Writing about crime fiction is Bega Valley writer Melissa Pouliot's way to work through the traumatic events in her own life.
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Nearly 30 years ago, Ms Pouliot's cousin Ursula Barwick, aged 17, boarded a train to Sydney.
She promised to make contact with her family when she had settled in her new home, but she never did.
It was recently discovered Ms Barwick died in a car accident only weeks after leaving home, but was buried under an assumed name.
To launch Missing Persons Week, Ms Pouliot spoke about the loss of her cousin and her five subsequent books at the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre
She said the process of writing crime fiction has let her explore her grief through fiction.
"Writing is a way for me to explore my own emotions through my fictional characters," she said.
"Ursula's disappearance really compelled me to write, in a way it was an escape, or an outlet, for me."
For Ms Pouliot, it is important that missing persons are remembered as more than just the points of identity on their missing poster.
"They're more than their height, their eye colour and what they were last wearing," she said.
"My cousin loved animals and children, she had a big heart, she was loud and confident too."
Ms Pouliot also said that every missing person case is individual.
"There are so many different circumstances that lead to someone going missing," she said.
"Every story is different and every reason for someone to go missing is different."
The theme for this year's Missing Persons Week is 'still waiting for you to come home'. It focuses on missing youth, who account for around 50 per cent of all missing persons reported to police in Australia.
As her cousin was only 17 years old at the time of her disappearance, Ms Pouliot said the theme is close to her heart.
"If Ursula's case can inspire hope in any other family that may have lost someone, that is what this is all about for me."
After 30 years of being personally entwined with the topic, Ms Pouliot has observed the culture around missing persons mature.
"Thirty years ago, I distinctly remember being made to feel that Ursula had done something wrong when she went missing," she said.
"Now I can see that culture changing, the blame is being shifted off the individual.
"The most important message to remember is that going missing is not a crime."
As a writer, Ms Pouliot tries to educate her readers to the facts of missing persons.
Some information is obvious, such as the support phone numbers, resources and statistics on the back pages of her novels.
But other information is absorbed throughout her stories, almost subconsciously absorbed by her audience.
"A big thing for me is to get across the emotions that arise when someone you love is missing, and I express that through my characters" she said.
"But I also include actual police practices and resources, so they can learn how these processes actually work, like the Bone Room."
The ‘Bone Room’ is a secure police area in Sydney where unidentified human remains are stored in the hopes that they will one day match the DNA of a missing person.
As DNA technology improves, it is hoped that more missing persons will be identified within the database, and families can find a sense of closure.
Joining Ms Pouliot at the opening of Missing Persons Week was Detective Sergeant Justin Marks from the Far South Coast Local Area Command and Deputy Mayor Liz Seckold.
