Investigators are still searching for answers about what happened to a gap-toothed boy who mysteriously vanished almost five decades ago.
Damian McKenzie, 10, (pictured) went missing at Steavenson Falls, near Marysville in Victoria's mountain ranges on September 4, 1974
Damian McKenzie, 10, went missing at Steavenson Falls, near Marysville in Victoria's mountain ranges, on September 4, 1974.
He was never found despite one of the biggest police searches in the state's history.
Damian was one of about 40 boys and girls on a camp with the Young Australian League when he disappeared.
Discrepancies between witness reports have made it difficult for investigators to determine what exactly happened to the 10-year-old.
Some accounts suggested Damian had walked off towards the falls while others said he had gone to the toilet.
There were also ominous reports the child had been seen talking to an adult male in the car park before he disappeared.
Detective Senior Sergeant Valentine Smith has been investigating the case since retiring from Crime Stoppers in 2013.
The ten-year-old (pictured centre) was on a camp with around 40 boys and girls with the Young Australian League when he disappeared
His interest was piqued after working with Damian's younger brother Stephen McKenzie, now 53, for four years.
'I was aware of the case from when I was officer in charge at Seymour, and revived my interest when Stephen came to work at Crime Stoppers,' Mr Valentine told the Herald Sun.
His wife suggested he continue investigating the cold case as a retirement project.
Seven years later and he is still searching for answers.
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Share'She probably wishes now she'd said nothing, because it's fair to say it's become an obsession rather than a project. The goal is to discover what led up to him going missing, how he went missing and why he wasn't found despite such as a massive search.'
One of the pieces of evidence he unearthed included a damning report from the Youth Australian League suggesting a possible abduction.
A chaperone at the camp also told the detective it seemed like the kids were withholding information.
He was never seen again after going on a youth trip to Steavenson Falls (pictured) near Marysville
However Mr Valentine says the only way to truly find out what happened is to uncover the child's remains, a near impossible task 46 years later.
Damian's brother Stephen now heads up the Frankston Crime Investigation Unit as a Detective Senior Sergeant.
Sadly Damian's death wasn't the only tragedy to hit the family.
Stephen's sister Sonya died in her sleep from epilepsy and his father Peter died early from cancer.
While Stephen hasn't given up hope on the cold case, he believes there is 'little chance' the case will ever be solved.
'I have to keep an open mind, but there's no real evidence of foul play. I still think the most likely scenario is that he wandered off the track, got lost and perished in the bush up there somewhere,' he said.
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