Natasha Ryan: The Bizarre Case of the ‘Girl in the Cupboard’ and Her Mysterious Death

In a sad turn of events, the woman who was at the center of a high-profile missing person case in the 1990s has died

Natasha Ryan, 40, was found dead on a Rockhampton golf course last Sunday after her husband alerted authorities about her disappearance.

This wasn’t the first time she had disappeared from the lives of those who loved her.

Natasha Ryan, a devoted mother of four and a nurse cherished in her Queensland community, had once disappeared for five years starting in 1998, during which she was presumed dead.

Ryan was just 14 years old when she went missing, prompting her family to report her disappearance to Rockhampton police in August 1998.

This led to a significant investigation, which consumed substantial police resources and an estimated $400,000.

The fear that Ryan had been murdered intensified, especially since several women in the area had also disappeared around that time.

The other missing women were later found to be victims of serial killer Leonard John Fraser.

Fraser even confessed to killing Ryan and was charged with her murder.

Leonard John Fraser

Believing she was dead, Ryan’s family held a memorial service in her honor.

However, she was very much alive.

In April 2003, nearly five years after her disappearance, police found Ryan hiding in a cupboard in her boyfriend Scott Black’s house in northern Rockhampton, after a tip-off.

This earned her the nickname “the girl in the cupboard.”

Ryan had run away with Black, a milkman, when she was 14 and he was 22.

The pair lived a secluded life, rarely going out except for nocturnal beach visits.

Her pale appearance when she was found also testified to her long confinement indoors.

Though many speculated about her reasons for fleeing, Ryan never publicly disclosed them.

In a 2007 interview with New Idea magazine, she said, “I’m never going to say publicly why I left. I know why I left. I’m not sure my mum and my sister completely know all the reasons. I’m not sure it would make any difference saying why I left — I feel whatever I say wouldn’t be good enough for the pain I’ve caused my family.”

Ryan’s discovery came during Leonard John Fraser’s trial in Brisbane.

Despite Fraser’s confession to her murder, the defense did not seek a mistrial.

Fraser received three prison terms for the murders of Beverley Leggo and Sylvia Benedetti and the manslaughter of Julie Turner, all occurring between 1998 and 1999.

Scott Black was sentenced to 12 months in jail for perjury, having lied about Ryan’s whereabouts.

Ryan herself was fined $1,000 for causing a false police investigation.

She later expressed her relief at being free from her hidden life in an interview with 60 Minutes, stating, “I feel really excited that I don’t have to hide anymore. I feel free.”

Ryan admitted that her extended hiding stemmed from fear of the consequences of her actions and potential jail time. “I do deserve severe punishment for what I’ve done,” she said.

In 2008, Ryan married Scott Black.

She told Woman’s Day, “I’m sick of being known as Natasha Ryan — ‘the girl in the cupboard’. I made mistakes and I’m sorry that I hurt my family, but now I want to start a new life.”

She pursued a career in nursing, specializing in radiology, and was a mother to four children.

Sadly, on Sunday, June 2, 2024, Ryan was found dead in central Queensland.

Her husband reported her missing, leading to a large-scale search that ended with her body being found on a Rockhampton golf course.

Authorities described her death as “sudden and non-suspicious,” and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

“This is obviously a tragic story, and my sympathies go to her family and loved ones,” Queensland Premier Steven Miles stated on Monday.

originally posted at https://www.truecrimeavenue.com/2024/06/natasha-ryan-bizarre-case-of-girl-in.html