Karmein Chan

Karmein Chan
Born (1977-11-05)5 November 1977
Died c. 13 April 1991(1991-04-13) (aged 13)
Victoria, Australia
Cause of death Murder (gunshot)
Body discovered Edgars Creek, Thomastown (9 April 1992)
Nationality Chinese-Australian
Known for Murder victim
Parent(s) Phillis lam
Awards $1,000,000 reward

Karmein Chan was a 13-year-old Australian girl who was abducted from her home in Templestowe, Victoria, during the night of 13 April 1991 and was subsequently murdered.[1]

Kidnapping

Chan was at home babysitting her two younger sisters while both her parents worked at a Chinese restaurant they owned in the nearby Melbourne suburb of Eltham.[2] Chan and her sisters were confronted by a man in a balaclava with a knife. He forced Chan's sisters into a wardrobe before fleeing with Chan.[3] Before leaving, he spray painted "Asian drug deal", "payback" and "more to come" on a vehicle in their front yard.[3][4] Police suspect this was a ruse to distract them from the killer's real motive.[5] Chan's mother made an emotional plea on television for Chan's return.

There had been several abductions of girls in Melbourne prior to the abduction of Chan by an offender known in the media as Mr Cruel. Victoria Police had started scaling down Operation Challenge the day before Chan's abduction that had been established to investigate two abductions in which the victim was raped and an earlier home invasion also involving rape.[6] Detectives believed that Chan would be released the same as previous girls abducted.

Investigation

On 6 May 1991, 23 days after Chan's abduction, Victoria Police formed the Spectrum Taskforce to investigate Chan's abduction and to continue Operation Challenge investigations.[7] A reward of $100,000 was offered for information on her abduction.[8]

On 9 April 1992, Chan's remains were found nearly a year later in a landfill area at Edgars Creek in the suburb of Thomastown.[9] The skull had three bullet holes in the back of the head. The body had probably been there for 12 months.[10] On 31 January 1994, the Spectrum Taskforce was disbanded.[11] The offender was never brought to justice.[12]

Outcome

An inquest was held in 1997 with the coroner finding that she met her death through foul play, but it was not possible to identify the person or people responsible.[13]

The case has remained open with cold case detectives regularly reviewing the investigation.[14]

On the 25th anniversary of her abduction the reward was increased from $100,000 to $1,000,000.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Silvester, John (8 April 2006). "'Mr Cruel' filmed his victims, say police". The Age. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Heath, Sally (11 April 1992). "Agony and hope of the waiting family". The Age. p. 20. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Catalano, Antony (4 May 1991). "Brutal abductor breeds fear with cruelty". The Age. p. 20. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Daley, Paul; Catalano, Antony (21 April 1991). "A man in dark shatters a happy family". The Sunday Age. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Tobin, Bruce (3 May 1991). "Rumors hurting family, says kidnap girl's father". The Age. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Tobin, Bruce (11 April 1993). "Why Mr Cruel has to be caught". The Age.
  7. ↑ Tobin, Bruce (28 January 1993). "Police receive 400 calls on kidnap drawings". The Age.
  8. ↑ "Karmein Chan $100,000 award announced 1991". Victoria Police News. Victoria Police Media Unit. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Tobin, Bruce (13 April 1992). "Karmein possibly shot in panic". The Age. p. 4. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Holgate, Ben; Daley, Paul (12 April 1992). "Mr Cruel executed Karmein: police". The Sunday Age. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Tobin, Bruce (30 November 1993). "Taskforce hunting Mr Cruel to wind up". The Age. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Moor, Keith (2 April 2001). "A cruel time on manhunt". Herald Sun.
  13. ↑ Button, Victoria (13 September 1997). "Police keep file open on Karmein". The Age. p. A3. Retrieved 23 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "New clues in police hunt for 'Mr Cruel'". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "$1 million reward announced Karmein Chan", Victoria Police News, Victoria Police Media Unit, 13 April 2016

Further reading

  • Daly, Martin (13 April 1996). "Cruel legacy". The Age. p. A19. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  • Delianis, Paul (15 February 1993). "To catch a killer". The Age. p. 11. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
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