Sources:

Associated Press, 22 October, 2018 – “Plea for Witnesses”

Brisbane Times, 22 October, 2018 – “Most Beautiful”

Associated Press, 23 October, 2018 – “Police Widen Hunt”

Courier Mail, 23 October, 2018 – “Chilling Warning”

Associated Press, 24 October, 2018 – “QLD Murder Victim”

Brisbane Times, 24 October, 2018 – “Slain Queensland Woman”

Associated Press, 25 October, 2018 – “Qld Beach Killing”

The Cairns Post, 25 October, 2018 – “Toyah’s Family”

The Cairns Post, 25 October, 2018 – “Murder Victim”

Brisbane Times, 26 October, 2018 – “Parents Found Victim’s Body”

The Courier Mail, 27 October, 2018 – “Toyah’s Body All Messed Up”

The Age, 29 October, 2018 – “Toyah’s Final Moments”

The Courier Mail, 31 October, 2018 – “Suspect 4WD All Weird”

The Cairns Post, 3 November, 2018 – “Hundreds Turn Out”

Associated Press, 28 November, 2018 – “Old Police”

Associated Press, 8 December, 2018 – “Reported Breakthrough”

The Courier Mail, 9 December, 2018 – “Hunt for the Flight Nurse”

The Cairns Post, 10 December, 2018 – “Cops Keen”

The Australian, 11 December, 2018 – “Global Search”

The Courier Mail, 28 April, 2019 – “Fugitive Hiding”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 18 October, 2019 – “Toyah Cordingly”

MailOnline, 11 August, 2020 – “Fresh Twist”

Associated Press, 19 March, 2021 – “Warrant Out”

The Cairns Post, 23 May, 2022 – “Toyah Cordingly”

The Cairns Post, 20 October, 2022 – “Toyah Cordingly Murder”

The Courier Mail, 21 October, 2022 – “Net Closing”

Associated Press, 2 November, 2022 – “$1m Award”

The Cairns Post, 3 November, 2022 – “WhatsApp”

The Courier Mail, 26 November, 2022 – “New Delhi Bust”

The Courier Mail, 7 January, 2023 – “Reveal all the Details”

Associated Press, 24 Janaury, 2023 – “Cordingley Suspect”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 March, 2023 – “Rajwinder Singh”

The Cairns Post, 30 April, 2024 – “I Ran up the Beach”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1 May, 2024 – “Toyah Cordingley”

The Cairns Post, 2 May, 2024 – “Defence Questions Boyfriend”

Associated Press, 25 February, 2025 – “Jury to hear”

Associated Press, 26 February, 2025 – “DNA and Distinctive Car”

Associated Press, 26 February, 2025 – “Autopsy Images”

Associated Press, 26 February, 2025 – “Dad Tells of Horror”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 26 February, 2025 – “Toyah Cordingly’s Boyfriend”

The Cairns Post, 26 February, 2025 – “All Possible Other Killers”

The Courier Mail, 28 February, 2025 – “Murder Porn in Lead Up”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3 March, 2025 – “Jury Shown Movements”

The Cairns Post, 5 March, 2025 – “Rajwinder Singh”

The Cairns Post, 6 March, 2025 – “Beachgoers”

The Cairns Post, 7 March, 2025 – “Possible Other Killer”

The Cairns Post, 8 March, 2025 – “Nudist”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 10 March, 2025 – “DNA”

The Cairns Post, 11 March, 2025 – “I Ran for my Life”

The Courier Mail, 4 December, 2025 – “Toyah Kill”

Associated Press, 8 December, 2025 – “Never Forgiven”

The Advertiser, 9 December, 2025 – “Rot in Hell”

Associated Press, 9 December, 2025 – “Gutless Coward”

Sources:

Associated Press, 5 April, 2002 – “Sydney Woman Murdered”

The Courier Mail, 8 April, 2002 – “Idyllic Island”

Daily Telegraph, 8 April, 2002 – “Trust Goes”

Daily Telegraph, 9 April, 2002 – “DNA Link”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 April, 2002 – “Norfolk Island Murder”

Sunday Mail, 14 April, 2002 – “The Norfolk Island Murder”

Hornsby Advocate, 25 April, 2002 – “Tragic Death”

Daily Telegraph, 21 May, 2002 – “Islanders Quizzed”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 21 May, 2002 – “The Jumpy Island”

The Dominion, 3 July, 2002 – “Island Uneasy”

Associated Press, 12 August, 2002 – “Slaying Ends”

Associated Press, 6 September, 2002 – “Fingerprinting”

Daily Telegraph, 11 January, 2003 – “Fingerprints”

The Sun Herald, 23 March, 2003 – “Norfolk’s Awful Burden”

The Advertiser, 25 July, 2003 – “Tourists to be Targeted”

Associated Press, 18 March, 2004 – “Reward”

Associated Press, 31 May, 2004 – “Police Name Names”

The Australian, 1 June, 2004 – “I Hit Her”

The Advertiser, 2 June, 2004 – “Island Murder”

The Age, 3 June, 2004 – “Remember”

The Press, 3 February, 2006 – “Chef had Fallen Apart”

Herald Sun, 10 February, 2006 – “Accused Killer”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 February, 2006 – “Why Norfolk Island”

The Advertiser, 8 August, 2006 – “Murder First day”

Associated Press, 8 August, 2006 – “Pathologist Rejects”

