True Crime Australia: Getting away with murder — Who killed South Australian drug trafficker Eric Lynch?

DRUG trafficker Eric Lynch was executed 14 years ago and despite Major Crime detectives building an overwhelming case against his suspected killers, they remain free.

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ERIC Lynch certainly wasn’t an angel. He was a drug dealer. As the hydroponic cannabis industry boomed in Adelaide in the early 2000s, so did his business acumen.

Already an established cannabis trafficker who supplied dealers in the west coast town of Port Lincoln, he knew an opportunity when he saw it.

As local detectives squeezed his west coast operation – which involved sourcing cannabis from clandestine cannabis crops grown in Lincoln National Park – he seized an opportunity.

Using his underworld drug connections, he soon started buying significant quantities of hydroponically-grown cannabis – known as skunk – with high THC levels that had started flooding Adelaide’s market.

Literally hundreds of enterprising growers who had switched on to the latest in genetic and chemical technology – thanks to myriad bikie-run hydroponic shops that had sprung up in Adelaide – and were churning out truckloads of the high-potency drug to satisfy the insatiable demand.

Lynch’s new business model had not gone unnoticed. Detectives in Port Lincoln and Adelaide had received intelligence that he was moving large quantities of hydro cannabis between the two towns.

Drug trafficker Eric Lyntch disappeared in February 2004. His Commodore was found with large volumes of his blood inside it.

At just 45, Lynch was already a frequent flyer in the state’s prison system. He had been convicted for trafficking cannabis several times over the previous decade and had not been out of prison long before he was again on the radar of Port Lincoln detectives.

And unfortunately for Lynch, his associates in Port Lincoln also had him in their sights. As is often the case in the drug world, close associates can become bitter adversaries in the blink of an eye when relationships sour.

Eric Lynch was living at Ethelton, in Adelaide’s western suburbs, when he was last seen at Port Lincoln on February 10, 2004.

The man who last saw him was a loose associate who was also on the periphery of the drug world. He lent Mr Lynch $500 and saw him get into a white VN Holden Commodore VUY720 around 2pm that day and drive off.

Exactly what Lynch did for the next few hours remains a mystery, but Major Crime detectives know at some stage later that day he drove to the property of another associate – the man detectives suspect murdered him.

The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, rented a house on a farming property at Kapinnie, 60km north of Port Lincoln.

Lynch with his baby daughter, Emily.

The man was well-known to Lynch – the pair had appeared in Port Lincoln Magistrates Court that day on drug trafficking charges. Detectives believe the man was a regular recipient of the hydroponic cannabis that Lynch was running from Adelaide. He would then sell his shipment to smaller traffickers on the West Coast.

“Cannabis brought them together,’’ Major Crime case officer Detective Brevet Sergeant Bob Sharpe said.

“Eric Lynch was supplying cannabis to the suspect and probably others on the West Coast.

“He had come out of jail not long before and had established himself again. I don’t think he was making hundreds of thousands but he was certainly probably doing all right in the cannabis trade.’’

Although a precise motive for Lynch’s murder is not known, detectives believe it was most likely linked to his drug activities. However, the fact Lynch may have had an eye for the then partner of the suspect – who was jealous of this – may also have been a factor.

Lynch’s Commodore. His blood was found inside.

Detectives believe Lynch was killed while sitting in the front seat of the Commodore. It is believed he was shot. When the car was recovered – it had been given to a man not connected to the murder for disposal during a meeting at Tumby Bay, north of Port Lincoln – a large amount of blood was found in the footwell behind the driver’s seat and on the interior of the driver’s side door. Forensic testing matched it to his DNA.

The man who took possession of the car from the key suspect was also an associate of Lynch’s.

Crucially, he was also involved in the drug trade with Lynch’s suspected killer. Perhap’s fearing he was being set up, he told detectives what he had been asked to do.

While the car had been recovered, Lynch’s body had not. Police did conduct a search of scrubland off the Lincoln highway near Cowell following a sighting of a similar car, but nothing was located.

Detective Bvt Sgt Sharpe said the man had co-operated with detectives and had provided a clear picture of what had transpired.

“He was meant to get rid of the car and was paid in cannabis to do so,’’ Sharpe said. “It is almost as if he was meant to be the fall guy for the murder.’’

This is the car police believe the killer or killers used to transport Lynch’s body.

Fortunately for the hapless associate, the suspect’s plan failed. Extensive investigations resulted in detectives charging him and a male accomplice with murder in March 2005.

However, when the suspect appeared in Port Lincoln Magistrates Court on September 13 that year, prosecutors tendered no evidence and he walked free from court. The murder charge against the accomplice was also withdrawn.

While detectives believed they had a strong case against the pair, then Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras QC disagreed and opted not to proceed with the prosecution.

Despite that setback, detectives have continued investigations and have not ruled out recharging the pair at some stage. Since the charges were withdrawn investigations have concentrated on locating Lynch’s remains.

Detective Bvt Sgt. Sharpe suspects that after Lynch was shot at the Kapinnie property, his body may have been dumped in adjacent scrubland.

At the time of the murder extensive road works were being conducted and workers reported an intense stench in the immediate area for a period, but it then mysteriously stopped.

“We suspect he was put there. There were reports of something decaying there that was not an animal, it was something completely foreign to the workers.

“We only learned of that sometime later. Along with that there were numerous holes because of the roadwork and he could have been placed there.’’

While that act is callous enough in itself, it appears the suspect may have feared Lynch’s body may have been discovered.

Even though it had been decaying in the February heat for some time, detectives believe it was shifted to another unknown location.

“I suppose it is that desperation, you do desperate things in times of need. He might have been getting worried, particularly with the road workers around, that someone was going to find it,’’ Detective Bvt. Sgt Sharpe said.

He said another car, a white Ford Falcon station wagon that was being used by the suspects’ then partner before the murder was subsequently seized during the investigation. It was recovered at a wrecking yard in Adelaide after being disposed of by the suspect’s partner.

Suspiciously, carpet from the rear of the station wagon was missing.

Police and SES volunteers conduct a search for Lynch’s body, near Cowell, SA.

“The fact the carpet goes missing suggests perhaps there was something on there.’’ Det Bvt Sgt Sharpe said.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of the case is the fact Lynch’s de facto partner, Rebecca Driver, and the couple’s two daughters, Emily and Stella, have had no closure. While they know he is gone, they have not had a funeral to properly grieve his loss.

“Someone out there should know something,’’ Ms Driver said. “It’s not fair that his daughters have no place to go.”

A $200,000 reward is available for information leading to a conviction in the case – and it is also available to anyone who provides information leading to the recovery of Mr Lynch’s remains. Anyone not directly involved in the murder but who may have assisted in the disposal of his remains who provides truthful information may be eligible for an immunity from prosecution with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“We have no idea where his body may have been disposed of. Finding it would be invaluable for the investigation and would progress it,’’ Detective Bvt Sgt Sharpe said.

Obtaining more information on his movements the day he was last seen is also a priority in the investigation.

“There is a time frame between when he is at his associate’s house in Port Lincoln and when the Commodore is at Kapinnie,’’ Detective Bvt Sgt Sharpe said. “Anyone who can narrow that time frame down or knows the location of Eric’s body, we would like to hear from.’’

Anyone with information on Lynch’s movements oR the location of his body can call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000