Bronwyn Winfield’s family divided over ‘ridiculous’ serial killer theory

The family of missing mother Bronwyn Winfield is bitterly divided over her case being included in a list of 67 unsolved murders and disappearances of women on the NSW north coast that a politician has attempted to link to a serial killer | NEW EPISODE

Bronwyn’s half-sister Kim Marshall, left, and brother Andy Read, right, have criticised a serial killer theory as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘ridiculous’, while it has been welcomed by Bronwyn’s daughter, Chrystal Winfield, centre.

The family of missing mother Bronwyn Winfield is bitterly divided over her case being included in a list of 67 unsolved murders and disappearances of women on the NSW north coast that a politician has attempted to link to an alleged ­serial killer.

Bronwyn’s brother Andy Read is upset and angry his sister has been “lumped in” with dozens of women that NSW upper house MP Jeremy Buckingham this week said could be victims of the “worst serial killer in Australia’s history”.

Mr Read said it was “irresponsible” to include Bronwyn in a debate about a potential serial killer, while Bronwyn’s half-sister Kim Marshall labelled it “reckless, careless and ridiculous”.

Bronwyn and Jon Winfield with their daughter Lauren. After years of public silence about her mother’s 1993 disappearance, the now adult Lauren this week unloaded on Facebook against ‘gutless keyboard bullies’.

But in a post on Facebook after Mr Buckingham’s claims made front page news, Bronwyn’s daughter, Chrystal Winfield, embraced the possibility a serial killer stalked the NSW north coast and took her mother’s life.

“Interesting read in today’s paper. Did a serial killer kill my mum? She’s one of the women listed in this article as possible ­victims, and it’s good to see other possibilities being explored,” Ms Winfield posted.

Mr Read said: “Bronwyn’s not linked to a serial killer. She’s been linked to a known person involved with a coronial inquiry, and here they are lumping her in with that wild claim.”

The comments come as a new episode of The Australian’s Bronwyn podcast, released Saturday, touches on the strain and tensions in the family. Chrystal Winfield has recently expressed the view that attention has been too focused on her stepfather, Bronwyn’s estranged husband Jon Winfield. The stance puts her in line with his two other daughters, who are supportive of Mr Winfield, but at odds with family members who want him charged.

Now 69, Mr Winfield is the only known suspect in Bronwyn’s disappearance from her home in Sandstone Crescent, Lennox Head, on the night of Sunday, May 16, 1993. Mr Winfield visited the home that night and was the last person to see or hear from her. He said the 31-year-old devoted mother-of-two walked out of the house and was picked up in a car by an unknown person.

In 2002, deputy state coroner Carl Milo­vanovich terminated an inquest after a week of hearings and recommended a known person, Mr Winfield, be prosecuted over her alleged murder. But the then NSW director of public prosecutions, Nicholas Cowdery KC, refused on the grounds of insufficient evidence and the case remains unresolved. Mr Winfield has always denied involvement.

Chrystal is Bronwyn’s daughter from a previous relationship and was 10 when her mother went missing. Bronwyn and Mr Winfield’s daughter, Lauren, was five.

Mr Winfield also had a daughter from a previous relationship, Jodie Winfield, who was 19 at the time.

On the night Bronwyn vanished, Mr Winfield woke Chrystal and Lauren and drove them to Sydney.

Lauren has not previously commented publicly about her mother’s disappearance. But she responded with fury on Facebook this week after a former neighbour posted three “laughing” emojis in response to Chrystal’s support of the serial killer theory.

“It’s all just entertainment for people like you, isn’t it,” Lauren wrote.

“Three laughing emojis, is that one for each of Bronwyn’s daughters, who you know will see this?! Too many gutless keyboard bullies who think they’re detective hero’s (sic) and too many gullible idiots also. Us daughters have had enough of people like YOU! Not only are you disrespecting us, but you are disrespecting every single one of these 60 women and their families.”

Retired NSW detective Damian Loone said on Friday that blaming a potential random serial killer overlooked the fact that many women who were the victims of violence knew the offender intimately.

“The husband or the partner is normally the offender,” he said.

Mr Loone spent years investigating the 1982 disappearance of Sydney mother Lyn Dawson. At an inquest, Peter Dawson, the brother of Lyn’s husband and killer Chris Dawson, suggested serial killer Ivan Milat may have murdered her.

“(It was) to muddy the waters. A hypothetical ‘it could have been him’,” Mr Loone said.

Forensic science graduate Madi Walsh, Bronwyn’s second cousin, said the chances of a serial killer being involved were ‘minuscule” as she discussed deepening divisions in the family. Picture: John Feder

Mr Buckingham, a Legalise Cannabis MP who previously represented the Greens, told parliament there was “alarming similarity” in some of the scores of unsolved cases from 1977 to 2009.

“Some of these were individual incidents, there is no doubt about that. But many are linked, and there is a single perpetrator,” he said.

“It is impossible to think that there are 67 individual murderers in the area from the North Coast to the Tweed Heads who have escaped justice. Someone has done these things repeatedly.”

Forensic science graduate Madi Walsh, 21, Bronwyn’s second cousin, has been assisting the podcast and said “the chances that a serial killer was involved in her disappearance are very, very minuscule”.

She also spoke about the deepening divisions in the family that have resulted in her long friendship with Chrystal deteriorating.

“Coming into this, I knew that it would be difficult,” Madi said.

“I wasn’t alive when Bronwyn was alive. I’m able to kind of separate myself from the emotional impacts that Andy and (his wife) Michelle have and Chrystal have and other family members have.

“Sharing my opinion and what I think is the case, and my opinion based on the evidence I’m seeing, with Chrystal especially – I knew that it would create distance, because we don’t share the same viewpoints about what’s happened to her mother.”

She said she was “trying to stay unbiased” and true to the evidence. “I know that relationships can be mended, and this is just right now,” she said.

Do you know something about this case? Contact Hedley Thomas confidentially at [e-mail]