Sometimes, we just want to run away from our problems, and our lives, and never look back. However, most of the time, doing so solves nothing.
Janelle Patton was born in 1972 to loving parents, Ron and Carol, who lived in Sydney, Australia. She was described as a bright girl, and a talented musician, though she was an extreme perfectionist.
Janelle worked for a series of banks, and fell into very intense relationships very quickly, which left her vulnerable at their dissolution. Before long, she began to find solace in the form of alcohol, and began to form a plan.
In 1999, Janelle decided she’d had enough of city life, and that it was time for a change. She was 27 years old, and ready to go back to her roots. She wanted to go to a place of happiness; a place where her parents had spent their honeymoon. She wanted to move to Norfolk Island.
Norfolk Island is located in the Pacific Ocean, between Australia and New Zealand. It has a very small, tight-knit population of about 2,000 people spanning over 34 square kilometres (or roughly 13 square miles). The island was safe and secure. Violent crime was practically non-existent. There hadn’t been a murder since 1893. It was the ideal place for a fresh start.
Janelle took a job as a hotel maid, and moved to the island, despite her parents expressing their concern. They didn’t think that small-island life would suit her, but she insisted that she wanted the quiet. She wanted to start fresh, she kept saying. In reality, she was simply running from her troubles.
Despite Ron and Carol’s misgivings, Janelle up and moved to Norfolk Island. Her parents wouldn’t see her again until March of 2002.
On Saturday, March 30th, 2002, Ron and Carol Patton arrived on Norfolk Island to visit their daughter for Easter weekend. She seemed happy, and spent a lovely day with her parents. As they went their separate ways, they made plans to meet up around 1PM the next day. Ron and Carol returned to their lodgings, and Janelle returned to hers.
The next day, Sunday, March 31st, 2002, Janelle went to work at 7AM and worked the breakfast shift until 11:10AM. Next, she was seen on CCTV at a supermarket at 11:16AM picking up groceries. She also ran into her landlady, Ruth, and the pair chatted for a bit.
At 11:30AM, Janelle was seen by Ruth’s husband as she came up the drive. She lived in a small cottage on Ruth’s property, and both houses shared the drive. A few minutes later, Ruth’s husband noticed Janelle leaving the cottage in sports wear, ready for her daily walk, as was her routine.
Between 11:30AM and 11:45AM, multiple witnesses reported hearing various noises that sounded like screaming. It was during Janelle’s regular walk along this path by her cottage that she was last seen alive.
Heavy rains hit the island during their outing – coming and going in a split second. A group of boys took advantage of the slick weather, and decided to take videos of themselves sliding down a hill at the Cockpit Waterfall Reserve. Little did they know that the large piece of black plastic they saw there would become quite significant a few hours later.
As 1PM came and went, Janelle’s parents grew concerned that they had yet to hear from Janelle. They called her cottage around 2PM, but received no answer. Assuming that something had come up at work, Ron and Carol left a note on the door of their lodgings letting Janelle know where to find them, and they set off to enjoy a beautiful day.
When they returned, they noticed that Janelle had not replied to their note. At 4:13PM, Ron and Carol tried calling the cottage again, and, as before, received no answer. They decided to take action.
Ron and Carol drove to Janelle’s cottage, and noticed that her car was in the drive and the front door was unlocked. As they walked into the cottage, nothing seemed amiss. There were no signs of a struggle, and nothing to indicate where Janelle could have gone.
Ron and Carol learned throughout the day that Janelle had not returned to work, and was last seen walking her usual path. They walked the path themselves, and found nothing suspicious. However, evidence of nothing did not ease their concerns.
At 7:50PM, Ron and Carol called the police and reported Janelle missing. They were asked to meet with detectives at the police station. As they described what Janelle looked like for the report, they were informed that an incident had occurred.
At 6:30PM, a body had been found by two tourists from New Zealand at the Cockpit Waterfall Reserve. The body matched the description of Janelle Patton. She was found at the opposite end of the island from where she’d last been seen. She was found wrapped in a large, black plastic sheet.
Janelle’s shorts and underwear had been pulled down and appeared to have been torn from the inside, possibly indicating a sexual motive. Robbery was quickly ruled out, as she was found still wearing her jewelry. No weapon was found near the body. At 7:56PM on Sunday, March 31st, 2002, Janelle Patton was officially identified and declared dead.
By that evening, the entire island had heard about the murder of Janelle Patton.
On Tuesday, April 2nd, 2002, a forensics team and a pathologist arrived on Norfolk Island from Canberra in order to investigate and perform an autopsy.
The autopsy indicated that Janelle had suffered at least 64 stab wounds, a fractured skull, a broken pelvis, a broken ankle, massive bruising to the body, an odd M-shaped bruise on her thigh, three broken ribs, and several lacerations to her face and neck. The cause of death was identified as a stab wound to her chest which had punctured her lung. The autopsy also found small pieces of green glass in her hair.
The pathologist also indicated that Janelle had put up on hell of a fight. She had multiple defensive wounds to her hands and arms, showing that she tried valiantly to fend off her attacker.
Carol and Ron did everything in their power to help the investigation. They turned over Janelle’s possessions to investigators, including a diary found by Carol, and cooperated fully with investigators.
Local police had an advantage of being part of a tight-knit community. But they also knew they were out of their depth. They didn’t have the experience or the resources necessary to investigate to the best of their abilities. As a result, they requested the assistance of the AFP – the Australian Federal Police.
No one had any idea just how complex and convoluted this investigation would turn out to be.
Stay tuned for part two.
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Sources:
Casfile True Crime podcast – Episode 39 – Janelle Patton
A Pacific Murder Mystery That Won’t Go Away – Roger Maynard – The Independent
Janelle Patton Wikipedia page