The 3 Most Famous Australian Murder Cases
Dingo and Missing Baby, Backpacker Murders, Peter Falconio
Jul 24, 2009
Of all the Australian murder cases, three remain the most well-known and baffling.
The Case of the Dingo and the Missing Baby
On August 17, 1980, a famous case made the news when an infant, Azaria Chamberlain, disappeared under mysterious circumstances on a family camping trip to Ayers Rock. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, claimed to have actually spotted a dingo carrying the baby from the family tent. An intensive search was formed, but the infant was never found. A week later bloodstained clothing was discoverd near a dingo lair.
The story was met with suspicion and disbelief and it was suspected that the baby had been murdered. “The dingo’s got my baby!” became a much-repeated media phrase over the next few months as the story made the headlines and became an international sensation.
Azaria’s mother Lindy was convicted of murder. In 1982, she was sentenced to life imprisonment. Lindy was acquitted in 1986 when the chance discovery of yet another piece of the infant’s clothing was found in a remote area known to be filled with dingo lairs. A movie A Cry in the Dark, starring Meryl Streep was made in 1988. The 2004 book Through My Eyes tells Lindy’s own account.
The Backpacker Murders
The Backpacker Murders refers to a rash of serial murders that took place in New South Wales in the 1990s. The bodies of seven missing backpackers, five foreign tourists and two Australian natives, were discovered partially buried in the Belanglo State Forest.
The first bodies discovered in 1992 were those of missing British travelers Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters. In 1993, remains identified as Deborah Everist and James Gibson were found. The fifth, sixth and seventh bodies, those of Simone Schmidl, Anja Habschied, and her boyfried Gabor Neugebauer soon followed.
The similarity of the murders, in which the victims had all been shot or stabbed, led to the belief a serial killer was on the loose. Ivan Milat came under suspicion after a failed attempt to abduct another backpacker. He was arrested and convicted of the murders, and is currently serving life in prison. It is believed that he may have committed other murders.
The Peter Falconio Murder
English backpacker Peter Falconio was murdered in 2001 on a remote part of a highway near Barrow Creek. His girlfriend Joanne Lees testified that a mechanic signaled them to pull over and told them their van needed work. Peter went to have a look, and soon Joanne heard a shot. Murdoch then bound Joanne’s hands and dragged her into his vehicle. Then he disappeared, presumably to take care of Peter’s body. Joanne managed to escape. After hours of hiding, she ran back to the highway and flagged down help.
Joanne Lee’s credibility was questioned because her testimony concerning the vehicle Murdoch was driving and other issues seemed inconsistent. Because of rumors of a recent affair, there was some suspicion she may have murdered Falconio herself.
Bradley John Murdoch was a paranoid drifter and known drug runner. He was convicted of Falconio’s murder and is currently serving life imprisonment. .Falconio’s body has never been found. To this day, Murdoch maintains his innocence, but there was enough DNA evidence to link him to the crime and get a conviction. Joanne Lees wrote an account of her experience in her 2006 book, No Turning Back.
The 2005 fictional movie Wolf Creek is based loosely on elements of both the Backpacker Murder Case and the Peter Falconio Murder.
Click here to read The Truth Behind the Film Wolf Creek.
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