In 2010, a 24-year-old woman was found at the bottom of a garbage chute. And no one really knows how she got there.
Phoebe Handsjuk was born on May 9th, 1986, to Natalie and Len. Later, she also became an older sister to her brothers Tom and Nikolai. The family grew up in the inner-east of Melbourne, Australia, in the Richmond area. Phoebe loved to climb the roof of the house and look up at the night sky.
Phoebe was a very physically active young woman. She was a keen rock climber, and hiker. She was a very strong young woman. At the age of 14, Phoebe was described as “hormonal, romantic, intuitive, and very sensitive” by her grandmother.
By 15, she’d made friends her family weren’t too keen on. She began experimenting with drugs, and drinking heavily. At one point, she even ran away from home, squatting in a home in the city’s north end. Upon returning home, she reached out for help, and was soon taking antidepressants to assist with her mental health.
Around Phoebe’s 16th birthday, her parents’ marriage was failing. Phoebe retreated to the arms of an older man for comfort. The man was a teacher, almost twice her age. He wouldn’t be the only older man Phoebe would fall for.
In December of 2010, Phoebe lived with her boyfriend, 40-year-old Ant Hampel. The two had met in 2009, while Phoebe was working as a receptionist at the hair salon where Ant regularly got a haircut. Linley Godfrey, the owner of the salon, didn’t think the relationship would last.
They were very contradictory to each other, Phoebe liking to stay home, and be comfortable, where Hampel, an affluent events promoter, liked to go out. Phoebe was a homegirl, while Hampel wanted the apartment they shared to look like no one lived there. Despite this, to some, they appeared to get along well as a couple.
Others described the relationship between Hampel and Phoebe as controlling. Phoebe often tried to leave him. She would say that he often made her feel stupid, and put her down. He would always convince her to come back.
On December 2nd, 2010, the body of Phoebe Handsjuk was found at the bottom of the Balancea Apartments garbage chute. She’d been discovered by the building’s caretaker.
That day, Phoebe and Hampel had planned to go out to dinner with Phoebe’s father, Len, to celebrate his birthday. That morning, Hampel had left for work, leaving Phoebe asleep in bed. He arrived home around 6:00 PM.
He noticed that Phoebe’s purse, wallet, and keys were on the kitchen counter. Also on the counter were post-it notes with random scribbles all over them.
When he looked for Phoebe in the bedroom, he found what he described as a ‘shrine’ dedicated to Phoebe herself. There were photos of herself, and her cat. He also found, as he described: “Rambled notes… the notes she writes when she’s smashed and they don’t make a lot of sense.” There were candles burning in the bedroom, and Phoebe’s hair straightener was plugged in and on in the bathroom.
But there was no sign of Phoebe.
Around 6:51 PM, Len called Phoebe’s phone, but she didn’t pick up. A moment later, Hampel called Len, something he’d never done before. Len had called to ask about what time they should meet for dinner. Hampel informed Len that Phoebe wasn’t at the apartment, and asked if Len had seen her. He said he hadn’t, and Hampel hung up.
Len was worried. The day before, friends and family had received an odd text from Phoebe, which many had found distressing. The text read: “Hi family. I am in bed and about to sleep and when I WAKE I will transform into he most incredible human bein you’ve ever seen… (not). I will go to hospital. It’s safer there and I hear the special tonight is tomato soup… Delicious! Nutritious! I love you all very much but not enough to send an individual text. Sorry about that, but time is sleep and I must be on my way… … Merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream. Xo”
Understandably, the text had perturbed both Len and Natalie, Phoebe’s mother. Natalie was travelling at the time, and was unable to reach Phoebe. Finally, Phoebe’s grandmother got in touch with Hampel. He reassured her that he had left Phoebe sleeping that morning. She passed the message along to her family, not realizing that hours later, tragedy would strike.
After getting off the phone with Len, who started calling friends and relatives looking for Phoebe, Hampel ordered takeaway. From the restaurant he, Phoebe, and Len were supposed to meet up for dinner.
When the delivery boy arrived with his food, he asked Hampel what was going on. He told him that the building had been swarmed by cops, and ambulances. Curious, Hampel left his dinner on the counter, and went downstairs to see what was going on.
When he inquired, he was told that the body of a woman had been discovered. Distraught, Hampel explained that Phoebe was missing. Could the body be her?
Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew Healy asked Hampel about Phoebe’s distinguishing features. Hampel explained that she had a tattoo on her wrist which matched his own. Healy, after seeing the tattoo, ten asked Hampel to return to his apartment to look for photos of Phoebe, while he, himself, took a look at the photos another officer had taken of the young woman’s body.
Shortly afterwards, Healy headed up to Hampel’s apartment, and made the positive identification of Phoebe’s body. The young woman at the bottom of the garbage chute matched the photos that Hampel showed Healy.
For whatever reason, Healy did not find the broken glass around the apartment suspicious, nor did he find the blood on the mouse and keyboard of Phoebe’s computer suspicious. This would be one of many red flags in the investigation, a major point of contention for Lorne Campbell, Phoebe’s grandfather, and a retired police officer with over 30 years of service under his belt.
