The two adult sons of a woman who went missing as a baby have made an emotional appeal for information on her whereabouts – as police announce a large new cash reward.
Jyles and Rainey Lebler were just three and one year old respectively when their mother Tammy Lisa Dyson, 23, disappeared from Queensland’s Currumbin area of the Gold Coast in 1995.
The brothers’ mother, who legally changed her name to Tamela Lisa Menzies in the months before her disappearance, had been arrested at a drug treatment center by a woman claiming to be her sister, and has not been seen since.
The announcement of the $500,000 reward, which includes immunity from prosecution for any accomplices who shed light on Ms. Dyson’s disappearance, is good news for her children.
Trying to hold back tears during a news conference Wednesday, Jyles Lebler, 31, spoke about how difficult life has been without her.
Santa’s Last Family Photo: Tammy Dyson (pictured with her young sons Jyles and Rainey Lebler) disappeared in July 1995, months after this photo was taken.
Rainey (left) and Jyles Lebler (right) were one and three years old respectively when their mother disappeared. The boys were emotional Wednesday as they asked for information in a renewed attempt to find out what happened to their mother.
“Growing up without mom and not knowing what happened to her was very hard,” he said.
“She won’t be at our weddings and she will never meet her grandchildren. Obviously someone knows something.
From Victoria, Ms Dyson moved to Brisbane in 1988, aged 17, and began working in the adult entertainment industry, under the pseudonym “Pebbles”.
Police say when she began working in Fortitude Valley’s seedy strip clubs, she began associating with criminals and using drugs.
In early 1995, Ms Dyson arranged for her two young sons to stay with their grandmother in Victoria. Her mother, Loretta, told police it was a temporary arrangement and that her daughter was going to come back to pick up her boys.
However, a few months later, her sister Olivia received a call from the mother of two in distress.
Olivia traveled to Inala, in Brisbane’s southwest, to collect her sister. She described Ms Dyson as having been assaulted.
Later, Olivia and her partner drove Ms Dyson to the rehab center in Currumbin, on the Gold Coast.
On July 20, 1995, however, a woman claiming to be her sister Olivia came looking for Ms Dyson and she has not been seen since.
Olivia confirmed to police in 1995 that she had not picked up her sister from the clinic.
Tammy Lisa Dyson was just 23 when she disappeared after being picked up by someone posing as her sister at a drug rehab center in Currumbin on the Gold Coast.
His sons think this incident “already screams.”
“Whoever picked her up, I’m not saying they did anything, but they must have known something bad happened,” Jyles said.
The day after she was picked up from the clinic by the unknown woman, Ms Dyson completed a statutory declaration which was witnessed and signed by a justice of the peace in Tweed Heads, the coastal border town of New South Wales and of Queensland.
The legal document gave custody of Ms. Dyson’s children and all of her assets to her mother, Loretta.
Ms Dyson also made a final call to her sister and mentioned underworld figures and “didn’t look like her”.
Police say although sightings have been reported since her disappearance, none have proven to be of Ms Dyson.
The mother changed her name to Tamela Lisa Menzies before she disappeared and used the name “Pebbles” as a stripper alias, after moving to Queensland at the age of 17 from Victoria.
In 2012, the Queensland coroner was unable to determine the date, time or cause of Ms Dyson’s death, but said he believed the mother-of-two was dead and indicated that she could have been a victim of violence.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said Tammy could have been the victim of foul play.
“Tammy associated with criminals known to the police and disappeared without a trace after entrusting custody of her children and property to her mother; we believe the circumstances of her disappearance are suspicious,” a- she declared.
Although her sons want to know what happened to their mother, Rainey Lebler, who was only a year old when her mother was last seen alive, believes it’s more urgent for their grandmother.
“We hope to find out what happened to Mom to give Grandma some closure before it’s too late,” Rainey Lebler said.
“It hurts every day.
“She wouldn’t disappear and leave us behind.
“Even if you think your information doesn’t matter, it could be the piece of the puzzle that helps us find out what really happened. Please step forward and help our family.
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