Cold Cases in Australia
ColdCaseIndex documents 19 cold cases in Australia, spanning 1948–2022. 3 of these cases remain fully unsolved. Each case page includes documented details, status, and information on how to submit a tip.
By Type
By Status
All Australia Cases
Somerton Man (identified)
The Somerton Man, found dead on an Australian beach in 1948, was identified in 2022 through DNA analysis as Carl Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne.
Cleo Smith (rescue)
Four-year-old Cleo Smith was taken from her family's tent at a campsite in Western Australia. After 18 days, police rescued her from a locked house in Carnarvon. Terence Kelly was convicted.
Cleo Smith (rescue)
Four-year-old Cleo Smith was abducted from her family's tent at a campsite in Western Australia. She was found alive 18 days later in a locked house. Terence Kelly pleaded guilty to child stealing.
Jill Meagher
Irish-born ABC radio journalist Jill Meagher was raped and murdered while walking home in Brunswick, Melbourne. Adrian Bayley, a serial rapist on parole, was sentenced to life.
Jill Meagher
Irish-Australian Jill Meagher was raped and murdered while walking home from a bar in Brunswick, Melbourne. Adrian Bayley, who was on parole for multiple rapes, was convicted.
Daniel Morcombe
Thirteen-year-old Daniel Morcombe disappeared while waiting for a bus on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. In 2011, Brett Peter Cowan was arrested and later convicted of his murder.
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.
Peter Falconio
British tourist Peter Falconio was shot on a remote Australian highway. His girlfriend Joanne Lees escaped. Bradley Murdoch was convicted of murder in 2005, though Falconio's body was never found.
Marion Barter
Australian schoolteacher Marion Barter secretly changed her name before vanishing during an overseas trip. She legally became 'Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel' before disappearing.
Claremont Serial Murders
Three women vanished from the upscale suburb of Claremont in Perth, Australia between 1996-1997. Telstra technician Bradley Edwards was convicted of two murders in 2020.
Ivan Milat (Backpacker Murders)
Ivan Milat was convicted of murdering seven backpackers whose bodies were found in Belanglo State Forest, NSW, Australia. He tortured and killed hitchhikers between 1989 and 1992.
Ivan Milat Victims (Backpacker Murders)
Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers in the Belanglo State Forest south of Sydney. Their bodies were found in 1992-1993. Milat was convicted in 1996 and died in prison in 2019.
Backpacker Murders Victims
Seven backpackers were murdered and buried in the Belanglo State Forest south of Sydney between 1989-1992. Ivan Milat was convicted of all seven murders and sentenced to seven life terms.
Scott Johnson
American mathematician Scott Johnson was found dead at the base of cliffs in Manly, Sydney. Initially ruled a suicide, his death was reclassified as a gay hate crime. Scott White pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2023.
Lynette Dawson
Lynette Dawson vanished from her Sydney home. Her husband Chris Dawson, a former rugby league player and teacher, was convicted of her murder in 2022 after the podcast 'The Teacher's Pet' revived interest.
Lynette Dawson
Chris Dawson, a former rugby league player and teacher, was convicted in 2022 of murdering his wife Lynette in 1982. The case was revived by the podcast 'The Teacher's Pet.'
Cheryl Grimmer
Three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer was snatched from the changing rooms of a beach shower block in Wollongong, Australia. A suspect was identified in 2017 but charges were dismissed.
Beaumont Children
Three siblings—Jane (9), Arnna (7), and Grant (4) Beaumont—vanished from Glenelg Beach in Adelaide, Australia on Australia Day. The case transformed child safety awareness in Australia.
Somerton Man
An unidentified man was found dead on Somerton Beach, Adelaide, with a scrap of paper reading 'Tamám Shud' in his pocket. In 2022, DNA analysis identified him as Carl 'Charles' Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne