Above - image of what Eve may look like today, photo has been
digitally aged.
Above - image of a man Police wish to speak to in relation to Eve's
disappearance and
Police searched this Karanja house in 2012
The septic tank at a Karanja property that police searched.(ABC
News)
Name:
Age at time of disappearance: 14 years Build: Slim Height: 157 cm Hair: Red/Ginger Eyes: Unknown Distinguishing Features/Other:
Eve's thumbs are distinctive: described as though they have been pushed down
and haven't quite grown back to their full length. Circumstances:
Eve went missing from her family's residence at Fitzgerald, TAS sometime
during the night of the 16 November 1991.
She had moved to Tasmania from NSW in
January 1989. Eve left a note indicating her intention to leave home after being
grounded by her parents for smoking. There has been no contact since her
disappearance. Tragically Eve is unaware that her parents have both since died.
She has also become an Aunt.
New technique to aid in missing persons cases
Updated
August 10, 2008 12:05:00 - ABC
Tasmania Police is using new techniques to help try and
solve long standing missing person cases.
Age Enhancement Technology has been used on three photos of missing
people.
The technology creates an image that shows how the person might look
today.
15 year old school girl Eve Askew went missing from her Derwent Valley
home in 1991. The new photo shows what she might look like today, aged 32.
Craig Taylor was nine when he disappeared in 1993.
Constable Jessica Reidy from Tasmania Police says the new image of him
shows him as an adult.
"People who are very well meaning still ring up reporting sightings of
Craig looking as though he would as a nine year old boy," Constable Reidy said.
"But he'd now be a 25 year-old man. So we find that that would be
particulary helpful in helping people to know what to look for," she said.
Cold case re-opened
Updated
November 26, 2011 11:45:26 - ABC
Tasmanian police have re-opened the investigation into the disappearance
of 14 year old Eve Askew 20 years ago.
The teenager disappeared from her family home in the state's south on the
17th of November, 1991.
In 2001, police used an excavator to dig around the old Askew home at
Fitzgerald, near Maydena, but did not find any new material.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley says the decision to re-open the case
comes after a review of a number of cold cases.
"We believe that there's a member of the public or members of the public
that have information and haven't come forward to police and that's why there's
a reward of up to $100,000 for relevant information that results in a conviction
of an offender in relation to the disappearance," he said.
"We are confident that there are members of the public who have something
to tell us about this and they haven't told us previously."
Anyone with any information on Eve Askew's disappearance or whereabouts is
asked to call a special investigation hotline on 0418 589 544.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011 - 12:33 pm.
Tasmania Police is renewing calls for public assistance into a long-term
missing person enquiry. Eve Askew was last seen alive on or about 16 November
1991.
Born on 26 May 1977, Eve Askew was last seen alive 20 years ago, on or
about 16 November 1991, at her family home in Fitzgerald. Eve was living with
her mum and dad and her three siblings. She was reported missing during the
afternoon of 17 November 1991.
Eve was born in New South Wales and moved to Tasmania with her family in
January 1989.
Eve was 14 years old when she went missing and was a grade 8 student at
Glenora District High School.
Eve’s family describe her as being a shy and reserved person who did not
interact with people easily, she would avoid meeting new people if she could.
At the time of Eve’s disappearance she was 157cm tall, of slim build, she
had red hair and was of fair complexion with freckles.
At the time of being reported missing her family indicated that she was
wearing distinctive tracksuit.
(The above image is a photograph of Eve as she appeared at the time of her
disappearance.)
Circumstances Surrounding Disappearance
Eve Askew went missing from her family residence at Gordon River Road,
Fitzgerald at some stage during the evening of Saturday, 16 November 1991 and
the morning of Sunday, 17 November 1991.
Eve has not been seen since. She has not accessed bank accounts nor
contacted friends or family. Investigations to date indicate that Eve has not
assumed another name or identity.
Investigations at that time included a series of extensive searches being
conducted in the vicinity of the family residence and interviewing known friends
and associates. No further evidence as to the fate of Eve was discovered and
she has not been seen nor heard from by any person since.
Police conducted further investigations into Eve’s disappearance in 2001,
however, those enquiries failed to resolve this matter.
Police seek information from anyone who may have any knowledge of the
circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Eve Askew. There is a direct
line to investigators on 0418 589 544.
There is a reward of up to $100,000 for relevant information that results
in the conviction of an offender in relation to the disappearance.