Associated Press, 9 August, 2006 – “McNeill Admits”

The Courier Mail, 11 August, 2006 – “Murder Scream Ignored”

Geelong Advertiser, 11 August, 2006 – “Car”

Agence France-Presse, 7 February, 207 – “NZealander Confession”

Associated Press, 7 February, 2007 – “MeNeill”

The Advertiser, 10 February, 2007 – “Trial Hears of Scream”

THe Mercury, 14 February, 2007 – “Murder Attack was Prolonged”

Associated Press, 26 February, 2007 – “Police Found no DNA”

Associated Press, 27 February, 2007 – “DNA”

Associated Press, 1 March, 2007 – “Norfolk Island”

Associated Press, 1 March, 2007 – “McNeill”

Associated Press, 6 March, 2007 – “Evidence Points to Woman”

Agence France-Presse, 9 March, 2007 – “Relieved”

The Sun Herald, 3 June, 2007 – “Killer Should be Safe”

Agence France-Presse, 25 July, 2007 – “New Zealander”

Waikato Times, 20 April, 2010 – “Killer”

The Advertiser, 15 May, 2010 – “Island Murder”

The Daily Telegraph, 12 June, 2011 – “Killer is Innocent”

The Press, 2 February, 2024 – “Brutal”

The Nelson Mail, 7 February, 2024 – “Killer Moves to be with Mother”

Sources:

The Age, 16 November, 2020 – “Gorgeous Young Soul”

NCA Newswire, 15 November, 2020 – “Homicide Squad”

Herald Sun, 16 November, 2020 – “Man Arrested”

MailOnline, 16 November, 2020 – “Harrowing Scenes”

The Age, 17 November, 2020 – “A Senseless Evil Act”

Herald Sun, 17 November, 2020 – “Celeste Manno’s Heartbroken Boyfriend”

MailOnline, 18 November, 2020 – “Prime Suspect”

The Age, 19 November, 2020 – “Luay Sako Charged with Murder”

Herald Sun, 20 November, 2020 – “Accused Was on Bail”

The Age, 23 November, 2020 – “Grieving Family’s Birthday Tribute”

Herald Sun, 30 November, 2020 – “Mum Heard Window Smash”

NCA NewsWire, 30 November, 2020 – “Allegedly Murdered Mernda Woman”

Northern Star Weekly, 30 November, 2020 – “Community Remembers Celeste Manno”

The Age, 1 December, 2020 – “Tearful Family Farewell”

The Age, 8 December, 2020 – “Petition Sparked”

Herald Sun, 8 December, 2020 – “Celeste Manno’s Mother”

Herald Sun, 15 June, 2021 – “Victoria Police Investigate”

Herald Sun, 14 July, 2021 – “Celeste Manno”

MailOnline, 20 September, 2021 – “Unemployed Loner”

MailOnline, 1 March, 2022 – “Unemployed Loner”

Geelong Advertiser, 4 April, 2022 – “Police Bid to Stop Stalkers”

MailOnline, 12 August, 2022 – “Unemployed Loner”

Herald Sun, 6 April, 2023 – “Repulsive Human”

Herald Sun, 23 June, 2023 – “Celeste Manno’s Confessed Killer”

NCA NewsWire, 24 July, 2023 – “Update”

Associated Press, 21 Janaury, 2023 – “Celeste Manno’s Confessed Killer”

The Age, 29 Janaury, 2023 – “You’re Such a Coward”

Associated Press, 29 January, 2024 – “Mother Confronts Man”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 January, 2024 – “Court Hears”

The Age, 30 January, 2024 – “Celese Manno’s Killer”

The Age, 31 January, 2042 – “Celeste Manno’s Killer”

MailOnline, 1 February, 2024 – “Luay Sako Killed his Co Worker”

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Audio Sources:

“Greg Lynn describes moment of Carol Clay’s murder in newly released 2021 police interview”

Sources:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 March, 2020 – “Police Search for Pair”

Foreign Affairs, 29 March, 2020 – “Search for Missing People”

Australian Associated Press, 30 March, 2020 – “Search Continues”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 30 March, 2020 – “Mystery Surrounds Pair”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 April, 2020 – “Search for Seniors”

Australian Associated Press, 6 April, 2020 – “Search Called Off”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation,  April, 2020 – “Search for Seniors”

Herald Sun, 9 April, 2020 – “Mobile Phone”

Herald Sun, 10 April, 2020 – “Mystery Continues to Swirl”

Herald Sun, 12 April, 2020 – “A Simple Truth in the Bush”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 16 April, 2020 – “Campers”

MailONline, 20 April, 2020 – “Shattered Wife”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 21 April, 2020 – “Missing Man”

MailOnline, 21 April, 2020 – “Chilling Twist”

Herald Sun, 21 May, 2020 – “Oddball Loner Talk of Victorian Alps”

The Age, 22 May, 2020 – “The Button Man”

Herald Sun, 14 June, 2020 – “Police Believe Russel Hill”

Herald Sun, 25 June, 2020 – “Friend’s Last Conversation”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 5 March, 2021 – “Police Search”

Herald Sun, 18 October, 2021 – “Families”

Herald Sun, 7 November, 2021 – “Four Wheel Drive”

Herald Sun, 22 November, 2021 – “Inside Dramatic Swoop”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 23 November, 2021 – “Jetstar Pilot in Custody”

MailOnline, 23 November, 2021 – “A Beautiful Wife”

