7NEWS Spotlight S2024E24 - Vanishing Cousins

The 1974 disappearance of teenagers Raelene Eaton and Yvonne Waters remains one of Australia's most perplexing mysteries.

This Sunday at 9.00pm on Channel Seven and 7plus, a special episode of 7NEWS Spotlight presents The West Australian's Vanishing Cousins, uncovering shocking new clues and fresh witnesses in the case of the vanishing cousins.

Raelene, 16, and Yvonne, 17, were last seen enjoying a Sunday session at Scarborough's White Sands Tavern, and their fate has puzzled investigators for decades.

In this special investigation, a "person of interest" speaks out for the first time in nearly 50 years, while friends share unsettling accounts of a family tragedy shortly after the cousins vanished.

New witnesses express concerns about a house Raelene and Yvonne visited before heading to the hotel where they were last seen.

The last known witness to see the cousins alive comes forward, revealing a critical moment that has remained undisclosed for decades.

Additionally, social commentator Jane Caro examines the 1970s Australian beach culture and the dark underbelly behind the blue skies – an era when young women had to be vigilant against predatory behaviour and prevailing attitudes. This culture led police to assume the missing teenagers had intentionally taken off for a "good time".