Case 105
Louise Bell
*** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***
On the evening of January 4 1983, 10-year-old Adelaide schoolgirl Louise Bell said goodnight to her parents and retired to the bedroom she shared with her younger sister. The next morning, when Louise’s mother went to check on her daughters, the fly screen above Louise’s bed had been cut and she was nowhere to be seen.
Over the following weeks, a series of harrowing clues emerge that taunt police and suggest Louise’s life is in great danger. Residents of Adelaide are gripped by fear as they come to terms with the fact that a child was abducted from the very place she should be the safest.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Elsha McGill
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
ARTICLES:
‘SA court hears Dieter Pfennig told prison inmate that Louise Bell’s body was in the same place as the body of Michael Black’ – The Advertiser
‘Louise Bell trial: Trial hears evidence to suggest 10yo girl was raped after being abducted’ – ABC News
‘Man charged over the 1983 murder of South Australian schoolgirl Louise Bell’ – The Advertiser
‘Louise Bell trial: Judge’s verdict long time coming in tragic mystery’ – ABC News
SA Supreme Court tours key locations in second day of Dieter Pfennig’s trial for the 1983 murder of Louise Bell – The Advertiser
‘SA Supreme Court tours sites related to the 1983 disappearance of Louise Bell on second day of Dieter Pfennig’s trial for murder’ – The Advertiser
‘Pfennig back in court’ – University of Melbourne Law School High Court Blog
‘SA Supreme Court to hear evidence from Petra Pfennig, daughter of alleged killer Dieter Pfennig, in Louise Bell murder trial’ – The Advertiser
‘Raymond John Bolte jailed for seven years after abusing sisters’ – The Daily Telegraph
‘The mystery of 10-year-old schoolgirl Louise Bell’s murder about to be solved’ – News.com.au
‘SA Supreme Court to hear trial of Dieter Pfennig, accused of abducting and murdering Louise Bell in January 1983’ – The Advertiser
‘Ex-inmate claims Dieter Pfennig confessed to killing Louise Bell while ‘stoned and sobbing’ in jail’ – The Advertiser
‘Family of murdered schoolgirl Louise Bell will not give victim impact statements, court told’ – The Advertiser
‘Louise Bell trial: Dieter Pfennig found guilty of murder’ – ABC News
‘Louise Bell murder accused in Port Lincoln court’ – Port Lincoln Times
‘Family’s plea to dying murderer’ – The Advertiser
‘Piece of pyjama fluff not enough to convict man accused of murder of Louise Bell, Dieter Pfennig, court hears’ –The Advertiser
‘Murder accused in coma after heart attack’ – Channel 9 News
NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES:
‘Man jailed for life for murder’ – The Canberra Times
‘Geesing cleared, released’ – The Canberra Times
‘SA Reward offered for lost girl’– The Canberra Times
‘Teacher in court after boy vanishes’ – The Canberra Times
‘Young girl missing from bed, court told’ – Sydney Morning Herald
‘Schoolgirl murder conviction overturned’ –The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Adelaide: A city of missing children and lost innocence’– The Sydney Morning Herald
STATE LIBRARY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA MICROFILM ARCHIVES:
‘Missing girl left home voluntarily’ – The Advertiser
‘Disappearance declared a major crime’ – The Advertiser
‘TV video picture may help search’ – The Advertiser
‘Missing girl: plan for big campaign’ – The Advertiser
‘Doorknock ‘useful’ in hunt for Louise’ – The Advertiser
‘Big reward to be offered’ – The Advertiser
‘$10,000 extra reward to find Louise’ – The Advertiser
‘Louise likely victim of a sexual deviate, State Coroner finds’ – The Advertiser
‘Louise Bell – ‘police not looking for a suspect’ – The Advertiser
‘Louise Bell trial: Trial hears evidence to suggest 10 yo girl was raped after being abducted’ – ABC News
‘Families were terrified and lived in lockdown’ – The Advertiser
‘Family holiday snap days before Louise Bell vanished’ – The Advertiser
‘Schoolgirl Louise Bell ‘gone in 30 seconds’’ – The Advertiser
‘Community now safe from evil thanks to DNA advancements’ – The Advertiser
TRANSCRIPTS:
‘SA police scan backyard for girl’s body’ – ABC Radio
‘Breakthrough in 30-year cold case’ – ABC Radio
COURT DOCUMENTS:
Pfennig VS The Queen (Michael Black murder appeal)
VIDEOS:
‘City of Evil – Part 3’ – Channel 9 Documentary
‘Louise Bell Murder Trial’ – Channel 9 News
‘Bell’s 1983 abduction case re-opened’ – ABC News
‘Bell family statement after Pfennig murder conviction’ – The Weekly Times
‘Louise Bell Trial’ – Channel 9 News
‘Louise Bell Murder Trial: Petra Pfennig’ – Channel 9 News