Peter Falconio case remains open until body found

IT’S been 15 years since Peter Falconio was murdered by Bradley Murdoch and Territory Police won’t rest until his remains are found and returned to his family

Bradley John Murdoch arrives under police escort at Darwin Airport to face charges of murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio. Picture: Patrina Malone

IT’S been 15 years since Peter Falconio was murdered by Bradley Murdoch and Territory Police won’t rest until his remains are found and returned to his family.

Assistant Commissioner Jamie Chalker said despite exhausting all lines of inquiry the case would not be closed until Mr Falconio’s body was found.

Mr Falconio and his girlfriend Joanne Lees were kidnapped near Barrow Creek, 220km south of Tennant Creek on July 14 2001.

Bradley Murdoch was found guilty of attacking the couple and murdering Falconio.

Ms Lees escaped Murdoch’s attack but never saw her boyfriend again.

Mr Chalker said the Falconio family’s grief drove Territory police to follow new leads.

He said Murdoch was one person who new for certain where Mr Falconio’s body lay and called for anyone who has sat on information to come forward.

“What we can’t ever exclude is with the weight of time — and history certainly points at this for us — invariably somebody knows something and has sat on that for a period of time,” he said.

“Whether something happens in their life or they are getting close to the end of their own life.

“They’ve come to a realisation that perhaps it is time to provide some relief and show some compassion to the family that suffered.”

Mr Chalker said the case would stay open.

“It remains open and will continue to remain open. You will know that across Australia a number of cold cases have in the views of some sat dormant.

“But of course there are people working away looking at different bits of information as it comes.”

Mr Chalker said the number of new leads had fallen away in recent years.

“It’s certainly diminished over the years and that’s why unfortunately the 15th year anniversary is timely for us again to call for information.

“We certainly operate on the belief that there is one person who does know where we can find Peter’s remains and we continue to call on Bradley to come forward to let us know that information.”

He said police have continually called on Murdoch to reveal the location he dumped Mr Falconio’s body. “We remain committed to find where Peter’s remains are so we can repatriate him with his family.”

Earlier this year the CLP Government introduced “No Body No Parole” legislation to prevent Murdoch from being released from prison unless he told law enforcement were he left Mr Falconio.