Coral-Ellen Burrows

6-year-old, Featherston girl, Coral-Ellen Burrows went missing after her stepfather dropped her and brother Storm off at South Featherston school at around 9am on Tuesday 9th September 2003. Coral-Ellen was said to be a friendly, independent wee soul.

Jeanna Cremen met Stephen Roger Williams while riding horses at a local race track shortly after Ron Burrows, Coral-Ellen's father, left in September 1997. The pair were friends for almost five years before they began a relationship in early 2002. Shortly afterwards he moved in with her at Woodward St, where they lived together for 15 months.

In August 2003 Jeanna went into hospital to give birth to the couple’s son Luke. It was during this time that Williams became hooked on methamphetamine. Days after Luke was born, Williams smashed up their car.

On the morning of Tuesday 9th September 2003 Williams told Coral-Ellen and 8-year-old brother Storm to kiss her their mother goodbye before they went to school. Coral-Ellen complained about Storm getting the front seat, so Williams promised Coral-Ellen the front seat on the way home.

Williams drove Coral-Ellen and Storm to school. Storm got out of the car but Coral-Ellen refused to get out of the car and pulled a face at William. He snapped – punching Coral-Ellen twice in the face causing brain damage and then spending the next two hours looking for a place to dump her. He found a space in a clump of toitoi bushes on the shores of Lake Ferry before hitting her with a piece of wood and leaving her to die, alone.

Coral-Ellen's disappearance was not noticed until 4pm when she failed to get off the school bus to her waiting mother. Returning to the school to collect her daughter, her mother was then told that she had not attended school that day.

A search was started a matter of hours later and a helicopter was brought in to support the ground search of waterways and farmland in rural areas. Coral-Ellen's natural father, Ron Burrows arrived soon after from Te Puke to join the search. As the night wore on the search was cancelled - to be resumed the next morning.

Williams joined hundreds of volunteers during the high-profile search. A 30 square kilometre area of farmland, tree lines, buildings and properties were combed. As darkness came and the rain continued to fall, the search was again called off for the night.

Coral-Ellen's school bag was found on 10 September 2003 during an aerial search of Abbott’s Creek. The bag was said to contain Coral-Ellen's uneaten lunch and some schoolbooks when recovered from below the Featherston rail bridge.

On 17 September 2003 William’s was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty in the Masterton District Court to assault, threatening to kill a 16-year-old in Featherston and causing grievous bodily harm in July. In addition he crashed a car into a power pole while extremely intoxicated.

10 days after Coral-Ellen’s disappearance, Williams confessed to the little girl's murder, and showed police where he'd dumped her body. Stephen had 88 prior convictions and was on parole when he killed Coral-Ellen. He was jailed for life.

On Tuesday 23 September a small yellow coffin decorated with beautiful spring flowers made its way through Featherston from a memorial service at St. Teresa's Catholic Church, to Matamata a day later for a funeral and burial.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Mar 8 2018, 7:21:36 UTC