Kirsa Jensen (born 15 December 1968) was a 14-year-old girl who lived in Napier, New Zealand when she disappeared on 1 September 1983 while riding her horse, Commodore.
The last confirmed sighting was of Kirsa, with a bloodied face, and her horse near an old World War Two gun emplacement at the mouth of the Tutaekuri River.
Though her horse was located, continued searches by police and volunteers over the following days, including through the local river and other waterways, failed to turn up any signs of the missing girl.
[4] One of the most important pieces of information received was from a passer-by who noticed a girl fitting Kirsa's description by the gun emplacement, being held at arm's length by a European man, who was approximately 1.8 metres tall and 45–50 years in age.
Another witness stopped and talked to Kirsa at the gun emplacement, who noticed her bloodied face, which she told him had occurred when she fell from her horse.
[5] In 1992, Russell committed suicide[6] in a Hastings guest house after going to Lake Alice Hospital psychiatric facility for help with a medical condition.
[12] Stuart Nash MP cited the case as one of his reasons for supporting the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill in the New Zealand Parliament.
She said she wanted to provide a place where parents of murdered children can connect with others who have suffered such trauma, talk, ask questions, and have therapy and group work.
In 2003, Robyn undertook a pioneering study for her master's degree called The grief experiences of parents who have lost a child through violent crime which explored this area of victim support.
[15] Saint Augustine's Church in Napier, where Jensen's father was minister at the time of her disappearance,[16] had a side chapel dedicated to her.