" - none suspected the sinister reality of the family's double-life, nor that they would soon vanish forever.
In July 2007, they left Nannup with little warning — only a late-night phone call to Chantelle's parents and a note for their landlords pinned to the door, saying they were moving to Brazil.
Their wallets, credit cards and dirty plates were still on the table, according to WA Today.
Jen Bornatici, a friend of the family, remembers Leela in a 2013 episode of Channel 10's 'Wanted' (posted continues after video...):