In a plea that has left Western Australia in tears, Jenny O’Byrne, a 49-year-old Bunbury nurse with 14 years of frontline experience, has made an anguished public appeal for her missing son Bill Carter, 25, begging: “Please, don’t do anything silly… just come home.” Speaking through sobs outside Bunbury Police Station on December 14, 2025, Jenny revealed the guilt tearing her apart: “I’ve looked after everyone else… but I couldn’t look after my own boy.” The FIFO worker vanished from Perth Airport on December 6 after being dropped off for a flight to Karratha, and with no sightings in eight days despite intensive searches, Jenny’s words have become a desperate lifeline in a case that grows more urgent by the hour.

Bill, described as 174 cm tall, slim build, with brown hair and blue eyes, was last seen entering Terminal 3 at 12:40 p.m. His phone pinged once at 1:05 p.m., then went dead. He never boarded the 2:15 p.m. flight, and his backpack—containing clothes, wallet, and a cryptic note—was found washed up at Trigg Beach on December 10. “I keep thinking if I’d hugged him longer at brunch, asked one more question…” Jenny wept, clutching Bill’s childhood photo.

As a nurse who has comforted countless families in crisis, Jenny now finds herself on the other side. “I’ve held dying patients’ hands, promised their mums everything would be okay—now I can’t even promise myself,” she told 7News. Bill had recently stopped anxiety medication after a difficult trip to Zambia and was struggling with FIFO isolation, she revealed. “He was quieter, distant—I thought it was just the roster. I was wrong.”

Police have classified the disappearance as high-risk. Detective Sergeant Mark Gregson confirmed the beach find and faint GPS pings, urging public vigilance. “Every hour counts,” he said. A $10,000 reward and GoFundMe ($80,000 raised) reflect community desperation.

Jenny’s plea ends every interview the same way: “Bill, if you’re out there—Mum loves you. Come home.” WA holds its breath.