As Healy informed Hampel that the body was Phoebe’s, Hampel refused to go down and identify the body. He was too distraught. Instead, he phoned Len and told him the news. Now, it was up to Len to informed the rest of the family.
Upon initial investigation, it appeared as though Phoebe had survived the fall. However, she suffered deep cuts and gashes from the compactor blades. One of her feet was almost completely severed. There was a trail of blood. It looked like Phoebe had tried to drag herself to the door.
However, none of the first responders on the scene had even bothered to check Phoebe over for a pulse, or feel her temperature.
The autopsy further showed that Phoebe had the sleeping pill Stilnox in her system, as well as a blood-alcohol level at nearly three times the legal limit. Knowing this, Peter White, the coroner, concluded that Phoebe had climbed into the garbage chute to commit suicide in an intoxicated haze. It was estimated that she climbed in between 12:00 PM, and 7:00 PM.
However, the garbage chute was incredibly small. Even for a woman as agile as Phoebe, it would have been difficult for her to climb in. And despite the fact that Phoebe had bruising on her upper arms, her fingers were unharmed. She would have undoubtedly injured them climbing into the chute, as the door would have slammed on her fingers upon closing. They also never found any fingerprints around the handle, or the walls surrounding the chute.
Another point of contention in the investigation came from the fact that no one bothered to check the CCTV cameras for around the time that Phoebe’s body was discovered. By the time public outcry made the police check the CCTV footage, it had been taped over.
However, they were able to show Phoebe’s family footage at around 11:35 AM, the morning of December 2nd, 2010, when she left the apartment with her dog in tow in the wake of a fire alarm. At around 11:50 AM, she’s seen again, re-entering the building. This was the last anyone saw of Phoebe.
Phoebe’s family had, and still have, great doubts as to the coroner’s findings, and the legitimacy of the police investigation. Phoebe’s grandfather, Lorne, was especially displeased. He approached Neil Bone, of Wastech Engineering, in order to help him investigate himself.
Neil helped Lorne build a replica of the garbage chute in order to conduct his own experiments. Using two women who were similar in stature to Phoebe, they were able to show that it was, technically, possible to climb into the garbage chute. However, it took great physical strength, and dexterity. Attributes that someone as inebriated as Phoebe would not have had at that moment. The women were also seen grasping at walls for grip, holding themselves up, trying to get into the chute. Phoebe would have had to do the same.
However, when the experiment is conducted with another person putting the woman in the chute, this was found to be much, much easier.
Despite these experiments, the coroner and police stuck to their guns. They closed the case, ruling Phoebe’s death a suicide.
Eight years later, Baillie Schneider was found in her parents’ home with a gold cord wrapped tightly around her neck. No hanging point was found. Police declared her death a suicide.
Baillie had been dating Ant Hampel. Earlier that morning, Baillie had told her mother that she’d just broken up with the controlling Hampel. Hampel, however, told police that they weren’t in a serious relationship. Much to the disagreement of Baillie’s family.
Another suspicious death of a young girlfriend had occurred around Ant Hampel. And yet, at no point in either investigation was he ever considered a person of interest. Some speculate that this could be due to his parentage. He was the son of a retired Supreme Court Judge, and the stepson of a serving County Court Judge. It’s speculated that these ties prevented Ant Hampel from being investigated.
In 2019, Phoebe’s family had their first glimmer of hope in almost a decade. Caitlin English, the Victorian Deputy State Coroner decided to take the case to homicide detectives. An inquest was launched.
Ant Hampel told the inquest that he believed in the original coroner’s conclusions. He stated that Phoebe often self-medicated with alcohol and other intoxicants. While he agreed that suicide may not have been the real motive, he did state she was “self-destructive, and struggled every day to do the simplest things”. He could see her climbing into the garbage chute, most likely accidentally.
Natalie, Phoebe’s mother, disagreed. She stated that her daughter used substances to overcome her anxieties and insecurities. She stated that Hampel routinely put Phoebe down, and made her feel inadequate, especially around his friends.
At the end of the inquiry, it was found that the circumstances around Phoebe’s death were “not entirely clear”, but were not suspicious. The standing theory among Melbourne law enforcement is that Phoebe’s death was either willfull suicide, or an intoxicated accident.
Phoebe’s family and friends vehemently disagree.
— — —
Like what you’re reading? Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for latest updates!
Sources:
Phoebe Handsjuk: Examine the mysterious trash chute tragedy – Patrice A. Kelly – Film Daily
Phoebe’s fall: Baffling ruling in garbage chute death of Aussie woman prompts change – stuff.co.nz
Phoebe Handsjuk’s waste chute death unlike anything else – Michael Bachelard and Richard Baker – The Sydney Morning Herald
An Australian Death and Suspicious Ruling of Suicide – Robin Bowles – CrimeReads
What really happened to Phoebe Handsjuk – Robert Hardy – Marie Claire
Crime Junkie podcast – MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Phoebe Handsjuk