Daniel Morcombe (solved)
Thirteen-year-old Daniel Morcombe was abducted while waiting for a bus on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. His killer Brett Peter Cowan was caught through an elaborate undercover operation in 2011.
On December 7, 2003, thirteen-year-old Daniel Morcombe was waiting for a bus on the Kiel Mountain Road overpass on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. He was abducted by Brett Peter Cowan, a convicted child sex offender.
The case became one of Australia's most prominent missing child cases. Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise became tireless campaigners for child safety.
In 2011, Cowan was caught through an elaborate undercover police operation called 'Operation Vista.' Officers posing as criminals infiltrated Cowan's life and obtained his confession along with information about Daniel's remains.
Cowan was convicted of murder, indecent treatment of a child, and interfering with a corpse in 2014. He was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years. The case led to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, Australia's largest child safety organization.
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