Fond memories of the girl who became a sad symbol

A picture of Kelly Pigott's lost daughter is placed prominently in her house.

It is the photo of Teresa Cormack most often used in the media - a girl with a cheeky smile and brown curls.

Other memories of her serve as a reminder of how long ago Teresa was murdered.

Kelly remembers how her daughter loved dancing to music - she modelled herself on the Solid Gold dancers, a television dance troupe who would groove to the hits on a US music chart show in the 1980s.

Teresa Cormack became the symbol of sadness and horror that a child could be snatched from the street and killed.

But her parents still cling to the happy memories of the six years they had with her - "looking at her little shoulder blades, wearing a little summer dress, patting the back of her head, brushing her hair," says Kelly.

Teresa's father, Ross Cormack, adds: "For anyone who has got a daughter, what you see and love in her, that's what we saw and loved in Teresa."

She was born on June 18, 1981. Her sister, Sara, was born about four years later.

Not long after that, her parents split up, although they remained in close contact. Ross was living in Auckland after the breakup, but had thrown in his job to move back to Napier to be closer to his daughters just before Teresa went missing.

"It was not to be," says Ross.

On the morning Teresa went missing, she was not happy about going to school. It was the day after her birthday and she wanted to stay home, probably to play with her presents.

But off she went, walking from her grandfather's home about 1km from school. She was living there with her mother and sister.

Remembering that day is painful.

"For me it's a paternal thing," says Ross.

"It was as if I should have been there to protect her."

Kelly: "I just wished I could have saved her.

"There is an amount of guilt even though you know only one person's to blame.


"I remember more than anything this sinking feeling, this 'bottom falling out of the world' feeling. A lot of those early days are vague."


Kelly says a great family and a good circle of friends helped her to get through. Having Sara, now aged 16, and Hannah, her youngest daughter, also helped.


"Sara still hurts a lot over her sister, that she never truly got to know her, and she's very angry - as we all go through periods of anger."


Ross now lives in Morrinsville and is a music teacher. He has had other children, too.


Around Teresa's birthday and the anniversary of her disappearance the families get together, but it is always hard.


This year they marked what would have been her 21st birthday.


As young as they were when Teresa went missing - Kelly was only 23 - Kelly and Ross have always carried themselves with great dignity and courage.


Kelly says that although she never wanted to be in the public spotlight, she always tried to make herself available to the media in the hope that it would lead to an arrest.


Even as the years dragged on, she never gave up hope that there would be an arrest.


"Because it's been so long, I was ready to wait a long time, but I always knew there'd be a resolution in the end."


The morning Teresa disappeared - before she knew she had gone - Kelly sat down to write a poem about her daughters.


She does not know why she did it - she never normally wrote poems.


Two little girls who brighten my day.


Two little girls shining light on my way.


Where would I be without your company.


"I carried on with my day and never finished it.


"The strange thing is that would have been around the time we lost her."

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