One Year On, Family Still Seeks Answers in Disappearance of Zane Stevens Near Broome
A year has passed since 21-year-old Zane Stevens went missing after his car became bogged near Coconut Well, about 20km north of Broome in WA’s Kimberley region.
Mr Stevens, a father from Wickham in the Pilbara, was last seen on the weekend of April 26, 2024. He had been travelling with a friend, but the two became separated. While the friend returned to town, Stevens has not been seen or heard from since.
Despite a large-scale land, air, and sea search that lasted a week and recovered one item of his clothing, Stevens remains missing.
Broome Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Beck said narrowing down Stevens’s final movements remains a priority. “We want to locate Zane for his family’s peace of mind,” he said. “They’re still traumatised by the lack of answers.”
More than 100 tips have been investigated, but police say no evidence points to criminal involvement. “We pursued every lead, no matter how credible,” Beck said. “It was about being thorough for the sake of Zane’s family.”
Challenging terrain and tidal conditions around Coconut Well are believed to have contributed to the disappearance. Police suspect Stevens may have become disoriented and succumbed to the elements. “We believe Zane was a victim of circumstance,” Beck said. “We still hope he’ll be found — by police or a member of the public.”
Stevens’s family held a vigil at Cable Beach to mark the one-year anniversary. His grandmothers, Naomi Bobby and Norah Togo, voiced frustration over the lack of progress. “It’s heartbreaking to go this long with no answers,” Ms Togo said.
Stevens’s case is one of several involving missing Indigenous men across regional WA. The “Bring Them Home” campaign continues to advocate for greater awareness. In December 2024, the WA government offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of long-term missing persons.
