Digging for Lyn Dawson called off ‘too soon’

A policeman who did forensic examinations at Lyn Dawson’s former home is adamant she’s buried in the backyard | LISTEN

Former detective Bob Gibbs. Picture: Hollie Adams

A police officer who oversaw forensic examinations during a dig at Lyn Dawson’s former home believes the missing Sydney mother was buried on the property, declaring: “I think she’s still there.”

Bob Gibbs, a former detective sergeant and crime scene examiner, said police “definitely” may have missed Lyn’s body in a partial dig around the swimming pool at the front of the block in 2000.

Police had descended on the home at Gilwinga Drive in Bayview on Sydney’s northern beaches as they ramped up investigations into Lyn’s 1982 dis­appearance and suspected murder at the hands of her husband, former Newtown Jets rugby league star Chris Dawson.

Mr Gibbs told of his frustration that they didn’t keep digging after discovering next to the pool a buried cardigan that appeared to have been repeatedly pierced with a knife.

Interviewed for The Australian’s investigative podcast series The Teacher’s Pet, he said detectives didn’t have the budget to do more. “I was spewing,” Mr Gibbs said, speaking publicly for the first time about the 36-year-old cold case.

“It’s a bit of a coincidence that there is a cardigan in the hole with what looks like stab marks in it.

“I was very disappointed when they didn’t continue to dig.”

Mr Gibbs said he was certain the detective in charge of the ­investigation at the time, Damian Loone, was “pulling his hair out” at being unable to continue ­digging.

The pink cardigan had fallen apart into panels, but had otherwise “hardly deteriorated”.

Finding it was the “second best thing to finding a body”, he said.

“The holes in the cardigan are very consistent with knife marks in a domestic sort of stabbing situation,” he said.

Julie Andrew, Lyn’s former neighbour, has previously told The Australian it was Lyn’s favourite cardigan.

Lyn Dawson.

Mr Gibbs said police had dug only in a limited area, relying on advice from scientific experts about possible locations of Lyn’s remains, but ground penetrating radar used by the experts was of questionable value around the pool.

“At the time I thought it was a crock because it’s a fill area,” Mr Gibbs said.

“It’s great science when you’re out in the bush looking for bush graves.

“It’s probably come a long way since then, but back in 2000 I thought it was a bit of a long bow to say that there might be a body there when you’re actually looking at an area that we knew was fill.

“I think she’s still there, I really do. We might have just missed her.”

By then, bedrooms had been extended over an area of loose soil at the back of the home, and police had not looked there.

In late 1984, two years after Lyn disappeared, her husband sold the house and moved to Queensland with the couple’s two young daughters and his former schoolgirl lover, Joanne Curtis.

The property was sold again, in 1987, to Neville and Sue Johnston, who were surprised by Mr Dawson’s uninvited visits to the home.

Two coroners found Mr Dawson murdered his wife, but he has not been charged, with the NSW DPP repeatedly citing insufficient evidence.

He denies killing his wife.

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