Lying south of Bega in New South Wales, Australia, is the tiny hamlet of Kalaru. In 1997, it only had around 400 residents, living among the green pastures of prime south-coast dairy country. It’s a tight-knit community where everybody knows their neighbor. There are no fancy houses, hotels or restaurants, just modest homes, a service station, and a caravan park. Surrounded by bushland and beaches, the area was extremely popular for horseback riding and swimming.
The tranquil and rural lifestyle provides locals with a sense of security, but in 1997, this sense of security was completely shattered when two local teenagers vanished while walking to a party and as it turned out, the innocent act of being in the wrong place at the wrong time had deadly consequences.
Podcast Promos:
The True Crime Files:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thetcfiles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetruecrimefiles/
Website: https://thetruecrimefiles.com/
Murder in the Rain:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/murderintherain
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mintherain/
Website: https://www.murderintherain.com/
Sources:
Illawarra Mercury, 9 October, 1997 – “Missing Girls Baffle Police”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 October, 1997 – “Two Missing Teenage Girls May Have Been Abducted, Say Police”
Illawarra Mercury, 10 October, 1997 – “Kidnapped? Desperate Dad Fear Daughters Abducted”
Illawarra Mercury, 1 October, 1997 – “Heartbroken Brother’s Tragic Search”
Illawarra Mercury, 11 October, 1997 – “Parents’ Journey to Hell”
Illawarra Mercury, 13 October, 1997 – “High School Prepares for Grief”
Illawarra Mercury, 25 October, 1997 – “Screams Clue to Missing Bega Teens”
The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 October, 1997 – “Town That Won’t Give Up”
The Age, 14 November, 1997 – “Girls Assaulted, Stabbed – The Bega Murders”
Illawarra Mercury, 19 November, 1997 – “Bega’s Day of Sorrow”
The Age, 27 November, 1997 – “Two Raped Bega Girls Repeatedly, Court Told”
Illawarra Mercury, 27 November, 1997 – “Bega Girls Gagged, Raped and Killed”
The Age, 15 August, 1998 – “Life in Jail Urged for Bega Murders”
The Advertiser, 21 August, 1998 – “I Hope You Rot In Hell; Sobs Fill Courtroom”
The Sun Herald, 13 September, 1998 – “Why Did That Monster Have To Kill Our Girls?”
The Weekend Australian, 18 February, 1999 – “Fateful Decision that Led to Tragedy”
The Sunday Telegraph, 2 February, 1999 – “Accused Raped & Threatened to Kill Me”
The Age, 17 March, 1999 – “DNA Used Against Suspect”
The Sun Herald, 11 April, 1999 – “Our Girls Can Rest in Peace”
The Sun Herald, 11 April, 1999 – “Petty Criminals Who Turned Into Monsters”
Audio Sources:
“The Bega School Girl Murders”
