Sharon Fulton: Heath Fulton wants the truth to come out about his mum who went missing in Perth in 1986

The Fulton’s were like any other newlyweds in 1960s Australia — full of love and aspiration for a bright future ahead together. Now, more than a century after their 1967 nuptials, Sharon Fulton has been missing for almost four decades presumed dead and her husband Robert Fulton is suspected of playing a role in her death. The couple had four children before settling in Perth from Brisbane in the early 1980s. But in 1986, Sharon had vanished, and soon after Robert had packed up his family and moved back to Queensland to start a new life. For the best part of three decades Sharon’s baffling disappearance remained a mystery to her family, her friends, her children and the police. Finally, a renewed police investigation several years ago led officers to conclude that Mr Fulton was behind his wife’s disappearance on March 18, 1986, although no criminal charges have ever been laid in the case, nor has Sharon’s body been found. Earlier this year, following a coronial inquest into Sharon’s disappearance, the Deputy State Coroner ruled that Sharon had not abandoned her family, but had died the day she disappeared as a result of a homicide and that Robert had played a role. The explosive conclusion the Deputy State Coroner reached in her final report was so significant, the findings are now being carefully assessed by WA’s Director of Public Prosecutions to see if criminal charges can finally be laid. And while the Coroner’s findings may seem like a major step forward in the long-running investigation, the heartache that Sharon’s four children still harbour has never wavered. Speaking exclusively to STM to mark the recent anniversary of his beloved mum’s disappearance, Heath Fulton, who was only three when his mum went missing, said all he wants now is for the truth to come out, no matter how hard it may be to hear. “There is nothing more I want in life than the truth to what happened to mum,” Heath said. “What we need is to bring her to peace and to move on, knowing we can lay her body to rest and have somewhere that we can visit her. “Whoever was involved in her death has lived their life for the last 37 years knowing they have caused my siblings and I so much pain and torture by not knowing what happened to our mother. “That person would be old now. They have an opportunity to bring us some small comfort in providing the truth.” FOR THE FULL STORY ABOUT SHARON’S CASE AND HEATH’S QUEST FOR ANSWERS READ STM ON SUNDAY.