Elite squad to track elusive murderer and cold case fugitive
It’s been almost a year since a confirmed sighting of one of Queensland’s most wanted men, cold case fugitive and convicted murderer Keith Lees, and police are stepping up the hunt.
Cold Cases
‘Last ray of hope’ snuffed out with no charges over crayfish farm shooting
The family of a young scientist shot dead while working at a crayfish farm say they lost their “last ray of hope” after an inquest failed to result in charges against two people named by a coroner.
Disappearance, taxi driver, deathbed confession: 40-year mystery set to end
For four decades it has been one of Queensland’s most enduring cold case murder mysteries but today the state coroner hands down the findings into the 1986 disappearance of Sharron Phillips.
‘Other secrets’: Bombshell Ivan Milat theory
It’s one of Australia’s most infamous cases but serial killer Ivan Milat still has more skeletons yet to emerge.
Fake train ticket, abandoned car: $500k reward in cold case murder
Police have announced a $500,000 reward for information which could help them crack a 30-year cold case, where a father disappeared without a trace in North Queensland.
$500k reward: Cops intensify hunt for ‘body in the wall’ killer
A $500,000 reward has been announced for information which could lead police to the killer of a woman whose bones were found in a wall in Brisbane’s north.
Man vanished without a trace hours after pub fight
An altercation at a North Queensland pub before a 20-year-old man vanished will form part of investigations into one of the nation’s most baffling cold cases.
Human remains raise hope cold case may yet be cracked
It’s the missing person mystery that’s gripped a small Central Queensland town for almost 15 years. But the cold case puzzle of what happened to Francis “Frank” Foley is finally being pieced together.
‘What’s changed?’ Family stunned as cold case triple murder charges dropped
The family of a victim of the infamous 45-year-old Spear Creek murders has called for an inquest after murder charges against the former suspect were dropped at the last minute.
Underbelly Cape York: 20 years of bad blood but no answers after father, son disappear
It is one of the most intriguing ‘missing persons’ cases in Queensland’s history and 20 years since a Cape York father and son disappeared, questions remain about their fate.
Eloise Worledge mystery still haunts family
The vanishing of little Eloise Worledge is still shrouded in mystery – and the white lie told by her parents wasn’t the family’s only untruth.
New hope in one of USA’s biggest mysteries
US police have reignited one of the country’s longest missing kid mysteries, with images of what she might look like now.
Twisted tale of elusive family annihilator
Elmer Crawford eerily asked his father-in-law if he believed in the afterlife a week before he annihilated his family – and got away with it.
Slain in hail of bullets: Inside the downfall of bikie boss Shane Bowden
Shane Bowden was a powerful bikie until he was executed in a hail of 21 bullets – allegedly at the hands of his gang mates. Now an exclusive new doco lifts the lid on the crime. WATCH
Face of a murder suspect: Hi-tech breakthrough in 40-year cold case
Groundbreaking new technology never before used in Australia could be the key to solving the murder mystery of a Brisbane father and bringing closure to his family.
15 Qld cold cases: Chilling list of unsolved crimes
Murders, kidnappings, arsons, and assaults. We take a look at the cold cases haunting investigators — and the rewards on offer to help solve the crimes — some even decades on.
Screams, bloody body but no killer: New suspect in oldest cold case
Betty Shanks was brutally murdered, with her bloodied body found in a Brisbane garden three blocks from her home. Now, cold case investigator Mike King has a new theory about what happened.
Convicted NCA bomber still in hospital after collapsing
NCA bomber Domenic Perre remains at the RAH after he fainted following his conviction on Thursday. See how the victims reacted to the stunning verdict.
From lotto jackpot to murder: inside Sydney horror story
Winning the lotto is every blue collar family’s dream but for Bazil Thorne it quickly turned into a nightmare when his son Graeme was snatched off the streets of Bondi.
Murder in paradise: Execution that exposed Whitsundays’ seedy underbelly
A brutal execution-style murder has exposed Airlie Beach’s seedy underworld but it took 15 years before the shocking details could be publicly laid bare.
Fresh twist in mystery disapperances
Police have launched a new appeal for information into separate disappearances of two men in NSW, with one of the cases being treated as suspicious.
Cop ‘had it in’ for Tyrrell person of interest: court
A former person of interest in William Tyrrell’s disappearance will argue in court ex-Detective Gary Jubelin “had it in for him”.
How psychic led to ‘killer bikie’ in murder mystery
Lynette Mullane’s murder has taken a new twist, with a psychic leading to a new theory after the grandmother was found dead in her home with blood dripping from her mouth.
Sydney’s forgotten ‘Cocaine Queen’
A witness to one of Sydney’s oldest cold cases, madam May Smith, was later arrested by our first female detective. She was jailed and then disappeared from public records — and from memory.
Commodore key to solving petrol bomb killing of teen
A white Commodore could be the missing piece in the tragic puzzle of a 13-year-old’s firebombing death, which has left devastated mum Julie Szabo still waiting for justice 24 years later.
Six gripping subscriber-only crime stories
From unsolved murders to manhunts and crimes that shocked the state and the nation, here are six gripping Queensland crime stories for our subscribers.