The Age, 24 November, 2021 – “Man Arrested”

Herald Sun, 24 November, 2021 – “First Wife”

Sunday Herald, 28 November, 2021 – “Greg Lynn”

The Age, 1 December, 2021 – “A Sense of Relief”

Herald Sun, 8 March, 2022 – “New Details”

MailOnline, 16 Janaury, 2023 – “Ex Jetstar”

The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May, 2024 – “Struggle Over Gun”

The Age, 15 May, 2024 – “Carol Clay Reunited”

Nine.com.au, 15 May, 2024 – “Alleged Vitim’s Daughter”

MailOnline, 15 May, 2024 – “Court Tolf of Slain Camper”

The Guardian Australia, 27 May, 2024 – “Greg Lynn Trial”

The Age, 28 May, 2024 – “Bolt Action Shotgun”

Herald Sun, 28 May, 2024 – “Firearms Expert Made False Statement”

MailOnline, 30 May, 2024 – “Police Witness”

Brisbane Times, 3 June, 2024 – “I Knew I Was Screwed”

The Age, 4 June, 2024 – “I’m Innocent”

NCA Newswire, 4 June, 2024 – “Campers”

The Age, 6 June, 2024 – “Lynn Tells Jury”

The Age,  6 June, 2024 – “Accused Killer Apologises”

Brimbank & North West Star, 12 June, 2024 – “Jury Told to Imagine”

Ebony Simpson was only nine-years-old, a bright, happy girl living in Bargo with her parents, Peter and Christine, and her two older brothers, 15-year-old Zac and 14-year-old Tas. She was a Year 4 student at Bargo Primary School, where her teachers and classmates all adored her. Described as timid yet cheerful, Ebony had a warm and easy-going nature.¹

To those closest to her, she was lovingly called “Bonny.” Ebony dreamed of becoming a police officer, a goal her family and friends were sure she could achieve. Whether playing netball, spending time with her friends, or simply being her creative self, Ebony seemed to excel at everything she tried.²

On August 19, 1992, the ordinary rhythm of Bargo’s quiet life was broken forever. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and Ebony was on her way home from school. Normally, her parents or brothers would pick her up or meet her at the bus stop, which was just 400 meters from her house. But on this day, Peter and Christine were visiting relatives in Wollongong, and Zac had planned to meet Ebony at the bus stop after his own school day. Unfortunately, Zac’s bus ran late, leaving Ebony to make the short walk home alone.

At around 4:00PM, Ebony stepped off the school bus at the corner of Bargo and Arina Roads. It was a familiar and safe path, one she had walked many times before. Wearing her blue tracksuit and a pink parka, she was easily recognizable, even from a distance. Her pink school bag dangled from her small shoulders as she began the walk toward her home. A neighbour, Nellie Abela, saw her walking in the direction of her house, and for a fleeting moment, everything seemed perfectly normal. But that was the last time anyone saw Ebony alive.³

When Zac arrived home a short while later, he expected to find his little sister there waiting for him. Instead, the house was eerily quiet. Ebony wasn’t home. Perplexed, he called their mother, Christine, to see if she had picked Ebony up after school. When she told him she hadn’t, Zac’s concern deepened. He immediately started calling Ebony’s friends, hoping she had gone to a classmate’s house or stopped somewhere along the way. But every call ended in disappointment—none of her friends had seen her after school.⁴

By the time Christine returned home, panic had set in. She and Zac scoured the streets of Bargo, calling Ebony’s name and stopping at every house in the neighbourhood. When their search turned up nothing, Christine made the call every parent dreads—she phoned the police to report her daughter missing.

Detective Sergeant Rod Grant was one of the first officers on the scene, and he wasted no time organizing a search. Police from Camden and Picton were dispatched, along with the dog squad and local SES volunteers. A police helicopter hovered overhead, its searchlights cutting through the darkening skies as the hours passed.

Missing person flyers were quickly printed and distributed across the area. They described Ebony as standing 130 centimetres tall with waist-length fair hair, dressed in her blue tracksuit and pink parka, and carrying a pink school bag. Police and volunteers went door-to-door, questioning neighbours and urging them to report anything unusual, no matter how minor it might seem.Bottom of Form

As the search for Ebony Simpson continued, a neighbour came forward with a lead that would ultimately expose the grim truth. The neighbour recalled seeing a man, approximately 18 or 19 years old, working under the bonnet of a dirty white or cream-colored car on Arina Road—the same road Ebony had walked down just before vanishing. The car, possibly an early model Mazda or Datsun, was described as being in poor condition, with visible stains from a smoky exhaust pipe.

The man had been standing just ahead of Ebony, positioned at the corner where she would have turned onto Arina Road. He was described as wearing a black, long-sleeved top and black jeans, standing around 177 centimetres tall, with straight, shoulder-length brown hair and a thin build.

This detail wasn’t an isolated observation. Police revealed that a car matching the description had been spotted multiple times in the area in the days leading up to Ebony’s disappearance. Witnesses also reported seeing a similar car loitering near primary and high schools in surrounding suburbs over the past few months. Although police couldn’t confirm whether it was the same car, they couldn’t rule it out either.⁵

When Ebony’s mother, Christine, heard the description of the man, she recalled seeing someone similar in the days before Ebony’s disappearance. With her help, detectives created a composite sketch. The image was quickly circulated, and soon after, multiple calls came in identifying the man as 29-year-old Andrew Peter Garforth.

