Casefile True Crime

During recess and lunchtime at Hackham West Primary School in 1982, teachers patrolled the schoolyard to oversee the young children as they ran around and played together between lessons. Yet, there was often one student separated from the others, preferring to stick by her teachers’ sides rather than go off and play with her peers – 10-year-old Louise Bell...

[Part 1 of 2] As midnight approached on July 1 2002, the German village of Owingen was disturbed by a deep rumbling from above. Residents assumed an unforecast storm was brewing, but seconds later a thunderous explosion roared as a large ball of fire illuminated the night sky.

[Part 2 of 2] After 46-year-old Vitaly Kaloyev loses his entire family in the Überlingen mid-air collision, he becomes consumed by grief. Unable to move on, he pours his energy into finding the air traffic controller he believes is responsible for the death of his wife and children. As Kaloyev discovers whether revenge really is the best medicine, the question emerges – is he a hero or a villain?

In early 2001, 21-year old Lucie Blackman left her job as a flight attendant for British Airways in search of new adventures. She embarked on a working holiday to Japan, where she secured a job as a hostess at Club Casablanca in Tokyo’s bustling Roppongi district. Lucie struggled with the transition, writing in her diary: “I’m not coping well here. I can’t pull myself out of this hole I’ve fallen into… I just want to disappear.”

When three women – Mitra Simjanoska, Ljubica Licoska and Zivana Temelkoska – are murdered in the Macedonian city of Kicevo, local journalist Vlado Taneski takes it upon himself to cover the stories in detail. Unbeknownst to him, police set their eyes on an unlikely suspect and start closing in to make an arrest.

Part I coming soon...

[Part 1 of 5] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, backpackers from across the globe flocked to Australia in search of sun, surf and adventure. Although hitchhiking was frowned upon, it remained a popular option for those seeking a cheap, convenient method of transit.

[Part 2 of 5] After the remains of two bodies are found in Belanglo State Forest, New South Wales police establish a task force to oversee the investigation into the double homicide. Fearing that more remains will be discovered, a wide-scale search of Belanglo is conducted but the murder is ultimately considered to be an isolated incident.

[Part 3 of 5] After a witness comes forward to report a suspicious incident that occurred near Belanglo years earlier, the investigation quickly gains momentum. The spotlight is placed on a local family when one name keeps coming up repeatedly – Milat.

[Part 4 of 5] At 6:36 am on May 22 1994, a team of heavily armed police surrounded the Cinnabar Street home of Ivan Milat and instructed him to exit the house with his arms raised. Dumbfounded, Ivan responded: “Okie dokie. Just let me put me pants on…”

[Part 5 of 5] Accused serial killer, 51-year-old Ivan Milat sat motionless before the court dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and grey checkered tie...

On December 29 1969, News of the World deputy chairman Alick McKay returned to his manor in London’s upscale Wimbledon district to find the place ransacked. His wife, Muriel McKay, was nowhere to be seen.

In 1992, the children of Oil City, Pennsylvania were excited as Halloween approached. But when 11-year-old Shauna Howe fails to return home after a church Halloween party on October 27, the typically festive atmosphere quickly turns to one of anxiety and fear.

15-year-old Rachel Barber was thrilled to make the move from a conventional high school to a special performing arts school in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Richmond. On the evening of March 1 1999, she waved goodbye to her classmates after making plans to meet them for breakfast the following morning. Little did they know, it was the last they’d ever see of her.

In February 2015, Victorian police were called to the eastern banks of the Maribyrnong River in Moonee Ponds after two passersby made a grim discovery. Floating downstream was a plastic grocery bag containing a human forearm.

When teenager Elisa Claps mysteriously disappears after going to meet a friend in the Southern Italian town of Potenza, all possibilities are explored. Initial suspicions are cast on 21-year-old Danilo Restivo, but when reported sightings of Elisa begin to come in from across Italy and as far away as Albania, the investigative waters are muddied.

In the mid-1990s, police caught wind of an online paedophile ring known as The Orchid Club, in which members were using chat rooms to create and trade child exploitation material. Several American men were arrested, but detectives soon discovered The Orchid Club was just the tip of the iceberg.

British glamour model Chloe Ayling was ecstatic to be hired for a photoshoot in Milan. But after failing to return to the United Kingdom on her scheduled flight, it appears that the golden opportunity was too good to be true.

At 11:00 PM on March 14 2003, an emergency services operator in the United Kingdom answered a phone call on the nation’s 999 helpline. The person on the other line was silent. As was protocol, the operator transferred the call through to the ‘Silent Solutions’ department, where the call was ultimately disconnected.

After seven residents of Chicago passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 1982, authorities discovered they shared a common link. In the hours before their deaths, each of the individuals had taken Tylenol branded paracetamol.