Killers can still be brought to justice in chilling cold cases
A woman murdered in a brutal home invasion, another attacked on a sunny beach and a mild mannered man who walked from his home and was never seen alive again. Police say the killers in these Victorian cold cases can still be brought to justice.
Cold case murders tantalisingly close to being solved
A businessman killed by a sniper’s bullet, a young man betrayed by those he thought were friends and women murdered in the most brutal fashion. They are cold case murders where police are tantalisingly close to bringing their killers to justice.
Murder city: The unsolved killings of Melbourne’s northwest
From a mum gunned down in her Niddrie driveway to a mechanic blown up in a suspected Mafia car bomb, these are the crimes that rocked Melbourne’s northwest. And in all cases the killer remains on the loose.
Unsolved missing person cases in Melbourne’s east
From Boronia schoolgirl Bung Siriboon to former owner of the Cuckoo Wilhelm “Willi” Koeppen, there has been no shortage of high-profile disappearances in the east over the years. We take a look at some of the most baffling cases.
Geelong’s most heinous unsolved murders
Geelong’s past is full of stories of high-profile suspicious deaths. Here’s some of the most infamous mysteries that remain unsolved to this day.
Is Beaumont killer one of these four men?
In 1966 times were changing — but some things hadn’t, which meant an anonymous monster was able to steal away three children from a beach without trace. NEW PODCAST
‘I felt she’d never be coming home’
Mother-of-three Veronica Green vanished from her Ardeer home 44 years ago. Some family members hold out hope she is still alive after leaving to carve out a new life. Others are sure she was murdered and now police are reviewing the mystery.
Former person of interest’s latest claim to fame
A former police officer once a person of interest in the death of a teenager in far north Queensland has resurfaced in an online ad.
The first and last place to look for a body
As a crook, Rocky Iaria made a good fruit picker. And had he been jailed over a brazen crime against a rich tomato grower, he’d probably be alive today. Instead, years after he vanished, Rocky’s body was found somewhere completely unexpected.
Kurnell bones confirmed as male model and Neddy Smith victim
Notorious gangster Neddy Smith’s killing fields have yielded another victim after confirmation remains found in the Kurnell sand dunes are those of male model Mark Johnston.
Fresh appeal after brutal roadside Coast murder
Colin Woodhouse was driving home from his shift as a food and beverage manager at Myer Pacific Fair, when he stopped to help a man standing next to a ‘broken down’ car.
Baffling Pyjama Girl mystery is case closed – or is it?
In 1944 a man was jailed for the horrific murder of the “Pyjama Girl”. But startling evidence suggests police got it wildly wrong, and now the woman’s identity – and her killer – may never be known.
‘Someone knows’: $1M reward offered over boat shooting
Janita McNaughton was only 23 when she was shot between the eyes while on board a boat with four other people almost three decades ago. Now police are offering a huge reward to solve her mysterious death.
$1m reward to solve brother’s gay-hate murder
A man from the US has stumped up $1 million of his own money in a bid to solve the gay-hate murder of his brother in Sydney 30 years ago. Matched with NSW Police’s own contribution the reward now totals $2 million.
$1 million reward but still ‘no justice’ for Bowraville kids
The angry families of three children murdered by a suspected serial killer have accused the NSW government of putting up a $1 million reward to shut them up after rejecting moves that could have put the suspect back before a court.
Son’s ‘last chance’ for cold case justice
It was the murder that shocked the Gold Coast almost 30 years ago. But now, the victim’s son believes he has received his “last chance” at justice.
Charges closer in Geelong cold case
Detectives are closer to charging a man over the cold-case alleged murder of Geelong West woman Annette Steward.
Mum’s plea: Find my son’s killer
The grief-stricken mother of suspected Geelong murder victim Trevor Tascas wants police to offer a reward for information to help catch her son’s killer.
‘Gift’ key to hunt for cold case killer
A mysterious “gift” and an anonymous letter could be key to solving one of Queensland’s most enduring cold case murders, the mysterious disappearance of Brisbane air force policewoman Gaye Baker.
The calls that could crack a cold case
Crime Stoppers SA received hundreds of phone calls in 2019 – including information on the unsolved suspected murders of Rhianna Barreau, Peter Seaford, Corinna Marr and Gail King.
‘We have to find Michelle’s murderer’
It’s the mystery that has haunted a retired detective for years. Now Ann Gumley wants a specialist cold case homicide squad to take up the search for answers, writes Kate Kyriacou.
Old police report behind fresh bid for bail
Lawyers for a man accused of the 1978 Spear Creek triple murders have argued he should be released on bail because of what a police officer wrote in a report 40 years ago.
UNSOLVED: What happened to ‘the other Allison’?
Allison Baden-Clay’s sister has issued a heartfelt plea for an inquest into what happened to the “other Allison” – a missing woman who vanished after a night at the pub.
Cops offer $250k reward to catch Tina Greer’s killer
Queensland police have launched a new push to find information about the death of Gold Coast mum Tina Greer – but has her killer taken the secret to the grave?
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/coldcases