Ivan Robert Marko Milat - Backpack Murderer
The Facts
Ivan Robert Marko Milat was born in December 27, New South Wales, 1944. At a mere age of 36, he was convicted of seven murders that involved local and international hitchhikers. These murders, after sometime became known as the ‘Backpacker Murders’. He is currently severing multiple life sentences at Golburn Prison in NSW and will most probably stay there for the rest of his natural life.
The Investigation
Carried out between 1988 and 1992 there were seven confirmed murders of similar area and circumstances. The most obvious and logical assumption was that these murders were the handy work of a serial killer, but the idea was shunned away and ignored due to the severity of the implications. It would be later discovered that he shoot his victims with a Ruger .22 calibre long rifle, all at Belanglo State Forest south-west of Sydney.
Milats first two victims were Joanne Walters and Caroline Clarke, both British tourists who got more than they bargained for when they decided to hitch a ride with Milat. Exactly 13 months later a second pair of bodies belong to the deceased James Gibson and Deborah Everist were found, these two had apparently gone missing whilst hitchhiking. By now, the police were very suspicious of the recurring events at Belanglo State Forest. A few months later, a fifth corpse was found and subsequently identified to be that of Simone Schimdl.
In the face of overwhelming evidence, the police finally decided to act on their suspicions. As a result, three days after the discovery of Schmdle, an army of 300 police officers were sent to Belanglo State Forest in an attempt to uncover additional evidence. Their efforts, however, where not in vain at all, during the course of the search, another pair of bodies were found. The bodies identified to be that of German tourists Anja Habschied and Kurt Neugebauer, this raised the tally to a terrifying seven victims. The search also yielded the discovery of .22 calibre rifle shells near where Caroline Clarke was found.
A short time later a British hitchhiker by the name of Paul Onions also found himself hitching a ride with Milat. Walking alone he was offered a ride by Milat masquerading as a man named ‘Allen’. During the journey “Allen” stoped to get, some music tapes form the boot. Already suspicious Onions decided to make a run for it.
The second victim was David Spears, age forty-three. On June 1, 1990 Spears’s body was found on the side of a highway in Citrus County, Florida. He was found with no clothes on except a baseball cap and had died of six bullet wounds to the torso. The third victim was Charles Carskaddon, age forty. His body was found on June 6, 1990 in Pasco County, Florida. He was shot several times in the chest which lead to his death. The fourth victim was Troy Burress, age fifty. He was reported missing on July 31, 1990 and on August 4, 1990 police officers found his body in a wooded area along a road in Marion County, Florida. Cause of death was being shot twice. The fifth victim was Charles ‘Dick’ Humphreys, age fifty-six. His car was found in Suwannee
MacDonell, R., Thompson, E., McIntosh, A., & Marsden, W. (1989, Dec 8). Marc Lepine, the man who shot 14...]. CanWest News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/docview/460995218?accountid=13800
Alicia Pereira was the first. In 1972, five-year-old Alicia disappeared after her brother left her alone in a hotel lobby. One minute she was playing around, and the next she was gone. Rand was the prime suspect in this case. Although they never proved Andre killed her, little Alicia was never seen again. There isn't much to his next victim. Her name was Audrey Lyn Nerenberg, and she was 18 years old. Just like Alicia, Audrey was never seen again after the day she went missing in 1977. In 1981, Holly Ann Hughes, a seven-year-old girl did not return home after she went with a friend to get candy from a local store. Andre Rand saw Holly at the store, drove by her in his Volkswagen, pulled her in, and drove off. Holly’s parents filled out a Missing Person’s report. Unfortunately, they never got their daughter back. Why did Rand leave her friend? Who knows why. Tiahease Jackson, in 1983, was 11 years old when she went missing. She did not return home after her mother sent her to get groceries. Tiahease was last seen on August 14th, 1983. This was 12 days after Andre was released from a previous prison sentence. Like Alicia, Audrey, and Holly, Tiahease was never seen again. Henry was his oldest victim, at the age of 22. In 1984, Henry Gafforio disappeared. Some say, Henry was “slow.” Not physically slow, but mentally slow. He was last seen with Rand at a local diner. Now this next
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