Between 1989 and 1993, horrendous serial killings were occurring in the Belanglo State Forest in New South Wales, Australia. And no one even knew until 1992.
The Belanglo State Forest is located 15 kilometres south-west of the town of Berrima. It’s a hub of activity for campers and backpackers. However, seven backpackers definitely did not get a chance to see the beauty of the forest.
While running through the forest, two people uncovered a partially concealed body on September 19th, 1992. They immediately found a phone and contacted the police. About 30 meters away from this body, police discovered a second.
Through dental records, police were able to discover that the bodies were those of Caroline Clarke (21) and Joanne Walters (22). They were friends, British backpackers in Australia on holiday. They’d been reported missing months earlier, having last been seen in Kings Cross on April 18th, 1992.
Examination of the bodies showed that Caroline had been shot 10 times in the head. They believed that the killer had used her as target practice, and then buried her where she fell.
After searching the State Forest, police believed they’d found all they needed to find. They didn’t think there would be any more discoveries in the Belanglo State Forest. They were wrong.
A year later, in October of 1993, bones were found in a remote section of the forest. A man was searching for firewood when he came upon them. He quickly contacted the police, who returned and discovered two bodies. They were identified as James Gibson (19) and Deborah Everist (19), a couple from Frankston, Victoria. They’d been missing since December 30th, 1989 where they were last seen leaving Sydney. They were backpacking their way from Sydney to Melbourne, relying on hitchhiking in order to get around.
Examination of the bodies found that James had suffered at least eight stab wounds, and that a large knife had cut through his upper spine. The following wounds would have punctured his heart and lungs.
Deborah had been severely beaten by their attacker. Examination of her body showed a fractured skull, a broken jaw, and knife marks on her forehead. She’d also been stabbed once in the back.
The police were done taking chances, and searched the forest again with renewed vigour.
A few weeks later, on November 1st, 1993, a skeleton was found by police along a fire trail in the forest. The body was identified as Simone Schmidl, a 21-year-old backpacker from Germany. Her body, like that of James, also bore eight stab wounds, two of which suspected of severing her spine, while the others would have punctured her heart and lungs.
She was last seen making her way from Sydney to Melbourne, hitchhiking and backpacking her way through Australia. She relied heavily on other motorists in order to make her way, as was the habit of many backpackers at the time. Simone was last seen on January 20th, 1991.
Three days later, on November 4th, 1993, near where Simone was found, police discovered clothing that did not belong to her. The bodies of Anja Habschied (20) and Gabor Neugebauer (21) were found. They were a German couple who had last been seen on December 26th, 1991 leaving a hostel near Kings Cross. They were heading toward Mildura.
Examination of the bodies showed that Anja had been decapitated. Her skull has never been found. Gabor had been shot in the head six time, similar to Caroline. Police also uncovered evidence that showed that not all of the victims had died instantly from their injuries.
New South Wales police set up Task Force Air on October 14th, 1993, after the discovery of James and Deborah. The task force consisted of more than twenty investigators and analysts. The task force also warned the public, mostly international backpackers, to steer clear of the forest, and to avoid hitchhiking along the Hume Highway, where they presumed the seven backpackers had been picked up. Police definitely didn’t want to risk any more people becoming victims while they searched for a serial killer.
Through vigorous methods, investigators used link analysis (a data analysis technique used to study relationships) and applied it to the Roads and Traffic Authority. The goal was to link “vehicle records, gym memberships, gun licensing, and internal police records” in order to come up with a list of suspects. The list narrowed down to 230 suspects, and then further narrowed down to 32.
Investigators also noticed similarities between each of the murders, ruling out the possibility of multiple killers – though that was a very popular theory in the early stages of the investigation. They noticed that each body had been deposited in remote areas, and covered by “a pyramid of sticks and ferns”. Forensic analysis also determined that many of the victims showed signs of sexual assault. Though they placed the possibility of multiple killers on the back burner, investigators figured they were looking for one killer.
Investigators believed that their killer would be a local with a 4-wheel-drive vehicle who was familiar with the area, and the forest in particular. They would have restrained the victims, and spent some time with them before, during, and after the killings. Investigators found discarded campsites near each body, as well as matching .22 bullets, shell casings, and cartridge boxes. Two weapons were linked to each murder.
The person they were looking for was sadistic and meticulous.
The first clue to the killer’s identity came on November 13th, 1993. A man in the UK was watching news coverage of the murders, and contacted police right away. He had a story to tell.
Paul Onions had been backpacking and hitchhiking through Australia on holiday when he was picked up by a man who told him his name was “Bill” on January 25th, 1990. Just south of Mittagong, a town near the Belanglo State Forest, the man stopped the vehicle, pulled our a revolver and some rope, and told Paul that he was about to rob him.
Paul managed to escape the man, and flagged down a passing motorist. Telling the motorist what had just happened, they picked him up and rushed him to the Bowral police where he told them his harrowing tale.
A notebook with Paul’s statement was found on April 13th, 1994. The original report had been lost. They contacted the motorist who corroborated Paul’s retelling. The investigators also got a call from a woman who was dating a man who worked with Ivan Milat. The woman thought that the police should talk to him about the killings in the Belanglo State Forest.