Garforth was an unemployed father of two with a history of petty crime that included breaking and entering, theft, and traffic violations. While his criminal record spanned years, it held no indication that he was capable of the unspeakable acts he would soon admit to. Garforth had been living in Bargo for just five weeks, having skipped bail in Western Australia. His family had recently moved to the area, settling just 3 kilometres from the Simpson home.

When police located Garforth, they brought him in for questioning. What they didn’t anticipate was the chilling confession that followed. Garforth calmly admitted to abducting, raping, and murdering Ebony Simpson, the horrific details with disturbing detachment.

On that fateful day, Garforth had positioned himself near his car, pretending to tinker under the bonnet. When Ebony walked past, he grabbed her from behind and forced her into the car’s trunk before speeding off. He turned the music up loud to drown out any sound Ebony made from the trunk.

He then drove to a remote dirt track along Charles Point Road, where he moved her from the trunk to the front seat. Ebony, terrified and pleading for her life, begged him to let her go home. But Garforth had no intention of showing mercy. At the edge of a dam nearby, Garforth bound Ebony’s hands and feet with wire before subjecting her to a brutal rape.

He recollected: “She asked me if I was going to let her go and I said I don’t know.” But Garforth did know. After he was finished with the sexual assault, he threw Ebony into the water of the dam while she was still bound. Despite being a strong swimmer, Ebony was unable to keep herself afloat with her hands and feet restrained. Garforth stuffed her school bag with rocks and tossed it into the dam as well, hoping to sink any evidence that might implicate him. As Ebony struggled and screamed for help, he walked away, fully aware she would drown.⁶

Shockingly, Garforth later returned to the area where he had abducted Ebony and joined the search efforts organized by the local community. He walked among concerned neighbours and police officers, feigning worry for the little girl he knew would never return home.

Following the confession, Ebony’s body was retrieved from the dam.

The murder of Ebony Simpson didn’t just shatter the small town of Bargo—it sent shockwaves of grief and outrage across the entire nation. Among those most devastated was Andrew Garforth’s wife, Denise. The mother of his two young sons, aged one and three, Denise was blindsided. At the time of Garforth’s arrest, the couple had been planning to expand their family with a third child.

In an emotional interview with A Current Affair, Denise expressed her disbelief. Despite feeling deeply hurt and destroyed by what had happened, she confessed that she still loved Andrew. She described him as an amazing father to their children, struggling to reconcile the man she knew with the monster who had taken Ebony’s life.

While Denise and the Simpson family reeled in emotional agony, Andrew Garforth faced the brutal reality of prison life. Shortly after being placed in Long Bay Jail, he became the target of inmate fury. In one incident, he was attacked while sitting alone in a locked holding yard. Days later, a group of inmates broke into his locked cell to attack him again. Following these attacks, Garforth was transferred to Goulburn Jail, where he was placed under protection.⁷

Garforth’s murder trial began in January, but there would be no drawn-out legal battle. In court, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Ebony Simpson, offering no defence, no explanation, and no remorse.

Mr. Justice Newman, who presided over the case, made the decision to exclude victim impact statements from Ebony’s family, acknowledging that the effects of such a crime were too obvious to need articulation. “Plainly enough, the effects of these events upon the victim’s family would be horrific,” he remarked. He also described Ebony’s final moments as unimaginably terrifying, emphasizing the cruelty and coldness of Garforth’s actions.

During sentencing, Justice Newman noted Garforth’s disturbing lack of emotion, both during his crime and in his confession to investigators. He recalled Garforth’s “callous and casual comment” about what he had expected to happen to Ebony as she struggled in the water, a detail he found “chilling to the extreme.”

The courtroom was packed on the day Garforth was sentenced, and when Justice Newman handed down a life term without the possibility of parole, the room erupted in cheers and applause. Garforth became only the fifth person in New South Wales history to receive such a sentence—a reflection of the severity and inhumanity of his crime.⁸

The sentence brought a measure of justice to Ebony’s family, but it could never erase the profound loss they felt. Andrew Garforth’s life sentence ensured that he would never walk free, but the scars of his actions would linger indefinitely—on the Simpson family, the town of Bargo, and an Australia that would never forget Ebony Simpson.

Sources:

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Audio Sources:

“Masa Vukotic’s killer remains at large”

Sources:

Associated Press, 18 March, 2015 – “Teenage Girl Stabbed”

Associated Press, 18 March, 2015 – “Vic Teen’s Murderer”

Associated Press, 18 March, 2015 – “Forever 17”

The Advertiser, 19 March, 2015 – “Random Killer Slays Teen”

The Age, 19 March, 2015 – “A Walk, a Scream and a Young Life Violently Taken”

Associated press, 19 March, 2015 – “Man Charged over Melbourne Teen Murder”

Associated Press, 19 March, 2015 – “Man Accused”

The Australian, 19 March, 2015 – “Fears Schoolgirl, 17, the Victim of Random Killing”

Herald Sun, 19 March, 2015 – “Friends Weep”

The Advertiser, 20 March, 2015 – “Accused Killer Charged”

The Age, 20 March, 2015 – “Suspect in Girl’s Death Threatened to Kill”

The Age, 20 March, 2015 – “Neighbours Speak of Strange, Unusual Man”

The Age, 21 March, 2015 – “We’ll Never Forget You”

