Peta Weber vanished on a cliffside walk with her husband Richard. Years passed, then he killed himself. At last, her tortured family’s questions may finally be answered

The family of a young mother who vanished 25 years ago while taking a cliffside walk with her husband may finally soon discover what happened to her.

Peta and Richard Weber went for a walk to The Gap, south west of Albany in Western Australia, on June 21, 1997 before the break of dawn.

The evening before, Richard said, they had dropped their two children, aged two and seven, with his parents.

The pair were fishing at around 6.45am when, according to Richard, Peta said she needed the toilet and walked away.

Forty-five minutes passed before Richard raised the alarm by waving down a car and asking the driver to take him to somewhere he could find mobile reception. He then called police to report his wife missing.

Officers searched for Peta, 25, for three weeks but couldn’t find her.

Richard took his own life in 2000, while police were covertly following him. 

Peta’s case was treated as a missing persons case until 2017, when a homicide investigation was opened.

An inquest into her death opened on Tuesday and counsel assisting the coroner, Jon Tiller, shed new light on the case, WA Today reported.

He told the inquest that Richard was being treated as a ‘significant’ person of interest before his death.

Peta and Richard Weber went for a walk to The Gap, south west of Albany in Western Australia, on June 21, 1997 before the break of dawn

‘From a very early stage in the police investigation into Peta’s disappearance, suspicion was centred on Richard. He was believed to have a motive, means and opportunity,’ Mr Tiller said.

‘Richard was interviewed several times and consistently denied any involvement in Peta’s disappearance, maintaining that he last saw her walking away at the fishing spot.’

Mr Tiller added that it seemed that Richard had dropped off the children with his parents alone, and that no one else claims to have seen Peta after this point. 

The inquest heard that Peta was planning to leave Richard and told a friend that her marriage was crumbling just a day before she disappeared. 

‘By late 1996 … some believed Peta was afraid of Richard. There is evidence he was very controlling of Peta and limited her access to finances, friends and the outside world,’ Mr Tiller said, adding that Peta told friends Richard had been abusive towards her and her son John, from a previous marriage. 

The inquest also heard that Peta did not enjoy fishing but would sometimes join Richard if John was also going.

Richard took his own life in 2000 after the breakdown of a new relationship.

The inquest continues.

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