Monday, February 13, 2017, was a bonus day off school for students in the small American town of Delphi, Indiana. Best friends Abigail Williams and Liberty German decided to spend the day hiking and taking photographs on the Monon High Bridge Trail, which forms part of Delphi’s Historic Trails. Later that evening, when they fail to meet Liberty’s father at their designated pick-up spot, it’s soon suspected that the two teenagers met with foul play.

On May 5 2004, the first of three suitcases containing dismembered human remains washed up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Detectives had two difficult tasks ahead of them. First, they needed to identify who the remains belonged to. Secondly, they had to figure out who was responsible for the murder and why.

During the early 1970s in Washington, D.C, six black girls aged between 10 and 18 were abducted and murdered in separate brutal attacks. The bodies of Carole Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard and Diane Williams were all found alongside busy roads, with most showing evidence of strangulation and sexual assault. The unidentified perpetrator, thought to be Washington’s first serial killer, became known as The Freeway Phantom.

In Australia, one woman is killed by her current or former domestic partner every week. So when 29-year-old Leeann Lapham went missing from her short term accommodation in Innisfail in 2010, suspicion was immediately cast on her boyfriend, Graeme Evans. Although the two were known to have a volatile and often violent relationship, Graeme maintained that Leeann had left on her own accord.

When 21-year-old Mark Kilroy and a group of his friends headed to South Padre Island in Texas for Spring Break, all they had in mind was sun, sand and celebration. However, when they crossed the border into the Mexican city of Matamoros to party with their fellow college students, things soon took a dark turn.

The small rural property of Hinterkaifeck lay approximately 70 kilometres north of the German city of Munich. Members of the Gruber-Gabriel family could usually be seen milling about, but in early April 1922, locals noticed that the Hinterkaifeck farmhouse was unusually void of activity.

In mid-July 2015, a motorist was travelling down the Karoonda Highway in South Australia when he pulled over near the small town of Wynarka to urinate. As he made his way into the thick bushland framing the side of the road, he noticed an array of dirty, torn children’s clothing strewn under a patch of trees. In front was an abandoned suitcase. He crouched down to unzip the case and began rummaging through its contents. Inside, he found a small human jawbone.

After 38-year-old Johnny Altinger goes on a date with a woman he met online, his friends start receiving strange emails. Things appear to have gone so well that Johnny decided to join the woman on an impromptu trip to Costa Rica. He even sends a resignation letter to his work, indicating that he has no immediate plans to return to Canada.

Brazilian born Pedro Rodrigues Filho first felt the desire to kill at the age of 13. It wasn’t long before he gave into his desires and claimed his first victim. Over the years that followed, Pedro’s thirst for violence grew. He soon became one of Brazil’s most prolific serial killers, with his crimes earning him the nickname of ‘Killer Petey.’

When 49-year-old Joan Vollmer begins acting strangely, her husband Ralph blames spiritual problems and turns to religion for answers. Rather than seeking help for Joan’s obvious mental health issues, Ralph consults with other members of the couple’s church, who believe they know the truth – that Joan has fallen victim to demonic possession.

On March 4 1998, the parents of Rui Pedro Teixeira Mendonça grew concerned when their son failed to show up for a lesson with his tutor. The 11-year-old had last been seen riding his bike near their family home in Lousada, Portugal. P

On Sunday, October 26 1997, an emergency services dispatcher in Canberra received a hysterical call from a young woman who refused to provide clear answers to basic questions. Between sobs, she requested an ambulance to treat a suspected heroin overdose.

During the 1970s and 80s, a series of terrifying sexual assaults occurred inside homes throughout the Victorian suburb of Donvale. The unidentified perpetrator was initially referred to as The Donvale Rapist, but after several survivors described him as having a distinctly offensive odour, he was given a new nickname – ‘Mr Stinky.’

In early April 2011, several friends and relatives of Nante’s Dupont De Ligonnès family received an unexpected letter that read: “Hi everyone! Huge surprise: we have to leave urgently for the U.S due to a very particular set of circumstances that we will explain below. When you read this letter, we will no longer be in France and won’t be able to return for an as-yet-undetermined period of time.”

When American couple Tom and Eileen Lonergan set out to visit Australia, they were particularly looking forward to putting their diving skills to good use. On January 25 1998, they took advantage of the perfect weather conditions and boarded a charter boat at the Port Douglas Marina for a day out exploring the Great Barrier Reef.

16-year-old Martha Puebla was no stranger to gang violence. She lived in California’s San Fernando Valley, where Latin American organisations like the 18th Street Gang and the Vineland Boyz controlled the streets. So when Martha inadvertently witnessed a gang-related murder, she knew to keep her mouth shut.

On December 23 1927, the streets of Cisco, Texas were full of festive cheer as residents prepared for Christmas. When a man dressed as Santa Clause entered the First National Bank of Cisco, customers chuckled that even Saint Nick had finances to attend to during the holiday season.

End of Year Message from Casefile team.