Paul Denyer, Tynong North killings among Frankston’s most chilling crimes
Joy Summers was waiting at a bus stop on the way to her weekly shop. That was the last time she was seen alive. Her murder is one Frankston’s most chilling crimes.
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Frankston has seen some of Melbourne’s most chilling and unforgettable crimes — some of which remain unsolved.
Here are some of the most shocking crimes that rocked the region.
THE MURDERS OF JOY SUMMERS AND ALLISON ROOKE
Forty years on, the murders of Allison Rooke, 59, and Joy Summers, 55, remain a mystery.
No one has been charged after both women were found dead in Frankston bushland in the early 1980s.
Ms Rooke was last seen leaving her Hannah St home in Frankston North heading off to catch the bus to the shops on May 30, 1980.
Her body was found weeks later on July 5 on McClelland Drive.
In chillingly similar circumstances Ms Summers was last seen waiting at a bus stop on Frankston-Dandenong Rd on October 8, 1981.
She was found dead in scrub near Skye Rd on November 22, 1981.
Both Ms Rooke and Ms Summers are two of six women murdered during a string of killings in the Tynong North area in the 1980s.
There is a $1 million reward on each of those unsolved mysteries for information that will help Victoria Police solve the callous crimes.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SARAH MACDIARMID
Frankston 23-year-old Sarah MacDiarmid vanished from Kananook railway station on July 11, 1990.
Witnesses reported seeing her get off the train at Kananook and walk toward her red Honda Civic in the poorly lit station carpark after 10.15pm.
Several people later told police they heard screams coming from the area.
Ms MacDiarmid’s body has never been found and no charges have been laid over what police are convinced was her abduction and murder.
Serial killers Paul Denyer and Bandali Debs are included on Victoria Police’s list of possible suspects but there is no evidence linking them to Ms MacDiarmid’s disappearance.
SERIAL KILLER PAUL DENYER
Langwarrin psychopath Paul Denyer became one of the country’s most prolific serial killers after he murdered three young women in 1993.
The confessed woman hater started stalking women in the area when he just 17.
During a troubled childhood Denyer slashed the throats of his younger sister’s toys and watch violent movies including the Stepfather.
In 1992, Denyer held a knife to the throat of a Big W Karingal Hub employee and threatened to kill her.
He also broke into a Seaford flat and gutted a cat before slitting the throats of her two kittens.
On June 11, 1993 Denyer attacked 18-year-old Elizabeth Steven after she got off a bus at night.
Ms Steven was found dead in Lloyd Park Reserve with stab and slash wounds.
One month later, young mother Debra Fream hopped back into her car after buying milk, and
drove into a brick wall out of fright when she saw Denyer in her back seat.
Her body was later found on July 12 with similar injuries to Ms Steven.
A fortnight later John Paul College student Natalie Russell was dragged into scrub and killed by Denyer as she walked home from school.
Police tracked Denyer who confessed to the murders and admitted he had stalked women in the area for years.
He was originally sentenced to life without parole before a non-parole period of 30 years was later set, making him eligible for release in 2023.
THE STRANGLING DEATH OF KAREN RAE
Frankston mother-of-four Karen Rae had been missing for 20 months before her remains were found beside Frankston Freeway in 2015.
Ms Rae, 48, died after she was choked to death by Langwarrin man Tony John Smith, 49, as the pair had sex in his car.
Smith tried to dodge responsibility for the heinous crime and described Ms Rae as a “creature” and “thing” to an undercover police officer.
He also crashed Ms Rae’s car into a tree and had it crushed.
Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for 13 years in November 2018.
A CALLOUS COWARD’S PUNCH
The sickening video of Ryan Wells king-hitting a helpless stranger on the street would be hard for most Melburnians to forget.
The gutless thug had been binge drinking with friends at the Grand Hotel Frankston and was walking along Nepean Highway after leaving the venue on July 26, 2018.
As Wells and his posse passed an oncoming stranger, he struck the man with his elbow and laughed as he fell to the ground, suffering facial injuries.
Wells was sentenced to six months in jail with an 18-month community corrections order and a two-year ban from attending licensed venues on June 17 last year.
He lost his County Court appeal the following month.
THE DEATH OF JAIDYN GOMES
Toddler Jaidyn Gomes’ body was found just after 4pm September 2, 2019, following reports of an injured child at a Langwarrin house where the child lived.
Grieving mother Stacie Saggers told the Herald Sun, “I miss him so much. I just want my baby back”, after being released by police one day after the tragedy.
Police said she was not believed to have been involved in the death of the two-year-old, with Ms Saggers’ former boyfriend Brendan Pallant, 32, facing a murder charge.
“I never hurt him. I want my son back, that’s all I want,” Ms Saggers said.
When asked how Jaidyn would be remembered, she said: “As our little Snuffles.”
Toy trucks and excavators were also left after relatives revealed that little Jaidyn loved playing with them.
Mr Pallant, 32, failed to arrive at court earlier this year because he refused to get on the prison bus.
It was the second time Mr Pallant dodged court after choosing not to come up from the cells for an administrative hearing when he was first charged.
Outside court Ms Saggers, 34, revealed her daily grief of waking up without her son.
“It’s impossible to accept that my little boy is gone,” she said.
BABY LEFT FOR DEAD IN SEAFORD
Police are still searching for the mother of a baby girl found dumped on a Seaford beach more than six months ago.
Homicide detectives are yet to rule out foul play following the tragic discovery which was made by passer-by about 4.30pm on April 8.
The dead newborn was found alongside her placenta and umbilical cord on the beach walking track opposite Nepean Highway.
Police believe the baby likely lay dead on the beach for two days before she was discovered.
Investigators urged the mother to come forward, stressing her wellbeing was “the primary focus of the investigation”.
The death rocked members of the seaside community with toys, flowers and messages of love and heartbreak left at the scene in tribute to the girl.
A soft teddy bear was fastened to a post accompanying the message: “Rip Angel. Fly High”.