Case 186
The Bowraville Murders
*** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode features the names of people who have passed away.
When 16-year-old Colleen Walker suddenly vanished from the New South Wales town of Bowraville in September 1990, her family and friends knew something was terribly wrong. But local police dismissed their concerns, suggesting that the Indigenous teenager had simply “gone walkabout”.
In the weeks that followed, more young people went missing from the small community – first four-year-old Evelyn Greenup, then 16-year-old Clinton Speedy-Duroux. It seemed as though the mysterious disappearances were being completely ignored by law enforcement… until human remains were discovered in nearby bushland. All of a sudden, it became clear that a serial killer was operating in the region.
And some people in the community were certain they knew who was responsible…
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
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
DOCUMENTS
The Family Response to the murders in Bowraville – A NSW Government Standing Committee on Law and Justice (2014)
Attorney General for New South Wales vs XX [2018]
ARTICLES
Beware the gumburr – Dan Box book excerpt
Fear splits a small town – The Age
Still no trace of four-year-old Evelyn despite weekend search – The Sydney Morning Herald
Bowraville murders: Police say one word blocking any retrial – The Sydney Morning Herald
The Mission: The Bowraville Murders – The Monthly
Bowraville murders: victims’ families refuse to give up fight for justice – The Guardian
Accused spoke of killing girl, court told – The Sydney Morning Herald
Truth be Told transcript – ABC Australian Story
Australia’s Serial: Dan Box on the making of true crime podcast Bowraville – The Guardian
Bowraville murders: NSW police chief says victims’ families were let down – ABC News
Bowraville murders: New evidence to be used in application to retry suspect – ABC News
Bowraville murder case set back as NSW Government loses bid to have man face trial – ABC News
DOCUMENTARIES
The Bowraville Murders – 60 Minutes
The Bowraville Murders – Allan Clarke
WEBSITES
Bowraville murders – Wikipedia
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