The crack team solving Queensland’s most enduring murder mysteries

Two years, thousands of exhibits from across the state, more than $15m in rewards and all the technology of modern-day policing — Queensland’s crack cold case team is solving some of the oldest murder mysteries in Australian history.

TWO years, thousands of exhibits from across the state, more than $15 million in rewards and all the technology of modern-day policing — Queensland’s crack cold case team is solving some of the oldest murder mysteries in Australian history.

The newly established team of detectives, forensic and intelligence officers have made arrests in 15 homicides in just two years — with up to 150 cases on their books dating back to 1952.

The hard work of cold case detectives has seen arrests in some of Queensland’s most enduring mysteries — including the 1978 Spear Creek murders of Karen Edwards, Timothy Thomson and Gordon Twaddle that rocked Mount Isa for decades.

Karen Edwards, Timothy Thomson and Gordon Twaddle were murdered at Spear Creek near Mt Isa in 1978. The last known picture of the group, taken by a tourist when they stopped at Devils Marbles.

More than 40 years after the three friends were believed to have been lured out into the bush and shot, detectives arrested retired prison guard Bruce John Preston. His arrest followed numerous public appeals for information and a full review of evidence dating back decades.

Last month they charged Vincent O’Dempsey in what is Australia’s oldest cold case arrest. Vincent Raymond Allen disappeared in 1964 as he was about to give evidence in two jewellery store heists.

The cold case team — described by Police Minister Mark Ryan as the best in the country — was brought together two years ago in an effort to solve some of Queensland’s longest running mysteries.

Headed by Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell, the unit has revolutionised the focus put on old crimes.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell who heads the cold case investigation team. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Traditionally, homicide detectives were asked to work on older, unsolved investigations around active jobs.

But with a high workload, few cases were being solved.

Det Sen Sgt Kentwell, who joined the Queensland Police Service in 1991 and has spent years investigating homicides, crimes against children, drugs and prison offences, is determined to bring as many files to completion as possible — whether it’s with an arrest or before a coroner.

“I would love to solve Betty Shanks,” she said.

The team’s work began in early 2017 with administration officers initially spending months scanning old documents into the police database so dusty files could be easily searched via computer.

Old investigations are “triaged” by former homicide detective Howard Hickey to determine which had the most potential to be solved.

Det Sen Sgt Kentwell said it was often the public who held the key to solving long-running murder mysteries, with publicity surrounding rewards often resulting in new leads.

More than $15 million remains on offer — from $50,000 in the 1952 murder of Betty Shanks, to $500,000 in the 1972 disappearance of schoolgirl Marilyn Wallman.

She said detectives would be looking into rewards on offer to make them more standardised, with some offered many years ago remaining unchanged.

A reward of $250,000 is still on offer for the 1992 murder of elderly wealthy widower Hugo Benscher, found bound, blindfolded and gagged in his Paradise Point home.

Twenty-seven years on, a team of detectives is working to solve the case.

“All it needs is one person to come forward with information,” she said.

“In general, that’s what it’s about.

“No matter how small or irrelevant they think that information might be, take the time and call Crime Stoppers.”

She said it was important to have forensic officers at hand to examine old exhibits for undiscovered evidence.

“Part of it is finding the exhibits and the second part is seeing if there is anything with modern technology that we can use to re-examine it,” Sen Sgt Kentwell said.

“There are some investigations that have, for example, DNA that hasn’t been tested.

“It’s just a matter of having a fresh set of eyes over jobs.”

Det Sen Sgt Kentwell said the cold case team worked with local detectives to reinterview witnesses and talk to new ones who come forward as a result of fresh appeals.

Sgt Kim McNamara conducts a UV light examination of a murder exhibit. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“I look at the jobs that we’ve done and the pleas that we’ve done. With the Spear Creek investigation, we probably got more than 70 pieces of information from Crime Stoppers just by just getting out there and asking,” she said.

“It’s a roller coaster road, investigating a cold case murder.

“You can be working away and information comes in on another case and it completely changes your urgency.”

She said her team lived by the motto displayed on a plaque in the team’s office — that offenders should take no solace in the passage of time.

Testament to that are those currently awaiting trial: one man accused of a murder committed 55 years ago and another accused of crimes that happened 41 years ago.

“There are families out there who have waited a long time for answers. We just hope we can give them some,” she said.