Sum it Up! #51 is filled with news about Australian cases. From the Age: “the South Australian government is offering rewards of $1 million in each case of 18 children presumed to have been murdered, including the Beaumont siblings who disappeared in 1966. The 13 cases involve 18 children who disappeared or were found murdered between 1966 and 2000.”
As you know, the case of the missing Beaumont Children features on my blog and I have written several analysis about this case. You can find them all here. The latest that I posted concerned Derek Percy and the items he managed to get out of jail and into storage. This is unbelievable and makes me question prison security, possible unethical behaviour of various officials, everyone on that man’s visitors list and so on.
Please check here for a complete listing of all the cases involved in this renewed efforts by the South Australian Government to help victim family members and to solve their cold cases.
Other Australian cases in the news: on Feb 6, 2012, Novy Chardon disappeared without a trace and police fear foul play.
From the Brisbane Times: “On Monday, February 11, Ms Chardon’s Volvo SUV was found abandoned near the Nerang train station on Bowden Court. The magnetic strips advertising her beauty business had been removed and her iPad was missing along with other personal belongings.”
Superintendent Hutchinson urged anyone with information to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Police did dig into a North Mackay backyard but found nothing that could explain what happened to Marilyn Wallman. Police received a tip that led to the excavation in hopes of finding “items of interest” related to the 42-year-old cold case.
From the Daily Mercury: “Marilyn disappeared without a trace from Eimeo in 1972 while on her way to school. At the time, the house and backyard police were searching this week belonged to members of the Sologinkin family.”
Mackay District’s Detective Inspector Karyn Murphy said the failed search wasn’t a waste of time. All activities keep Marilyn’s case in the news. Hopefully one day we will find out why she disappeared. If you have information call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
An international forensic expert believes it is extremely unlikely a silencer was used in the 1989 killing of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Police Chief, a finding directly contradicting crucial evidence used in the case against David Harold Eastman. Eastman was convicted of Winchester’s murder on November 11, 1995 after a four year surveillance investigation.
From the Canberra Times: “Dr Wallace, who specialised in the chemistry surrounding firearms, said his own analysis of propellant particles suggested a sawn-off weapon, rather than one equipped with a silencer, was used in the killing.
Dr Wallace said the amount of particles retrieved from the crime scene – from Mr Winchester‘s hair, the driveway, and his Ford – was a ”remarkably high number”, given the significant disturbance of the crime scene by investigators. ”It suggests the possibility of a sawn-off barrel which would substantially increase the number of particles exiting the muzzle,” Dr Wallace said.”
Eastman has always maintained his innocence, and the inquiry was ordered after fresh doubt was raised about his conviction. He has already served 18 years of a life sentence. A new inquiry about his conviction was announced in August 2012.
If you know a lot about quilting, what patterns and materials might be characteristic for a certain area, you may want to contact investigator Michael Brown of the district attorney’s office at (408) 808-3760, San José, California.
From CBS San Francisco: “Prosecutors are hoping to solve a cold-case murder by asking the public to help identify a patchwork quilt that was used to cover the body of a San José woman found strangled inside her car at an airport parking lot 25 years ago.
On March 8, 1989, Cathy Zimmer, a 38-year-old mother of two, drove her children to school, had lunch with a friend and attended two classes at San José State University, but then missed an optometry appointment, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Two days later, San José police located her Chrysler New Yorker in the short-term parking lot at the San José airport and found her body in the backseat wrapped in the quilt, Deputy District Attorney Ted Kajani said.”
Is there anything on this quilt that stand out? Click on the picture to enlarge it.
I am going to end with another mystery. You may or may not believe she exists but if she does, there have not been any sightings of her lately. The Loch Ness Monster a.k.a. Nessie has not been spotted and some fear she either moved on or, passed away. If she exists I hope she is just tired of tourism and decided to hide for a while.
Cheers!