The Age, 21 March, 2015 – “Tributes and Tears Flow”

The Age, 21 March, 2015 – “Price Punched PM”

The Age, 21 March, 2015 – “Staff Shocked and Horrified “

The Australian, 21 March, 2015 – “Masa’s Alleged Killer”

Australian Associated Press, 26 March, 2015 – “Fond Memories”

The Advertiser, 27 March, 2015 – “1000 Mourners”

Australian Associated Press, 17 June, 2015 – “Man Accused”

The Age, 18 June, 2015 – “Medical Check”

Associated Press, 17 August, 2015 – “Vic Man Admits Murdering”

Associated Press, 17 August, 2015 – “Killer Told Police Good Chance it was Me”

The Advertiser, 18 August, 2015 – “Killer Studied Ivan Milat”

The Age, 18 August, 2015 – “Masa Horror Revealed”

The Age, 18 August, 2015 – “A Monster in the Making”

The Age, 18 August, 2015 – “How CCTV Footage Uncovered”

Associated Press, 18 August, 2015 – “Vic Legal Changes on Cards”

Herald Sun, 18 August, 2015 – “Masa Should be Alive”

Herald Sun, 18 August, 2015 – “Pink Princess”

Herald Sun, 18 August, 2015 – “Explosive Hatred”

The Age, 19 August, 2015 – “Alleged Rape in Advance of Jail”

Associated Pres, 27 August, 2015 – “Vic Teen Killer”

The Age, 28 August, 2015 – “Price’s Path to Murder”

The Age, 29 August, 2015 – “Killer Price Invaded Home”

The Age, 8 September, 2015 – “Killer Price’s Sentence was Cut”

The Herald Sun, 8 September, 2015 – “Parole Board Ignorer Warning”

The Herald Sun, 9 October, 2015 – “New Law”

Associated Press, 14 December, 2015 – “Masa’s Killer Wants no Leniency”

Associated Press, 14 December, 2015 – “Killer Targeted Rich”

The Advertiser, 15 December, 2015 – “Schoolgirl’s Killer Says Sorry”

The Advertiser, 15 December, 2015 – “The monster Who Wanted to Murder”

The Age, 15 December, 2015 – “No Excuses”

Associated Press, 15 December, 2015 – “Never Release Masa’s Killer”

Associated Press, 15 December, 2015 – “Price Known Risk”

The Age, 16 December, 2015 – “Masa’s Killer Believes he can be Redeemed”

Herald Sun, 15 December, 2015 – “She Was Talking to a Bird Like Snow White”

Associated Press, 18 February, 2015 – “Killer Price Must Get Life”

Associated Press, 18 March, 2016 – “Brutal Vic Killer”

The Age, 24 April, 2016 – “Masa’s Law”

Eloise Worledge was the first child of Lindsay and Patricia Worledge, born on October 8, 1967. She was followed by her sister, Anna, two years later, and then her younger brother, Blake, in 1971. The young family lived in a modest four-bedroom weatherboard home on Scott Street in Beaumaris, Victoria, just a short 500-meter walk from Beaumaris Beach. Their home sat in a quiet, suburban neighborhood typical of Australia in the 1970s, offering the kind of tranquil surroundings ideal for raising a young family. The Worledges had settled into what many would consider an idyllic life—close to schools, parks, and local shops—providing the perfect environment for their children to grow.

But that all changed on the 13^th of January, 1976.

At around 7:30AM that morning, Lindsay and Patricia were awoken by their four-year-old son, Blake, who came into their bedroom and said that Eloise was missing. He had gone to wake his sister, only to find her bed empty. Panic surged through the house as Lindsay and Patricia rushed to Eloise’s room. They found that her bed had clearly been slept in but Eloise was nowhere to be found. The window of her bedroom had been tampered with – the wire fly-screen had been cut away and rolled upward, and the window was fully open.

Despite the proximity of their bedroom to Eloise’s, they hadn’t heard a single unusual noise during the night. The last time they had seen their daughter was the night before. Patricia recalled putting her to bed at around 10:30PM.“I went out for a short while. Then I kissed her again when I came home about 11PM,” she said.⁵

That evening, Lindsay addressed the media, appealing for any information that could lead to his daughter’s safe return. “She would not even go to the shopping centre by herself,” he said. His greatest worry was that some “deranged” person had taken her, a theory that quickly became central to the investigation. One senior detective commented on the likely knowledge the abductor had of the family, saying, “It is very probable that the abductor would have known the family as he knew which window to go to.”

Eloise’s disappearance sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of Beaumaris, and a national search effort was launched. Inspector Murray Burgess appealed to the public for information, stating: “Someone must know something about what has happened to this girl.”⁹ The window was thoroughly examined, but it was reported that no fingerprints or footprints could be found. Moreover, detectives believed that the hole was too small for a man to have climbed through without disturbing anybody.¹⁰

It wasn’t long before a tip came in from neighbours of the family; multiple people reported there had been intruders on their properties in the nights leading up to Eloise’s disappearance. Some neighbours also reported two door-to-door book salesmen in the neighbourhood. Detectives tracked them down, and eliminated them as persons of interest.