Ivan Milat was born Ivan Robert Marko Milat on December 27th, 1944. He was the 5th of 14 children. Of the 10 Milat boys, many of them were known to police very, very early on.
From a young age, Ivan Milat displayed antisocial behaviour, and was often part of the mischief his brothers got up to. At age 13, he did a stint in a residential school. By 17, he was sentenced to a juvenile detention centre for theft, and by 19 he was involved in the break in of a shop.
He was sentenced to 18 months for break and enter in 1964. A month after his release, he was arrested again. This time, he was sentenced to 2 years of hard labour for driving a stolen car.
At 23, in September of 1967, he was sentenced to 3 years for theft.
Milat was charged in 1971 for the abduction and rape of two 18-year-old hitchhikers. All in all, Milat was no stranger to being in police custody, and to violent acts.
As he was waiting trial for the abduction and rape charges, Milat and some of his brothers were involved in a string or robberies. Rather than face those charges on top of the ones he was awaiting trial for, Milat faked his own death via suicide and fled to New Zealand for a year.
In 1974, he was rearrested. However, the robbery, abduction, and rape cases failed at trial. Milat was a free man.
In 1975, he took a job as a truck driver. He then married a 16-year-old girl in 1983. She was pregnant with his cousin’s child at the time. She later left him in 1987 due to severed domestic abuse. They were divorced in October of 1989. Police believe that this may have been the trigger for the subsequent killings.
On February 26th, 1994, investigators began surveillance of the Milat residence. They’d learned that shorty after the first two bodies had been discovered, Milat had sold his vehicle – a 4-wheel-drive. They also learned that his route on the job often took him within proximity of the Belanglo State Forest. He also had an obsession with weapons – especially guns.
Pending an arrest, investigators asked Paul Onions to come down to Australia in an attempt to identify the man who had tried to rob him. Paul wasted no time. He positively identified Ivan Milat as the man who attempted to assault him on May 5th, 1994.
On May 22nd, 1994, Ivan Milat was arrested on robbery and weapons charges for the attempted attack on Paul Onions. 50 police officers surrounded the residence and executed a search warrant.
During the search, many weapons were found, including two rifles that matched the type used in the backpacker killings, as well as a Browning pistol and a Bowie knife. Police also found “foreign currency, clothing, a tent, sleeping bags, camping equipment, and cameras”. They were found to belong to the victims found in the forest.
Police also executed searches on the homes of Milat’s mother, and five of his brothers. They found weapons, ammunition, and more items that belonged to the victims. It was clear that Ivan Milat was responsible for the murders of the seven backpackers found in the Belanglo State Forest. There remains much speculation as to whether or not his family members were accomplices to the murders. The popular theory is that Milat had the help of his brothers.
On May 23rd, 1994, Milat appeared in court, but he did not enter a plea. On May 31st, he was formally charged with the seven backpacker murders.
Ivan Milat’s trial began on March 26th, 1996 at the New South Wales Supreme Court. The defence attempted to claim that there was no solid evidence that Milat had committed the murders – they claimed that the only thing the prosecution had was circumstantial evidence.
Over 145 witnesses took the stand, including members of Milat’s family who tried, and failed, to provide alibis.
On July 27th, 1996, after 18 weeks of testimony, the trial was left to the jury. They came back with a verdict of guilty.
Ivan Milat was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for each of his victims. Seven life sentences. He was also sentenced to 6 years each for the attempted murder, false imprisonment, and robbery of Paul Onions.
In November of 1997, Milat attempted to appeal is convictions. The appeals were dismissed by the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal.
In 2004, Milat attempted something a little different. He filed an application with the High Court. This application would allow “special leave to appeal on new grounds”. This application was dismissed.
On October 27th, 2005, Milat’s final avenue of appeal was denied by the New South Wales Supreme Court. Three more application attempts were rejected – two in 2006, and one in 2011.
While Milat was convicted of seven murders, many, including Clive Small, former police assistant commissioner who led the investigation into Ivan Milat, believe that he’s committed at least one more murder, if not many others.
Clive Small believes that Ivan Milat is responsible for the murder of Peter Letcher, a man who went missing in 1987. The 18-year-old was found in a state forest in 1988. He’d been shot in the head, and stabbed several times. This murder certainly seems to match the pattern of the backpacker murders committed between 1989 and 1993.
Through the entirety of the trial and his failed appeals and applications, Milat maintained his innocence. He expressed surprise at being found guilty on ABC’s Australian Story in 2004. He was certain that he would be found innocent at trial.
On October 27th, 2019, at 4:07 AM, Ivan Milat died while being treated at Long Bay Jail’s hospital wing for oesophageal cancer. He was 74 years old.
Many hope his death was as painful as the torment he inflicted on his many, many victims.
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Sources:
Ivan Milat: ‘Wolf Creek’ serial killer dies without ever confessing to 7 murders – Ben Westcott – CNN
Ivan Milat forced to pay for his own cremation – ABC News
Ivan Milat: Australia’s ‘backpacker killer’ and unanswered questions – Gary Nunn – BBC News
Backpacker murders Wikipedia page