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THE parents of missing schoolgirl Siriyakorn "Bung" Siriboon have broken their silence and spoken of their heartache at living in "limbo" since their daughter disappeared in 2011.

Speaking as Victoria Police announce a $1 million reward to crack the case, Fred and Vanidda Pattison said they had put their life on hold until they get answers.

"At the moment it's always there," her stepfather said.

"It's like living in limbo. Plans get put on hold. Some days are a lot more difficult than others.

"You ask yourself 'Why? Why is it us?'.

"It doesn't get any easier. If anything it gets harder the longer time goes on.

"It puts a lot of strain on everything. Everyone still misses her."

Fighting back tears, Bung's mother was too distraught to speak about her little girl who she just wanted to hold in her arms again.

But her husband said they still believe Bung is alive.

"It's hard to believe someone can just vanish off the face of the Earth," he said.

"We still believe she is alive. Every medium, card reader, or person that we believe and trust say the same thing. You get a gut feeling when someone passes by.

"We believe she's coming home. We can't believe anything else. We can't go about thinking negative thoughts. It's just a matter of someone coming forward and telling us what they know."

He appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

"It's hard to believe someone can just vanish off the face of the Earth at half past eight in the morning on the way to school," he said.

"That time of year, family's are coming and going, kids are going to school, left right and centre.

"There's three major schools around there. There's public transport around there. It's a main arterial road for people to go to work.

"Someone out there knows what's going on. It's time for someone to come forward and say something. Stop covering up for this person.

"Anything that'll get her back or get information."

Mr Pattison said he was "very confident" whoever was involved was not known to the family.

Homicide detectives have put the huge $1 million cash lure on the table in the hope it will help solve the mystery.

Bung vanished on June 2, 2011, after setting off from her family's Elsie St home to make the 10-minute walk to school.

A local councillor said parents were too afraid to let their children walk to Boronia Heights College since Bung's disappearance.

"It's been having a very serious effect on the community," Knox councillor John Mortimore said.

Cr Mortimore said parents were instead driving their children to school every day, causing traffic chaos in surrounding streets.

While her family hold out hope she is still alive, police fear Bung was abducted and murdered.

Two men who have been investigated for months remain under scrutiny. One man whom police are unable to exclude from their inquiries has twice been ­formally interviewed.

That man is aged in his 20s and lives in the Boronia area.

Homicide squad head ­detective Insp John Potter would not comment on whether that person was a registered sex offender or had a criminal record.

"That individual remains a person of interest," Insp Potter said.

The other figure investigators have been unable to discount, aged 24, has claimed he accidentally hit and killed Bung in his car on the morning she disappeared.

His information sparked a major search of the Old Joe's Creek retarding basin last year.

"There's no evidence she was there," Insp Potter said.

More than 1200 pieces of information have been examined and the alibis and movements of 250 sex offenders checked.

But no new arrests or interviews have been conducted since October.

Insp Potter said now was the right time to announce the reward with answers about Bung's disappearance just "one phone call away".

"Someone out there can help us solve this. That person needs to come forward," he said.

"We need that one piece of information, that vital piece.

"It's been two and a half years since Bung's parents last sighted their daughter. They don't know what happened to Bung. Police don't know what happened to Bung.

"There are people here who are grieving - (they) all want answers.

"We are asking anyone who hasn't yet spoken with Crime Stoppers to come forward. One million dollars is a life-changing amount of money."

Bung, who was aged 13 when she disappeared, was a student of Boronia Heights College.

Insp Potter said although the Puma taskforce was disbanded in late 2013, the police commitment to solve the case remained high.

"Our people have worked tirelessly. They've worked long hours and they continue to do that," he said. "There are still active lines of inquiry. This won't go away."

But he said the investigation, which had extended to interstate and overseas in the past, had been scaled back to inquiries within Victoria.

"She certainly hasn't left the country under her real name," he said.

Mr Pattinson had a message for his stepdaughter if she was reading the news: "We love you. We miss you. We'll always be here waiting for you. Please come home."

Please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 if you have information. If you don't wish to contact police, you can send a message to Crimenet

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