The search pressed on, and a team of homicide detectives joined in on the search. Thee search extended to cliff-top scrubland and golf courses in the area, but nothing of interest could be found. Detectives also made sure to search all of the unoccupied homes in the area, working on the theory that Eloise had been taken and then left alive somewhere. But no trace of Eloise was found. Detective Chief Inspector Harry Norton said on the 16^th of January: “It is felt that the child is being cared for. We still can’t say there’s any alternative to her being removed by someone who knew her. There is no apparent criminal motive.”¹¹

Toward the end of the month, Eloise’s parents’ received a $10,000 ransom demand. A man had called their home and snarled: “I have your baby. I have your baby. I want $10,000” and then he hung up. Detectives ruled it out as a hoax; they believed that if it was genuine, there would have been a follow up call. Moreover, a teenage boy named Eric Gimbert told detectives he believed he overheard a man making the call from the foyer at Mercy Hospital. .¹²

As the days turned into weeks after Eloise’s disappearance, the initial flurry of hope began to fade. Over 300 detectives and police officers had worked tirelessly on the case, but by early February, authorities announced that not a single substantial lead had been uncovered. With no breakthroughs, the search efforts were scaled back to just eight detectives tasked with processing any tips that came in from the public .¹³

That same week, however, a glimmer of hope emerged. Detectives began following a new lead after a neighbour reported seeing a green 1966 Holden station wagon parked near the Worledge home on the night Eloise disappeared . The lead was promising, and one of Australia’s top criminologists, David Biles, even stepped in to offer his expertise on the case. Yet, despite this renewed push, time continued to pass, and the months began to stretch on. The excitement around the new lead quickly waned, and the investigation hit another dead end. By September, the focus of the search shifted from rescuing a missing child to recovering a body. ¹⁴ That same week, one of Australia’s top criminologists, David Biles, stepped in to offer his assistance in the case.

Despite this grim shift, Patricia Worledge remained resolute in her hope. She refused to believe her daughter was dead. “I don’t believe Ella’s dead and will go on believing she’s alive until it’s proved otherwise,” Patricia stated, maintaining that Eloise could be far from home, perhaps even overseas, living a life they could not yet fathom. “She’s quite happy,” Patricia suggested, clinging to the possibility that her daughter was safe somewhere, just out of reach .

Detective Chief Inspector Albert Homburg, who led the renewed search efforts, confirmed that detectives were still attempting to trace the green Holden station wagon. It remained the only vehicle near the Worledge home on the night of Eloise’s disappearance that had not yet been accounted for. He also revealed that investigators were looking for a man who had been spotted around Beaumaris in the days before Eloise vanished. Described as a balding, elderly man with glasses, he had reportedly been seen in the company of young girls near the local shopping center.¹⁵

The renewed search for Eloise Worledge, tragically, turned up no new leads. Before the family knew it, three long years had passed since the eight-year-old’s disappearance. As the months turned into years, the case remained cold. By 1982, detectives reported that they still received about six calls a year related to Eloise’s case, but none ever led to a breakthrough.¹⁶

Years later, Eloise’s brother, Blake, shared a haunting recollection from that night. He said he had heard “robbers” taking his sister, but fear of being abducted himself kept him silent. Tragically, Blake’s life was cut short when he died in a car accident in August 1997 at just 26 years old.¹⁷

Over the years, numerous theories have emerged about Eloise’s disappearance. One theory suggests that a child predator or someone known to the family took her. The sighting of a green Holden station wagon outside the Worledge home that night has fuelled speculation that the driver may have abducted Eloise. One neighbour even reported hearing a child cry out and the sound of a car door slamming shut around 2 AM, but the lead never yielded any concrete evidence.¹⁸

A more troubling theory implicated Eloise’s own father, Lindsay, in her disappearance. Rumours circulated that Eloise wasn’t his biological daughter, and detectives discovered that both Lindsay and Patricia had been involved in extramarital affairs around the time of her disappearance. Lindsay had also been struggling with depression, particularly over the impending separation from Patricia.¹⁹  

During a reinvestigation in 2002, Eloise Worledge’s mother, Patricia, shared a chilling belief with detectives: she suspected her estranged husband, Lindsay, of being involved in their daughter’s disappearance. She claimed that Lindsay’s involvement could have been a twisted attempt to prolong their failing marriage and to spite her. Lindsay, however, always denied having any role in Eloise’s abduction. Despite these suspicions, a polygraph test administered to Lindsay came back inconclusive.

The timing of Eloise’s disappearance only added to the suspicion. On the day Eloise was found missing, Lindsay had been scheduled to move out of the family home. The night before, he had been drinking, but, in a deviation from his usual behaviour, he told Patricia that he had checked on the children at 11:40PM before going to bed. According to Patricia, the passage light, which was always left on for the children until the last parent went to bed, remained on that night—an unusual oversight on Lindsay’s part. ²⁰

Forensic evidence discovered later by detectives raised even more questions. Experts concluded that the wire screen on Eloise’s window had most likely been cut from the inside, not the outside as originally thought. The cut had been made at a height of 195 centimetres, and the dust and cobwebs around the window had remained undisturbed, making an outside break-in seem unlikely. Furthermore, traces of tan bark from the garden were found inside Eloise’s bedroom. These findings complicated the abduction theory, suggesting that someone inside the home may have been involved.

