Cold case re-opened

Baw Baw CIU detectives are reinvestigating a 54-year-old cold case, after previous success in the Lucinda Miller case last year.
In August 1972, Dandenong boy Costa Mezentseff went missing during a family picnic at Tooronga Falls, Noojee, at age five.
A highly publicised and extensive 250-person search found only the missing boy's jumper he was wearing at the time, what was thought to be strands of his hair, and a footprint with no conclusive evidence of what happened to him.
Following the death of his mother, Valentina Panteleyevna Mezentseff in July 2025, Baw Baw CIU detective leading senior constable Corey Thomson is leading a re-opening of the cold case, appealing for any person involved in the search.
Civil defence, SES, multiple police units and search and rescue dogs were all used in the search, as well as volunteers.
"We're looking at things like weather conditions, the waterfall rapids, and dingo migration patterns," said detectives, who decided to extensively examine the case after periodically revisiting the file as is procedure with all cold cases.
"It's about being able to provide closure to the family, whether there was third-party involvement, or whether the disappearance was as a result of him being lost in the forest."
Anyone involved in the search of Costa Menzentseff is urged to contact detective Thomson at Warragul Police Station on 5622 7111.