DNA lab inquiry: Report brings hope in family quest for justice for Shandee Blackburn

The family of slain Mackay woman Shandee Blackburn is hopeful her murder can be solved after a royal commission-style ­inquiry recommended sweeping reforms to Queensland’s forensics laboratory.

Vicki Blackburn, left, Kirsty Wright and Shannah Blackburn. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

The family of slain Mackay woman Shandee Blackburn is hopeful her murder can be solved after a royal commission-style ­inquiry recommended sweeping reforms to Queensland’s forensics laboratory.

Vicki Blackburn, whose daughter’s unsolved 2013 murder prompted the DNA inquiry, is holding out hope that retesting of crime scene samples can bring Shandee’s killer to justice.

“It’s harder and harder to keep optimism going, however, there’s so many people that haven’t pulled up stumps on that hope yet and everybody’s still committed to trying to get that outcome. So we’re hanging in there for that as well,” she told The Australian.

In the 520-page DNA inquiry report, dedicated to Shandee, commissioner Walter Sofronoff found there were “a number of ­issues which may have contri­buted to the unexpectedly poor performance of some samples in the Blackburn case”.

Noting many details about Shandee’s death would likely ­remain “uncertain” given the passage of time, Mr Sofronoff believes her case can still be solved. “The uncertainty surrounding the evidence in this case and the attendant anguish of the Blackburn family has served as a constant reminder of the deeply human element at the heart of the work of the commission,” he wrote.

Vicki Blackburn said her daughter “always fought for the underdog and always felt an ­allegiance to anyone who felt out of place”. “For her memory, to have been the instigator of all this for people who have been denied justice, I think that especially would mean a lot to her,” she said.

Mr Sofronoff said he was “taken aback by the dignity and grace of Ms Vicki Blackburn”, who flew back and forth between Brisbane and Mackay to attend almost every day of the six weeks of public hearings.

Shandee’s older sister, Shannah Blackburn, said the family would continue their pursuit for the truth. “We remain here steadfast in our knowledge that there is reason to fight, not just for Shandee, but for so many other victims,” she said.