Ten months prior to her disappearance in June 2011, Melbourne teenager Siriyakorn “Bung” Siriboon shared a foreboding post on Facebook, detailing a disturbing encounter with a stranger. The Thai-born girl, then just 13, reported this incident on October 21, 2010, expressing her fear with the comment, “This random guy talking to me and it scary :(“.
Bung was reported missing on her way to school in Boronia, a suburb in Melbourne’s eastern region. She was last seen at 8:30 am on June 2, 2011, by a neighbour as she walked the short distance to Boronia Heights College. There was an additional sighting that morning around 8:50 am of a girl matching her description just 130 meters from the school, although this sighting has not been confirmed by the police.
Eyewitness accounts mentioned an Asian girl believed to be Bung, who was seen being a passenger in a white Ford Falcon sedan near her home. The driver was described as a Caucasian male, aged between 50 and 60. Bung was reportedly wearing her school uniform, a blue rain jacket, and carrying a blue backpack when she left home.
Retired homicide detective Charlie Bezzina has publicly critiqued the response from Victoria Police, noting that significant time was lost in addressing Bung’s case. He stated, “Foul play has been involved in this,” indicating that the circumstances surrounding her disappearance suggested something sinister had occurred.
In a bid to gather information about her whereabouts, Victoria Police offered a $1 million reward in February 2014, including the promise of immunity from prosecution for any information that could help uncover the truth about her disappearance.
Despite extensive efforts, including a dedicated taskforce and cold case reviews by the police’s homicide squad, little progress has been made in understanding what happened to Bung. The police have not confirmed whether they are aware of her Facebook post that indicated a potential threat and whether they have pursued the matter further with regard to the man she encountered.
Bung, who migrated to Australia with her family in 2008, was close with her loved ones, making her sudden absence all the more alarming. As investigations continue, the hope remains that answers will eventually surface about the missing teenager’s fate.