Police end fresh search at Dianas Basin, St Helens, over Italian tourist Victoria Cafasso cold case murder
Police have wrapped up a fresh search on the East Coast for the murder weapon used to kill Victoria Cafasso in 1995. UPDATE
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Updated, August 17, 3.35pm: Police have wrapped up a fresh search on the East Coast for the murder weapon used to kill Victoria Cafasso in 1995.
The search, using police divers to scour Dianas Basin plus a land hunt north of Beaumaris, kicked off on Thursday as Tasmania Police announced it was investigating a new line of inquiry after nearly 30 years.
On Friday, police confirmed that the search had wrapped up, and that no relevant items were found.
Following a routine review of the cold case, police connected the dots on existing evidence and executed the search in the hopes of locating the murder weapon as well as other key items missing from the crime scene, including some of Ms Cafasso’s clothing and jewellery.
The Italian tourist was found deceased at Freshwater Creek, Beaumaris Beach, on October 11, 1995.
She had been stabbed 17 times.
To this day, no-one has ever been charged over her murder.
Police divers search for murder weapon used to kill Italian tourist
Updated, August 17, 1.55pm: Police divers are scouring Dianas Basin today in a bid to find the murder weapon used to kill Italian tourist Victoria Cafasso almost three decades ago.
A land search is also underway nearby, north of Beaumaris on the picturesque East Coast, by a team of 20 Tasmania Police search and rescue personnel.
In a rare and major development in the historical cold case, police hope they will uncover not only the murder weapon, but items of Ms Cafasso’s clothing and jewellery missing from the crime scene.
At the time of the brutal October 1995 murder, police revealed Ms Cafasso’s floral bikini bottoms, a shell necklace, a t-shirt emblazoned with a wolf motif, her towel and trousers, and several of her teeth could not be found.
Thursday’s search comes after police announced last week they’d uncovered a possible new lead during a routine review of the case, and had identified a new person of interest - a young, blond, tanned man with the appearance of a surfer.
Detectives released reconstructed images of a Subaru station wagon they believe he was driving, in the hopes of triggering memories to identify the man in question.
Providing an update into Thursday’s large-scale land and sea search, Acting Detective Inspector for the northern criminal investigation division, Andrew Hanson, said police were searching a radius of 1.5 square kilometres.
“The link between the scene and the Subaru that we canvassed last week, is that one of our witnesses back in 1995 - which we discovered when we conducted the recent review - reported that a vehicle was driving erratically and tailgating them,” he said.
“That vehicle was a Subaru, albeit a slightly different make and model, and that car veered off suddenly down a coastal track.”
He said while that witness had since died, they had provided a map of the track in question.
“What we’re looking for today is evidence in regards to the crime scene. There are some items that were not located when Victoria’s body was found, and those include the murder weapon, some clothing and some personal items,” Insp Hanson said.
“Obviously there’s a significant passage of time, there’s nearly 28 years since the body was found. We acknowledge that if these items are out in the elements, there’s a chance they will be no longer at the point where we can find them.
“But there’s also a chance if they were hidden or discarded in a way that preserved them, they could still be there.”
He said any foreign objects in today’s search found would be seized and assessed.
Insp Hanson confirmed about 20 Tasmania Police search and rescue personnel were currently executing seven search warrants on properties near Beaumaris, with landholders more than cooperative.
He said a further eight to 12 police divers were currently scouring Dianas Basin.
“We’ve cast a reasonably wide net,” he said.
“That is our goal - we want a resolution, we want some closure, and we want to hold the person responsible for this horrible crime to account.”
Police divers combing water near St Helens following new tip in Victoria Cafasso murder
Updated, August 17, 10.10am: Police are conducting a land and water search near St Helens today in a major new development in the historical cold-case murder of Victoria Cafasso.
Tasmania Police has just announced that police divers, along with search and rescue crews, are currently combing through a spot never previously searched.
Last week, after nearly three decades of mystery surrounding the violent death of the 20-year-old Italian tourist, Tasmania Police announced a possible new lead - with a new person of interest identified.
Following a routine review into Ms Cafasso’s case, it was now believed a young, tanned, blond man with the appearance of a surfer seen running across the beach on the day of the murder could be the same man as the driver of a 1970s light-coloured Subaru station also spotted by witnesses.
Detectives released reconstructed images of the car, in the hopes of triggering memories to identify the man in question.
This morning, police announced they had received new information from witnesses regarding the car’s movement.
Detective Acting Inspector Andrew Hanson encouraged anyone else to come forward who had knowledge of the vehicle in question, or anyone linked to that vehicle of that description from October 1995.
“We never close these cases, and the latest searches showcase our investigators’ commitment to finding answers for Victoria’s family,” he said.
Police will provide an update later today.
Anyone with information about the murder of Ms Cafasso should contact police on 131 444, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
New person of interest in Victoria Cafasso murder
Updated, August 11, 4.30pm A new person of interest – a blond man with the appearance of a tanned surfer – has been uncovered in the tragic cold case murder of Italian tourist Victoria Cafasso.
As part of renewed efforts looking into the case, detectives hope they have identified the missing puzzle piece to locating the man in question – a light-coloured Subaru station wagon.
On Friday, police released reconstructed images and videos of the vehicle in the hope they would jog someone’s memory, help identify the mystery man, and potentially lead to the cold case being solved.
They also confirmed they’d searched a number of properties in recent months along the east coast, nearby to where the 20-year-old student was brutally stabbed to death on Beaumaris Beach in October 1995.
