AS the awful weeks turned into heartbreaking months, the shattered family of murder victim Carly McBride made tearful plea after plea to bring their “sweetheart” home.
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On Friday, exactly two years after she was murdered and dumped off a lonely Upper Hunter road, the popular mother of two was farewelled at an emotional funeral service at Ryhope.
“Everyone here would have had the question asked to them: where’s Carly,’’ her brave father, Steve McBride, told the 200 mourners.
“Does anyone know where Carly is. Some of you have been hearing me say that for a lot longer than two years.
“Try a lifetime. It is an old saying, there is nothing new about it.
“But, you will never have to listen to me ask that again because we know where you are Carly.
“You are everywhere.”
Carly, 31, vanished during a visit to see one of her children at Muswellbrook on September 30, 2014.
She remained missing for 678 days before her remains were discovered last month only metres off Bunnan Road, west of Scone.
Her killer remains at large, although Strike Force Karabi investigators remain confident they will get their man.
The funeral service, at Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, heard about justice coming for the mother and popular Belmont woman.
But possibly the most emotional words spoken were from her grieving father.
“Carls, I have always tried to be there for you, whenever you needed me and no matter what the circumstances,’’ Mr McBride said.
“I’m just so sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me more than ever.
“Rest in peace, sweetheart. We will always love you and we will never forget you.”
Mother Lorraine Williams told the congregation that finding Carly had allowed her to finally rest.
“We are very lucky to be able to send Carly off to the dreaming and I know that her grandmother’s looking after her,’’ she said.
“And I know she is at peace now and has some serenity.
“She is always here with us and always in our hearts and we will never forget her.
“No one can take away our memories of Carly away, of her big laugh. I feel she is here with us now.”
The service heard of a “bubbly, beautiful, free-spirited person” who loved horses and was immensely popular before her children released butterflies into their air in tribute.
