Will Marea Yann’s murder finally be solved?

The unsolved murder of Marea Yann in 2003 haunts cops and her family. Now, a cold case investigation provides a spark of hope.

Back in 2003, when gangland killings sweeping Victoria were demanding the attention of the police, the media and public, a 69-year-old woman was bludgeoned to death in a lounge chair in her Yarra Valley home. The unsolved murder of Marea Yann has been a heavy burden for her friends and family, who couldn’t help noting how this terrible event slipped so quickly into obscurity while the underworld killings were lavished with attention. “That white trash mafia got more coverage than our dear old mum,” Marea’s son Jeff laments.

Perhaps this is why the family felt overcome when Victoria Police homicide squad chief Tim Day recently singled this case out as the one he wants to solve. As journalist David Murray reports, Day has assigned a cold case investigator to review the matter – and finally for Marea’s loved ones, ahead of the 18th anniversary of her death this month, there is a spark of hope.