Acting Detective Inspector for the northern criminal investigation division, Andrew Hanson, told journalists the new line of inquiry into Ms Cafasso’s case came up during a routine review last year, while old statements and evidence were being digitised.
He said during that review, and after conducting fresh interviews with witnesses, police now believed there was a stronger link between two pieces of existing evidence than previously thought.
The first piece of evidence was of a young man in his 20s, about six feet tall, with a slim build “but very fit,” with suntanned legs and arms and the appearance of a surfer.
That man was allegedly seen running across the beach at 11am on the day Ms Cafasso’s body was found.
The second piece of evidence was of a Subaru station wagon seen in the area at the time.
Insp. Hanson said police now believed the driver of the car could be the same person as the man seen running across the road.
That man has not previously been questioned over Ms Cafasso’s death.
“That’s largely why we’re here today – to try to identify the person who may have been the driver of that car,” he said.
He said the wagons were popular with surfers in the 1990s for their all-wheel drive capability, and their ability to traverse sandy and bush tracks.
The detective also said the man in question was simply a “person of interest” at the moment, rather than a “suspect”.
“We simply aren’t in a position to say suspect. The process of our investigation is to gather that evidence to then decide whether or not they had more involvement,” he said.
Insp. Hanson added the historic persons of interest uncovered in the 1990s remained so, “because we simply haven’t been able to rule them in or rule them out”.
He said police had searched a number of properties on the east coast and elsewhere in the state in recent months – and that residents along the picturesque coastline “can expect to see more of us”.
The detective said Tasmania Police was not in constant communication with Ms Cafasso’s family, who were based in Italy, “by choice from them”.
“If there are any significant developments, we’ll get back in touch with them,” he said.
He asked anyone who had seen the man, or the car in question, to get in touch with police – noting a $500,000 reward remained for information leading to a conviction.
More than 300 persons of interest were identified at the time in relation to Victoria Cafasso’s murder.
Over time, these were whittled down over time to a few key men, but to this day no-one has ever been charged.
Scamander fisherman Tony Kirkland was one person of interest.
He was described as having a “seriously disturbing” character and was in his early 30s when Ms Cafasso was murdered.
Magistrate Peter Wilson, in an unrelated case, said Mr Kirkland “seemed to relish the notoriety” of a community rumour he’d killed the Italian tourist.
However in 2003, Mr Kirkland said he was visiting his boss at St Helens at the time and hit back at allegations he was the murderer, denying he had anything to do with Ms Cafasso’s death.
Coroner Don Jones agreed.
During the inquest, a witness claimed Garry “Stretch” Holmes had joked to friends in the days after the murder that he could have been the killer, and had driven through Beaumaris about 11am on the day in question.
His former girlfriend told the coroner Mr Holmes was cruel to animals – and the inquest also heard he was seen with cuts on his hand and arm on the day of Ms Cafasso’s murder.
But Mr Holmes also told police he wasn’t responsible – and Mr Jones again agreed.
Czech-trained gynaecologist Roman Hasil was living at St Helens at the time of Ms Cafasso’s murder, with a witness claiming they saw him with scratches on his face on the day of her death.
The disgraced doctor was struck off from practising medicine in 2012 after botching a series of sterilisations at an interstate hospital.
In 2020, author Melanie Calvert told the Mercury she believed she had uncovered a new person of interest – a man with a psychosexual disorder known for performing lewd acts on Beaumaris Beach.
She said the information came from a former policeman, who said the man had never been completely ruled out as a possible suspect.
Earlier, August 11, 10am: It was a heinous crime that shook a small seaside town in Tasmania to its core.
Twenty-eight years on, police say a car could be the key to solving the brutal murder of Italian tourist Victoria Cafasso, 20, at Freshwater Creek, Beaumaris on October 11, 1995.
The law student was holidaying on Tasmania’s pristine and peaceful East Coast when she was stabbed 17 times in broad daylight at Beaumaris Beach.
With police at the time bungling the crime scene, any hopes of solving the crime by way of forensics was all but destroyed on the day she died.
A list of 300 suspects made the case all the more complex, with no results and no persons charged to this day.
And with the anniversary of her death, police are re-examining leads in relation to a vehicle spotted in the area at the time of her murder.
The light-coloured Subaru station wagon, which police have since released reconstructed images of, was a vehicle of interest in the early stages of the investigation.
Police have said they wish to speak with anyone with knowledge of that vehicle or any person linked to a vehicle of that description in October 1995.
Witnesses told detectives a man was seen driving the wagon in the area at the time of Ms Cafasso’s murder.
The man was described as being in his 20s, about six feet tall, slim build, but very fit, sun tanned legs and arms, with the appearance of a surfer, police said.
A person matching that description was also seen running onto the beach where Victoria was located.
Detective Acting Inspector Andrew Hanson said as with any unsolved matter, the investigation into Victoria’s murder remains open, with information regularly reviewed in relation to the case.
“Serious crime cases stay open until answers are found, and a person or people responsible are arrested, and charged,” he said.
“Victoria’s family deserve closure, and our detectives continue to work to try and provide that closure. This continues to be an active investigation, and we will continue to follow all lines of inquiry.”
A $500,000 reward remains available for information leading to a conviction in the case.
Ms Cafasso’s death came just two-and-a-half years after German backpacker Nancy Grunwaldt vanished from the same area on her red bicycle, a still-unsolved case.
Anyone with information relating to the murder of Victoria Cafasso should contact police on 131 444, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
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