Lead in missing teen case
ZARA DAWTREY | December 14, 2011 12.01am - The Mercury
THERE has been a breakthrough in the disappearance of a
Tasmanian teenager 20 years ago.
Eve Askew was 14 when
she vanished from her family home in Fitzgerald, near Maydena, one
night in November 1991.
A large-scale investigation at the time and a second a decade
later failed to uncover any significant evidence as to the Glenora
District High School Year 8 student's fate.
But since announcing late last month that the file would be
revisited, Eastern CIB detectives have now produced an image of a
person of interest.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley, who is heading up the
investigation, is so far refusing to elaborate on what police
believe the man's alleged role was in Eve's disappearance. However,
it is clear the case is being treated as a murder investigation.
It is the first time a "person of interest" has been
identified in relation to Eve's disappearance and the photo-fit
picture released by police is of a high quality.
"We have received a steady stream of information since we
announced the case was being revisited last month," Insp Riley said
yesterday.
"Some of that information has produced strong new leads."
Police are appealing for the person pictured to come forward
or for anyone who thinks they might know the man, believed to be
between 60 and 65 years old, to contact police immediately.
He is understood to have been living in the New Norfolk area
at the time of Eve's disappearance.
"This person may have information that will assist us and we
need to speak to him," Insp Riley said.
He described the production of the photo image as "a major
leap forward".
"We have a dedicated team of detectives working on this case
and the information is coming in via letters, emails, phone calls
and in person," Insp Riley said.
"Add the huge amount of community interest in what has long
been a very troubling case to the fact we now have state-of-the-art
forensic technology available, and we're hoping the outcome of this
investigation might be very different to the previous two."
Eve's eldest brother Jake Askew recently told the Mercury his
sister deserved to be at peace.
"If anyone out there knows something, consider how this must
feel, please contact police," Mr Askew pleaded.
A reward of up to $100,000 has been offered for information
leading to the apprehension of an offender, or to the recovery of
Eve's body.
Information should be provided directly to investigators by
phoning 0418 589 544.
Eve Askew breakthrough
ZARA DAWTREY | April 11, 2012 10.42am - The Mercury
POLICE have made a major breakthrough in their reopened
investigation into the suspected murder of 14-year-old school girl
Eve Askew20 years ago.
Items have been seized from the Bushy Park home and a home and
workshop at Karanja.
"The searches are one part of an investigation plan and not
the end state," Detective Inspector Colin Riley said this morning.
He said investigators were determined to find evidence to
prosecute the "principle offender or offenders" and "prosecute those
persons who have assisted in the concealing of evidence that relates
to the death".
Police will hold a media conference at the Bushy Park property
this afternoon.
Eve Askew disappeared from her
Fitzgerald home on November 16, 1991.
She was discovered missing from her bedroom in the morning
when her parents went to wake her and has not been seen or heard
from since.
There is a reward of up to $100,000 for relevant information
that results in the conviction of an offender in relation to her
disappearance.
Police search homes in missing girl case
AAP - The Mercury
April 11, 2012 1:00pm
POLICE may have made a breakthrough in their efforts to
solve one of Australia's most puzzling crimes - the suspected murder
of 14-year-old Eve Askew 20 years ago.
The schoolgirl, who had been grounded for smoking, disappeared
from her home at Fitzgerald, a remote town in southern Tasmania,
during the night of November 16, 1991.
Her family and friends have not seen the shy redhead since then but
investigations are ongoing and there is a $100,000 reward for
information leading to a conviction.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley said police have seized items during
searches at properties in Uxbridge Rd at Bushy Park and on Gordon
River Rd at nearby Karanja, north of Hobart.
"The searches are one part of an investigation plan and not the end
state but one of a number of police actions," the detective said in
a statement.
He said officers were determined to find evidence to prosecute
anyone involved in Eve's death or covering it up.
Eve, who was born in NSW, was living with her mum and dad and three
siblings when she went missing.
She was described as a reserved child who would avoid meeting new
people if she could.
Early police investigations involved a series of extensive searches
near the family residence and interviews of known friends and
associates.
Numerous leads have been followed up since then, including
allegations a convicted rapist abducted and killed Eve and buried
her body in bushland.
Since her disappearance Eve has become an auntie, and both her
parents died in a car crash in 1996.
Late last year, after police launched a new investigation, her
brother, Jake Askew, told the Mercury newspaper from the UK the case
had taken a heavy toll on the family.
Police raid properties over missing
teen
11 Apr, 2012 11:50 AM - The Examiner
POLICE have raided properties in the state's South in
relation to the disappearance of teenager Eve Askew more
than 20 years ago.
The 14-year-old was last seen
alive in November 1991 at her family home at Fitzgerald.
Police have searched a property at Uxbridge Road,
Bushy Park, as well as a property, workshop and house at
Gordon River Road, Karanja.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley said police were
determined to find evidence to prosecute the principle
offender or offenders for Eve's death and prosecute those
who have concealed evidence relating to her death.
Eve was born in New South Wales and moved to Tasmania
with her family in January 1989 and attended Glenora
District High School.
It is believed she had a fight with her parents Helen
and Jim Askew and left a note indicating her intention to
leave home after being grounded because of smoking. Mr and
Mrs Askew died in a car crash at Granton in 1996.
At the time of her disappearance she was described as
being 157 centimetres tall, of a slim build with red hair
and a fair complexion with freckles. She was wearing a
distinctive tracksuit.
Her family described her as a shy and reserved person
who did not interact with people easily and avoided meeting
new people if she could.
Investigators conducted extensive searches near the
family home and interviewed friends and associates but no
further evidence was found.
The case was reopened in 2011, after a 2001
investigation failed to turn up any useful information.
Anyone who has information about the circumstances
surrounding Eve's disappearance is asked to contact
investigators on 0418 589 544.
There is a reward of up to $100,000 for information
that results in a conviction of an offender in relation to
Eve's disappearance.
Southern man held over disappearance
of girl, 14
PATRICK BILLINGS - The Examiner
12 Apr, 2012 08:47 AM
DETECTIVES have arrested a man in relation to the 1991
disappearance and suspected murder of Eve Askew who went
missing from the Southern town of Fitzgerald, aged 14.
In what could be a massive breakthrough for detectives in
the 21-year-old cold case, police have raided three
properties and taken items from them after acting on ``very
good information'' received last year.
Police raided a property, and a workshop and house at
Gordon River Road, Karanja, and a property at Uxbridge Road,
Bushy Park.
Today an excavator will be used at one of the Karanja
properties. Police are also using penetrative radar to scan
what is underground without having to dig.
Yesterday officers focused on the contents of a septic
tank at the Karanja property.
``We're looking obviously for evidence in relation to
her death and potentially the concealing of her death as
well,'' Detective Inspector Colin Riley, of Eastern Criminal
Investigation Branch, said.
``There is a male in custody who's helping us with our
inquiries.''
He said the man was aged in his late 50s and had not
been charged.
``At this stage we are concentrating on our searches
but this is not the end game it is part of an ongoing
investigation,'' he said.
``The investigators are pretty determined to find
evidence to help prosecute the person or persons
responsible.''
Five officers will spend the next two to four days
looking for evidence on the properties.
Eve's next of kin had been informed
``They are supportive obviously, they want a solution
so they are happy that we are still looking at this,'' he
said.
``It is 21 years and as I said we are just really
fortunate that information came in and we're acting on that
information.''
Eve was attending Glenora District High School and
living with her parents and three siblings when she went
missing on November 16, 1991.
She was a shy and reserved teenager who did not
interact with people easily and would avoid meeting new
people if she could, police said.
At the time of her disappearance she was 157
centimetres tall, of slim build, with red hair and fair
complexion with freckles.
At the time she was wearing a distinctive tracksuit.
Eve was born in NSW and moved to Tasmania with her
family in January 1989.
Police are still seeking information from anyone who
may have any knowledge of the circumstances surrounding her
disappearance.
There is a direct line to investigators on 0418589544.
There is a reward of up to $100,000 for information
that results in the conviction of an offender in relation to
the disappearance.
Clues uncovered in search for Eve Askew
12 Apr, 2012 03:37 PM - The Examiner
POLICE have today uncovered several items that they believe may
provide clues to Eve Askew's disappearance 21 years ago.
The
14-year-old disappeared from her home at Fitzgerald in the state's South
in November 1991.
About 35 officers, including five Australian Federal Police
officers, are involved in a search at properties at Karanja and Bushy
Park.
Eastern district CIB detective inspector Colin Riley said the
items were found near a septic tank on a property formerly owned by a
man who police have arrested and are continuing to hold in custody.
Police said the man, in his late 50s, was well known to Eve in the
lead up to her disappearance.
They would not say if they were going to charge the man but said
they were able to hold him ``for a reasonable amount of time'' under the
law.
A $50,000 penetrative radar machine was used for the first time in
Tasmania as part of today's search.
The investigation will continue tomorrow.
Police have 'good idea' of how Eve Askew died
13 Apr, 2012 04:00 AM - The Examiner
DETECTIVES are urging a frightened Southern community to show courage
and give information concerning a teenager who disappeared and is
suspected of being murdered nearly 21 years ago.
This
information could lead to the hard evidence police need to corroborate
``a fairly good idea of the circumstances in relation to Eve Askew's
death''.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley said he could sense fear in the
towns of Bushy Park and Karanja as police closed in on solving the 1991
cold case, which saw the 14-year-old disappear from nearby Fitzgerald.
``What we've found is there seems to be a fear for people to come
forward and actually speak up,'' Detective Inspector Riley said.
``I just ask members of this local community to show a bit of
courage and actually ring the mobile phone number and speak directly to
investigators.''
He said the 0418 589 544 hotline had provided excellent
information so far to investigators.
Acting on this, police seized two homes and a property full of
mechanical equipment in Bushy Park and Karanja on Wednesday.
A man in his late 50s, who owns two of the properties and
previously the other, was arrested and remains in custody but has not
been charged.
Police believe the man and Eve knew each other shortly before she
disappeared.
Detective Inspector Riley would not say whether he would be
charged but said the man had been investigated and his properties
searched a decade ago in relation to Eve's disappearance.
Police plan to hold him for as long as they can under the relevant
legislation.
Yesterday investigators chased down a fresh lead on the
disappearance in the state's North but Detective Inspector Riley would
not give further details.
However, police are not ruling out more than one person being
involved in Eve's death.
``I certainly encourage people to come forward now because I'm
very confident that we are actually starting to find out exactly all
those people that haven't come forward through our inquiries
specifically in the last six months,'' Detective Inspector Riley said.
For now there would be no further arrests, he said.
The focus will remain on searching the grounds of a Karanja home
formerly owned, but never lived in, by the man in custody.
The yellow house adjoins a large work site, which he now owns.
So far police have dug up a septic tank in the yard and discovered
items they hope will be evidence.
``What we're doing here today, yesterday and the next couple of
days is constructing pretty much an evidence brief to hopefully allow us
to prosecute,'' Detective Inspector Riley said.
Excavation of the sites may continue until Saturday.
A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information
leading to a conviction in relation to Eve's disappearance.
Police: Break silence now
ZARA DAWTREY
| April 13, 2012 12.01am - The Mercury
THOSE who know what happened to Eve Askew have been
urged to come forward before it is too late.
Lead investigator Colin Riley has revealed police have
become aware of a sense of fear in the Bushy Park and
Uxbridge communities, and says that fear is unfounded
because police intend to resolve the 20-year-old mystery
once and for all.
"It's difficult to quantify the reason for the fear
why people won't come forward but it seems to be there," he
said.
"As a general rule, the people we've spoken to seem to
have some fear, and all I can say is we're determined to
prosecute this matter and we're throwing sufficient
resources at it to hopefully achieve resolution. This is the
third time and it's not something that's just going to go
away."
The massive search for evidence relating to the 1991
suspected murder of the 14-year-old schoolgirl yesterday
focused on an area at one of the three properties seized by
police on Wednesday.
It was excavated, and a second and possible third dig
is planned for today.
Police are using a new weapon in the hunt for clues
the Australian Federal Police has sent its
ground-penetrating radar device to Tasmania along with
federal officers.
The device played a key role in helping to find the
remains of murdered Queensland boy Daniel Morcombe last
year.
"When the ground penetrating radar surveys the ground
it comes up with abnormalities in the ground and we try to
determine what those abnormalities are before we dig,"
Inspector Riley said.
"Once we determine there's a requirement to dig we
then ... check out what those abnormalities are," he said.
Items of interest have been located and the contents
of the septic tank at the Karanja property are being
checked.
The property is partially owned by a man in his late
50s who was arrested on Wednesday and is in custody in
relation to the suspected killing.
Police would not specify what items had been
collected.
A simultaneous search of the man's Uxbridge home
continued yesterday after drug squad detectives allegedly
removed an estimated 100 cannabis plants from the property
on Wednesday.
Police are not ruling out the involvement of more
people and are seeking evidence to prosecute those who
potentially helped conceal Eve's death in 1991, and failed
to come forward when the investigation was relaunched in
2001.
"I'd certainly encourage people to come forward now
because I'm very confident we're actually starting to find
out all those people who haven't come forward throughout our
inquiries, specifically in the last six months," Insp Riley
said.
"From the people who have contacted us we've actually
received some excellent information, which we have acted
upon, which I'm confident has or will produce evidence.
"I still believe there are people who know what
happened and I ask them to contact investigators or it may
well simply be that we're knocking on their door asking them
to explain why they haven't come forward," he said.
$50,000 radar brought in by AFP for search
13 Apr, 2012 04:00 AM - The Examiner
TASMANIAN investigators are hoping a $50,000 radar that was used to
help find the remains of Queensland teenager Daniel Morcombe will prove
just as useful in the search for Eve Askew.
The ground
penetrating radar is on loan from the Australian Federal Police and has
come with five of its officers for the week.
Yesterday the radar was being used for the first time in Tasmania
at a Karanja property seized as part of the investigation.
Like a typical radar it works by picking up difference in
electrical activity. In this case, it allows investigators to ``see''
underground without actually having to dig it up.
The dense clay soil at the property limits the radar's
effectiveness to 1 1/2 metres under the topsoil.
However, even if something is buried further underneath, the radar
will still detect if any of the above soil has been disturbed. One of
the radar's limitations is its inability to distinguish between a body
and other inanimate objects detected.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley said the equipment had helped
``pave the way'' for the discovery of Daniel Morcombe's remains last
year.
It is the only one of its type owned by the federal police.
It is not the only tool investigators are relying as they search
three Southern properties looking for evidence about Eve's disappearance
and likely death.
There are 35 police officers, including a forensic team, spread
across the sites and two sniffer dogs - looking for drugs and firearms -
in use as well. There are two excavators also on site.
Eve suspect released
ZARA DAWTREY | April 14, 2012 12.01am
THERE is no reason for community alarm after a suspect
in the 1991 disappearance of 14-year-old Eve Askew was released
from custody yesterday, police say.
Up to 35
police are involved in the renewed investigation into the
suspected killing of the Fitzgerald teenager and they are
continuing to dig up one of the suspect's two properties.
The Karanja property in the Derwent Valley was again
teeming with police yesterday as a ground-penetrating radar
device, on loan from the Australian Federal Police, was used in
and around a large industrial shed erected some time after Eve's
disappearance from her family home.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley said it was yet to be
determined whether the shed and its deep concrete base would be
dismantled in the search for evidence that has so far spanned
three days.
It is expected to continue possibly into next week.
The Karanja site and the Bushy Park residence of the
50-something "person of interest" remain under police control
and the man is not allowed to return to either site until
further notice.
"He was released unconditionally at midday today," Insp
Riley said yesterday.
"He is no longer with police. As to where he is I'm not
sure."
He said police did not believe his release was cause for
alarm despite revealing on Thursday that fear in the community
was apparently preventing people from coming forward.
"What we're doing this week and the people we're speaking
with is part of a larger investigative plan, and we're going
through those lines of inquiry and obviously he's one of those."
He said the same man had been questioned by police when
the investigation was reopened in 2001 and the same site was
excavated, although in different sections from where this week's
work has been carried out.
Askew search goes on
THE MERCURY | April 15, 2012 12.01am
FORENSIC officers excavated inside a large shed at Karanja,
in the Derwent Valley, yesterday in the continuing search for
missing 14-year-old Eve Askew.
Tasmania Police
Detective Inspector Colin Riley said officers had to remove heavy
machinery to make the excavation possible.
The Australian Federal Police's ground-penetrating radar was
used to survey a separate concrete slab on the Derwent Valley
property.
All of the Uxbridge and Karanja properties being targeted in
the search for the teenager's remains are still in police
possession.
The owner of the properties was released from police custody
on Friday.
Eve was last seen on November 16, 1991, at her family home at
Fitzgerald in the Derwent Valley.
Anyone with information should contact police on 0418 589
544.
Eve case charges months off
MICHELLE PAINE | April 16, 2012 12.01am - The Mercury
IT could be months before police lay charges in relation to
the suspected murder of 14-year-old Eve Askew, after a four-day
search of the properties of a suspect wound up yesterday.
The renewed investigation into the 1991 disappearance of the
Glenora High School student was publicly revealed in November.
It is the third time detectives have tried to solve the
mystery, focusing on the same properties at Uxbridge and Karanja, in
the Derwent Valley.
But if anything was found this time, police are remaining
tight-lipped.
A septic tank at the Karanja property was dug up last week and
apparently items were removed from the tank and sent for forensic
testing.
The area surrounding a nearby shed has also been the subject
of intense examination, with three sites dug up at Karanja.
Police searching the Uxbridge home belonging to the part-owner
of the Karanja property allegedly located dozens of cannabis plants
but the man, in his late 50s, was released from custody on Friday
without charge.
Detective Inspector Colin Riley says the Askew investigation
is the priority and police are not being distracted by so-called
side issues.
The man remains a "person of interest", but Det-Insp Riley
says police do not know where he is or what he is doing.
He was arrested on Wednesday when police seized his home and
the Karanja property and he spent the next two days in police
custody before his release at midday on Friday.
Det-Insp Riley says the fact the searches are over does not
mean the investigation has failed.
"These searches are one part of the investigation plan and are
not the end state, but one of a number of police actions," he said
yesterday.
"Investigators are particularly thankful to those members of
the local community who have had the courage to contact the
investigative team recently, which had provided quality information
which will be acted upon."
Anyone with information about Eve's disappearance is
urged to contact investigators on 0418 589 544. A reward of up to
$100,000 is on offer.
Retired detective to consult on unsolved Tasmanian crimes in new bid to crack
cold cases
One of Tasmania's most senior detectives has been brought out of retirement to
act as a consultant to police on some of the state's most baffling unsolved
crimes.
The former head of the state's first dedicated Cold Case Unit, Colin Little, has
been hired back as a civilian contractor to review cold cases.
During his more than 30 years with Tasmania Police, the former commander
reviewed the investigation into the 1995 stabbing murder of Italian tourist
Victoria Cafasso on an east coast beach.
The killer remains at large.
Unlike previous cold case reviews, Mr Little will not be heading a team of
investigators.
He will work solo on a desk-based review of the original case and investigation
notes, rather than re-interviewing witnesses, original investigators and family
members.
While other states have used the strategy, it is a first for Tasmania.
Tasmania Police said it would consider hiring back other investigators who have
retired from its ranks as part of the new approach.
But another retired Cold Case Unit boss, Glenn Lathey, is not a fan of the
strategy.
Former detective inspector Lathey is credited with bringing Stephen Standage to
justice for the execution-style murders of Ronald Jarvis at Nugent in 1992 and
John Thorn at Lake Leake in 2006.
"If one person is tasked with reviewing an entire investigation, in my mind … it
would be a full-time task that would take you three or four years to do it
thoroughly," he said.
"[I'm not convinced one person can do it] … unless they are acting in accordance
with a specific terms of reference that might restrict the nature of the review
that they're doing.
"It could take a team of five or six police officers anything between 12 months
and two years just to complete a detailed review. It is a really, really
exhaustive process that needs to be followed, as per the guidelines that we
prepared some time ago when the Cold Case Unit was established back in 2008."
Police have refused to comment on exactly which cases are earmarked for review
by the consultants.
But it is understood they include the suspected murder of 14-year-old Eve Askew
in the Derwent Valley in 1991 and the disappearance of Judah Zachariah Reuben
Wolfe Mattathyahu from Slopen Main in 1983.
Tasmania Police declined to comment on when the results of any reviews would be
finalised and whether they would be made public.
Tasmania Police ups rewards in high-profile cold cases, including Christoper
Watkins, Victoria Cafasso, Eve Askew
It's been almost eight years since Launceston mother-of-five Lillian
Watkins last saw her son Christopher.
"It's been hell … not knowing where he is," she said.
Christopher was 28 years old when he disappeared from a unit in Box Street,
Mayfield, on August 7, 2013.
Police believe he made a panicked phone call to a family member after two men he
had a troubled history with visited the Mayfield home he shared with four other
men.
Police say there's significant, credible information that he was abducted and
murdered, but so far no one has been charged.
"We believe this case is very solvable … and we would love for the person with
that information to come forward."
Lillian said the hardest part is not having closure about what happened to her
son.
"He was loving, fun, kind, had the biggest heart … he'd do anything for
anybody," Lillian said.
"I don't really know [what happened to him] to be honest."
Police increase rewards for in high-profile murder cases
The case is one of seven high-profile murders or suspected murder investigations
across the state which police have increased the reward for information that
leads to a conviction to $500,000.
"This kind of money allows a fresh start," Assistant Commissioner Jonathan
Higgins said.
"These rewards are an important investigative tool that may entice people with
crucial information to come forward and provide this to police."
Other cases include then 26-year-old Nancy Grunwaldt who went missing from the
east coast in 1993.
Extensive investigations have been carried out but she has never been located.
She
has never been located and it's believed she met with foul play.
The
previous rewards for these cases varied from $30,000 to $250,000, some have
been in place for decades.
"What
we've seen in some of the other mainland states is when rewards are
increased it has generated far greater interest, allegiances change with
people and what it has lead to is convictions," Assistant Commissioner
Higgins said.
"We're hoping people may now come forward that may not have before."
"It's
really important that we get closure for families in relation to these cases
… getting justice for families is perhaps the most important thing that we
can possibly do as police officers."
Anyone with information
that could help solve these cases is asked to contact Police on 131 444 or
Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au.
Eve Askew disappeared 30 years ago without a trace but police are still looking
for a killer
The Askew family moved to Tasmania to escape the hustle and bustle of their
lives in New South Wales, but any peace they found would be short-lived.
On November 17, 1991, their lives changed forever when 14-year-old Eve Askew
vanished without a trace.
If the teenager met with foul play, her killer remains at large and could still
be living in the area.
Her brother, Jacob Askew, has been seeking justice for his red-haired,
freckled sister for the past three decades.
"He will strike again. It will happen and the next time it's going to be your
family, it's going to be someone close to you," he said.
"So come forward, protect your own family, and let's get this person behind bars
where he belongs."
The Askews' yellow weatherboard home sits among the seemingly endless forests in
the remote town of Fitzgerald in the state's south.
There the family felt safe and did not bother to lock their doors, as they
believed nothing sinister would ever happen to them in their little piece of
paradise.
Mr Askew said the last night he saw Eve alive was etched into his memory.
Their parents had gone to a church meeting and Mr Askew and his brother stayed
up late watching a movie while Eve was in her bedroom listening to music.
"She was a big fan of New Kids on the Block, so she was playing the same record
over and over again," he said.
"And she'd come out every now and then for a drink or a snack, but she seemed to
be in a really good mood that night."
When Eve's parents arrived home, they assumed all the children were in bed
asleep and it was not until the next morning when Eve's mother went to wake her
that the family realised she was gone.
At the time of her disappearance, Eve was described as being a reserved person
who did not interact with people easily.
She was last known to be wearing a distinctive tracksuit and her family told
police her thumbs looked as though they had been pushed down and had not quite
grown back to their full length.
Mr Askew said his sister was very shy and he tried to give her pep talks to help
build her self-esteem.
"Inside the family, she seemed quite confident and quite adventurous as well,
she liked to do different things like bush-hiking and climbing, and she loved
wrestling as well," he said.
"I remember when she was in year 5 or 6 she came home and she was like, 'Jake,
Jake, something really exciting happened at school today,' and it was like, 'Oh,
what happened Eve?'"
"'The school bully stole my basketball so I chased him down and I wrestled him
to the ground and I got my basketball back', and my mum's like, 'That's it, no
more wrestling!'"
'Some of the kids targeted her'
Her former classmates have been left to wonder what happened to the high school
student who vanished before finishing eighth grade.
Eve studied at New Norfolk High before transferring to Glenora District High
School not long before she vanished.
Naomi Lynd remembers Eve from school and said she did not make many friends.
"She was painfully shy, she use to blush quite strongly and just sort of look
away," Ms Lynd said.
"I think because she was quiet and shy, some of the kids targeted her, picked on
her."
However, Ms Lynd said she remembered Eve being a little bit "naughty" and
"rebellious".
"Things to do with the devil and stuff, I remember that was a bit of a trend at
the time," she said.
"I remember a few people were drawing the Satan's star around.
"None of us meant anything by it, I think it was to do with the rock and roll
music."
'Shy is one thing, but she was another'
Andrea Brown also has distinct memories of Eve walking down the hallways at
school with her jumper over her hands and hair over her face to avoid people
noticing her.
"I always thought, even as a kid when I was at school with her, 'What happened
with you, what's going on with you,' because shy is one thing, but she was
another," Ms Brown said.
Ms Lynd said she does not remember the police coming to school, missing person
posters or even a search.
At the time, she thought Eve had run away, but now she thinks something more
sinister could be at play.
"Because it sounds like Eve was going to run away and she thought she had
someone to help her, but they didn't help her," she said.
"If someone's done this and nothing has been found so far, they've obviously
done something irretrievable, something where there's nothing to find."
Police thought she ran away
Detective Inspector Troy Morrisby from the Glenorchy criminal
investigation branch said the initial thought was that Eve was a missing person,
"that Eve had voluntarily left the address, that there weren't any signs of a
struggle or signs of violence inside the house or her room".
"Did Eve go onto the road and was walking along the road and get hit by a
car? That's a possibility," Inspector Morrisby said.
"Did Eve run away to go into the bush on the belief that she was heading in a
certain direction and got lost and died as a result of misadventure? We can't
rule that out."
In the week leading up to her disappearance, Eve's parents found cigarettes in
her school bag and, while the teenager denied smoking, her parents still
grounded her.
However, diary entries from Eve at the time show she had lied to her parents and
had been smoking.
"I guess we just assumed that she was running away to try and get out of the
punishment that she was on because she was grounded for two weeks for having the
cigarettes in her school bag," Mr Askew said.
"We just assumed she had run away to protest against her punishment."
When Eve was first reported missing, members of the public called police to
report sightings of her in New Norfolk, Glenorchy and the Hobart area.
Police have never been able to verify that Eve was definitely at any of those
locations at a particular time.
Mr Askew said the disappearance of Eve destroyed his family.
"Whenever we went out anywhere, the only thing that was on their minds was
looking for Eve.
"As soon as they saw someone with red hair, they would go up to them to check
them out to see if it was Eve, so it was devastating."
Sadly, Eve's parents died in a car crash in 1996 without the answers they had
been searching for.
Case reopens
The case was reopened in 2001 after a tip-off led forensic officers back to the
family property.
Sifting through tons of earth, they combed the yard for her remains but the only
bones located in four separate plots around the old Askew home were chicken
bones.
The lead came from a man who was in custody and, frustrated by the lack of
progress, the police brought him to the property.
They didn't confirm reports that he might have been involved in the teenager's
disappearance and he was later released without charge.
The case then passed onto Colin Riley, the detective inspector who had watched
over the investigation and who more recently moved from the police force to
become president of the Police Association of Tasmania.
While still an inspector, he reopened the case again in 2012 after another new
lead.
"It led to a whole lot of investigative actions, including listening devices,
searches of properties and also digging up of suspected grave sites," Mr Riley
said.
"We conducted quite a large number of excavations, and we actually searched
quite a few houses."
Police believed evidence to solve the 30-year-old mystery was buried at a
property in Karanja, about a 20-minute drive from Eve's family home.
It was previously owned by a man who would now be in his late 60s and media
reports at the time suggested the man had befriended the 14-year-old in the
months before she disappeared.
"There was sufficient material to lead us to believe that this particular person
was involved and, as a result, he had been taken into custody," Mr Riley said.
"We conducted other enquiries and he also assisted us to some extent with those
enquiries while he was in custody."
About 35 police officers and forensic experts searched the property and
an adjourning block at Karanja, as well as the man's home on an isolated
property near Bushy Park.
The focus was on a septic tank, it was dug out and the earth underneath it
searched.
"So, there was material gathered during that process, but to take a matter to a
trial, the burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt," Mr Riley said.
"And then, as a result of those enquiries, he was then released from custody."
Was there a motive?
If Eve did meet with foul play, the question remains: Why?
"So, if we work on the premise that Eve's disappearance was based under
misadventure by other persons, there could be a whole raft of motivations that
sit behind that," Mr Riley said.
"There could be jealousy, there could be anger, there could be sexual
gratification."
There's a $500,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction for the
death or disappearance of Eve.
"To resolve this matter would be very calming for the Askew family, but also I
think for the broader Tasmanian community."
If Eve is dead, her body could be hidden or buried anywhere and, without
information from the public, she may never be found.
The next step in the case will be a coronial investigation, but police continue
to plead with members of the public for new leads to help solve this mystery.
But, for Mr Askew, he just wants to know the truth about what happened to his
sister.
"If there's anyone out there with information about my sister, I have no harsh
judgments against you. I have no ill will against you," he said.
"But I do say this: It's been 30 years and it's time for Eve to get justice."
