Rachelle Childs’ murder: Search for truth goes on without prime suspect Kevin Steven Correll
The death of the prime suspect in Rachelle Childs’ murder raises more questions than answers. Dear Rachelle podcast host Ashlea Hansen says it’s a blow to the family’s fight for justice.
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Frustration sums up how people closest to the Dear Rachelle podcast investigation feel after the sudden death of prime suspect Kevin Steven Correll.
Since learning of the news, the phone hasn’t stopped. “Good”, “relief” and “sadness” have been among the words used by podcast participants.
Since my first phone call with Kristy Childs, I was committed to uncovering the truth about what happened to her vivacious 23-year-old sister, Rachelle.
Early on, I was warned by a former cop to tread very carefully and “not poke the bear”. But I was determined not to be scared off.
With an open mind, I examined all the persons of interest and people connected to Rachelle. I followed the evidence which strongly pointed to her boss, Kevin Correll.
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Under his birth name, Cornwall, he’d been tried and acquitted of four sexually charged attacks on young and vulnerable women – 20 years before Rachelle’s murder.
From the outset, Rachelle’s murder was treated as sexually motivated. She was found partially naked and her body was set on fire, seemingly to destroy DNA evidence which could identify her killer.
For many witnesses, the trauma of Rachelle’s killing is ever lasting.
But for the witnesses who encountered the evil of Correll, their grief was compounded by fear.
The news of Correll’s death has eased that consuming feeling for many.
One podcast participant who was known as ‘Nicole’ in Dear Rachelle told me after her interview to contact her for only one of two reasons – if Correll was charged or if he died.
“Good”, she said on our call.
She believes he lived a life of freedom for much longer than he deserved. He was found not guilty of attempting to sexually assault her inside her Darlinghurst apartment, while her baby slept.
Nicole felt like she was put on trial when Correll was tried for her attack. The victim shaming she felt is a damning indictment of 1980s Australian society.
There are so many people to check in on and ask if they’re OK.
Many women who’ve accused Mr Correll of terrible crimes say they feel relieved he can no longer harm anyone but anger he was never punished for any of his alleged crimes. There were many accusations over his lifetime.
Correll’s death raises more questions than answers.
If he wasn’t involved in Rachelle’s murder, why couldn’t a single person back up his detailed alibi?
Why did he tell people within days of Rachelle’s death that she’d been killed by bikies over a drug debt?
Why couldn’t he account for his unwell and tired appearance on the morning following her death?
Why did he need to be reminded of making a phone call to a number almost identical to Rachelle’s at the time she vanished? A phone call which was labelled “impossible” to have been made from where Correll said he was at the time, according to one of the world’s leading phone data experts.
One thing is certain. Kevin Correll went to great lengths to steer police in other directions, even brazenly calling Rachelle’s mother on one occasion to say another man was being questioned by detectives.
Yet when the Childs family called Correll to help to find Rachelle when she was missing, he was cold and unhelpful.
The search for justice may shift because of Correll’s death, but the search for the truth goes on without him.
I continue to admire the resolve and determination of Kristy and Anne Childs.
This news is another blow to their fight for justice. They strongly believe Correll knew exactly what happened to Rachelle.
Yet instead of celebrating his passing, they’re thinking of others right now, including Correll’s loved ones.
– Ashlea Hansen is the host of the 15-part Dear Rachelle podcast.
For more information about our investigation, visit dearachelle.com.au
If you have any tips or confidential information, please contact investigative journalist Ashlea Hansen at dearrachelle@news.com.au.
You can also join our Dear Rachelle podcast Facebook group.
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