A coroner’s inquest in 2003 brought to light even more unsettling revelations. Detectives had uncovered links between Eloise’s family and two local child molesters—one worked at a shop frequented by the family, while the other had ties to a Beaumaris drama group that the Worledge family visited. Despite these suspicious connections, no concrete evidence tied either individual to Eloise’s disappearance.²¹

Ultimately, Coroner Frank Hender was unable to determine who was responsible for Eloise’s presumed death. He ruled that her disappearance and presumed death remained suspicious but could not conclusively implicate any specific person, including her parents or the local sex offenders. The mystery of Eloise’s fate, shrouded in uncertainty and unanswered questions, endures to this day.²²

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Sources:

Sunday Mail, 14 December, 2008 – “Fears for Woman, 83”

The Advertiser, 20 December, 2008 – “Missing Pensioner’s Trip Plan”

Sunday Mail, 21 December, 2008 – “How Could Vonne just Vanish?”

Sunday Mail, 28 December, 2008 – “Little Hope for Vonne”

Australian Associated Press, 29 December, 2008 – “Missing Woman Feared Dead”

The Advertiser, 30 December, 2008 – “Woman Feared Dead”

The Advertiser, 31 December, 2008 – “Mystery of Lonely Gardener”

The Advertiser, 31 January, 2009 – “Witness Sighting”

The Advertiser, 21 February, 2009 – “DNA Breakthrough”

Australian Associated Press, 23 February, 2009 – “Search for Missing  Woman Continues”

Australian Associated Press, 23 February, 2009 – “Bone Found as Search for Missing Woman Continues”

The Advertiser, 25 February, 2009 – “Lonely End”

The Advetiser, 27 February, 2009 – “Aged Alert”

Sunday Mail, 1 March, 2009 – “Poignant Picture of a Teen Vonne McGlynn”

The Advertiser, 5 March, 2009 – “McGlynn Case Fraud Link”

The Advertiser, 15 March, 2009 – “More Clues”

The Advertiser, 15 May, 2009 – “Tears and Laughter for Happy Traveller”

Australian Associated Press, 19 February, 2010 – “Woman Used Pusher”

Australian Associated Press, 21 April, 2010 – “Woman to Stand Trial”

The Advertiser, 7 May, 2011 – “Murder Accused Dodges Trial by Jury”

Australian Associated Press, 3 August, 2011 – “Woman Dismembered Pensioner’s Body”

The Advertiser, 4 August, 2011 – “Suspicious Notes”

Australian Associated Press, 4 August, 2011 – “Murdered Pensioner Hounded Court”

The Advertiser, 5 August, 2011 – “Clues Revealed that Make a Murder Case”

Australian Associated Press, 5 August, 2011 – “Woman Admitted Dumping Body”

The Advertiser, 6 August, 2011 – “Court Hears Vonne McGlynn Murder”

The Advertiser, 9 August, 2011 – “Court Hears McGlynn Accused’s Response”

Australian Associated Press, 9 August, 2011 – “Murder Accused Shed Smelt of Rotting Flesh”

The Advertiser, 10 August, 2011 – “Foul Smell in Gavare Shed”

The Advertiser, 12 August, 2011 – “Alleged Killer’s Prints Not in Home”

The Advertiser, 16 August, 2011 – “Murder Trial”

Australian Associated Press, 16 August, 2011 – “Accused’s Ex-Lover Denies Murder Role”

Australian Associated Press, 17 August, 2011 – “Lover Denies Involvement”

Australian Associated Press, 18 August, 2011 – “Accused Pensioner Killer Denies the Crime”

Australian Associated Press, 19 August, 2011 – “Murder Accused Feared her Past”

Australian Associated Press, 23 August, 2011 – “Chilling Gavare Murdered Pensioner”

The Advertiser, 24 August, 2011 – “Bizarre Murder Case now in Judge’s Hands”

Australian Associated Press, 30 August, 2011 – “SA Woman Guilty of Killing Pensioner”

The Advertiser, 30 September, 2011 – “Pensioner Killer Appeals Verdict”

Australian Associated Press, 4 November, 2011 – “Pensioner Killer Jailed for 32 Years”

The Advertiser, 12 November, 2011 – “Gavare Stole from Customers”

The Advertiser, 21 December, 2011 – “Killer Also Stole Cash and Cards”

The Advertiser, 4 May, 2012 – “Murderer Admits to Four Identity Thefts”

Sponsors:

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Audio Sources:

“Comedian Eurydice Dixon’s killer sentenced to life in prison | Nine News Australia”

“Eurydice Dixon’s killer sentenced to life in prison”

“Eurydice Dixon standup 5th June 2018”

“Nine + Seven News. Comedian Claims Murderer Vaccine Damaged.(Eurydice Dixon)”

Sources:

The Age, 14 June, 2018 – “Melbourne Comedians Pay Tribute”

The Age, 14 June, 2018 – “Eurydice Dixon Remembered as Incredible, Kind Woman”

The Age, 14 June, 2018 – “Metres from Home, Eurydice Dixon Sent a Final Message”

The Age, 14 June, 2018 – “Broadmeadows Teenager Charged with Murder”

Australian Associated Press, 14 June, 2018 – “Campaign for Murdered Melbourne Comic”

Australian Associated Press, 14 June, 2018 – “Comics Rally for Melbourne Murder Victim”

The Age, 15 June, 2018 – “A Bright Future Gone, City’s Nightmare Returns”

The Age, 15 June, 2018 – “Accused Killer is Socially Regressive”

The Age, 15 June, 2018 – “Candlelight Vigil”

The Age, 15 June, 2018 – “No Inkling”

The Australian, 15 June, 2018 – “Saddest End for Young Lady of Laughter”

Coventry Telegraph, 15 June, 2018 – “Rape and Killing of Young Comedian”

Herald Sun, 15 June, 2018 – “Straying into Killer’s Orbit”

Herald Sun, 16 June, 2018 – “Arrest Shocks Family, Friends”

Australian Associated Press, 18 June, 2018 – “Thousands Join in Remembering Eurydice”

WA Today, 18 June, 2018 – “Hundreds of Perth Mourners Gather”

The Age, 20 June, 2018 – “Loving, Loyal and Authentic”

Australian Associated Press, 21 June, 2018 – “Budding Melbourne Comedian Remembered”

The Age, 5 July, 2018 – “Comedian Faces Charges Over Dixon Memorial”

The Age, 6 September, 2018 – “Anti-Feminist Charged Over Eurydice Dixon Graffiti”

Australian Associated Press, 10 September, 2018 – “Vic Vandal Sorry to Eurydice’s Family”

Australian Associated Press, 6 October, 2018 – “Vic Vandal Crying for Attention”

The Age, 22 October, 2018 – “Eurydice Dixon’s Accused Killer Facing Three Fresh Charges”

The Age, 8 November, 2018 – “Guilty, Your Honour”

Australian Associated Press, 8 November, 2018 – “Man Admits Melbourne Comedian Rape, Murder”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 16 August, 2019 – “Eurydice Dixon’s Killer”

The Australian, 16 August, 2019 – “Eurydice’s Killer Had Snuff Porn Fantasies”

MailOnline, 16 August, 2019 – “I Hope I Do Better Next Time”

The Age, 17 August, 2019 – “Eurydice Killer’s Chilling Phone Call”

The Age, 2 September, 2019 – “Jaymes Todd Sentenced to Life”

WA Today, 6 September, 2019 – “Eurydice’s Murder was Despicable”

Audio Sources:

“CCTV footage shows French student’s final moments”

“French student Sophie collombet murder”

Sources:

The Cairns Post, 2 April, 2014 – “Few Clues on Student’s Murder”

The Courier Mail, 2 April, 2014 – “Victim’s Final Hours Remain a Mystery”

The Courier Mail, 2 April, 2014 – “Too Close to Home”

The Guardian, 2 April, 2014 – “Brisbane Police Seek Public’s Help”

Australian Associated Press, 3 April, 2014 – “French Student’s Killer ‘a Threat’”

Australian Associated Press, 3 April, 2014 – “Cops Patrol Park a Week After Murder”

The Courier Mail, 3 April, 2014 – “Devastated Parents Can’t Face Coming to Brisbane”

The Courier Mail, 3 April, 2014 – “It Was Just an Innocent Walk Home”

The New Zealand Herald, 3 April, 2014 – “Brisbane Safe to Live in Despite Student Murders”

Australian Associated Press, 4 April, 2014 – “Itinerant Linked to French Student’s Death”

The Australian, 4 April, 2014 – “Death of Foreign Student Rethink”

The Cairns Post, 4 April, 2014 – “Sophie’s Horror Lost in CCTV Black Spot.”

The Courier Mail, 4 April, 2014 – “A Smile, a Wave, and She Walks Alone”

Australian Associated Press, 5 April, 2014 – “No Trace of Man Wanted for Qld Murder”

The Courier Mail, 5 April, 2014 – “Does This Man Hold the Key to a Killing?”

The Courier Mail, 5 April, 2014 – “River City’s Dark Side”

The Courier Mail, 6 April, 2014 – “Dark Past Revealed”

Australian Associated Press, 7 April, 2014 – “Man Arrested Over French Student’s Death”

The Cairns Post, 7 April, 2014 – “Murder Suspect’s Mum Speaks Out”

The Courier Mail, 7 April, 2014 – “Wanted Man was on Drugs, Cops Told”

Australian Associated Press, 8 April, 2014 – “Charge Coming Over  French Student’s Murder”

The Australian, 8 April, 2014 – “Man Held Over Murder of French Student”

The Courier Mail, 8 April, 2014 – “Tributes Still Flowing for Young Student”

Australian Associated Press, 9 April, 2014 – “Collombet Murder Accused in Qld Court”

The Courier Mail, 9 April, 2014 – “Long Drive to Face Justice”

Australian Associated Press, 10 April, 2014 – “Thousands Crowd Qld Streets”

The Courier Mail, 10 April, 2014 – “Police Say DNA Left to Arrest”

The Courier Mail, 19 April, 2014 – “Au Revoir, Sophie”

Australian Associated Press, 27 July, 2014 – “Day of Sophie Collombet’s Alleged Killer”

Australian Associated Press, 27 July, 2015 – “Collomet Accused Killer High on Ice”

The Courier Mail, 28 July, 2015 – “Ice Binge on Night of Killing”

The Courier Mail, 1 August, 2015 – “Danger on the Prowl”

Australian Associated Press, 11 October, 2016 – “Qld Man Pleads Guilty to Collombet Murder”

Australian Associated Press, 12 October, 2016 – “Collomet Family Relieved Over Murder Plea”

The Courier Mail, 13 October, 2016 – “Admission of Guilt”

Agence France Presse, 26 October, 2016 – “Australian Coward Gets Life”

Australian Associated Press, 26 October, 2016 – “Life in Jail for French Student’s Killer”

The Queensland Times, 27 October, 2016 – “Sex Addict Left Sophie for Dead”