THE mysterious disappearance and likely murder of two South Australian men, six years apart in the 1990s, is believed to be linked, police say.
Damian Jay CAUCHI
Damian Jay CAUCHI
Last seen in the St. Agnes area, SA in August 1998
Caucasian, 183 cm tall, slim to muscular build, fair freckled complexion, short brown/auburn hair and blue eyes. If anyone has seen this man, or has information regarding his whereabouts, please contact: BankSA Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
WHEN Damian Jay Cauchi left his Mt Gambier home for a city adventure more than a decade ago, he wanted to pursue a career in computer programming.
Instead, Mr Cauchi, then 21, became tangled in Adelaide's drug scene just weeks after his move, then disappeared without a trace.
Mr Cauchi has not been seen nor heard from since August 23, 1998, when he was spotted in St Agnes, in Adelaide's northeastern suburbs.
His father, Jim, spoke publicly six years after the disappearance, saying his son had started a computer programming course but it was believed he had turned to drugs and criminal activities.
At the time of Mr Cauchi's last reported sighting, he was seen with a man who is a suspect in another drug-related murder.
Police have since revealed this man is possibly implicated in the murder of drug dealer Russell Bradshaw, who has been missing since 1992.
In 2004, Major Crime detectives revealed they had information suggesting the two cases might be connected.
It is believed Mr Cauchi and Bradshaw are buried in scrubland at Perponda, 20km northwest of Borrika in the Murray Mallee.
A search of the area in late February 2004 failed to reveal any signs of either body but police would not publicly reveal why they believed both bodies were buried there.
The remains of two young men, presumed murdered in the 1990s, are believed to be in the Murray Mallee region.
Russell Bradshaw, at age 35, and Damien Cauchi, then aged 21, went missing six years apart but police have linked the two during an investigation into the cold cases.
Their remains are believed to be somewhere in the region of Karoonda,
Borrika or Perponda, but finding the exact location has proven to be a
“needle-in-the-haystack” exercise for police.
Police are hoping people with information may finally come forward as the suspects are “getting older and may seem to be less of a threat”.
In 1992, Mr Bradshaw went missing from his home in Salisbury Heights but was
not reported as a missing person until years later.
In 1998, Mr Cauchi who was originally from Mount Gambier went missing from Adelaide.
Acting Senior Sergeant Rod Huppatz said police first believed the incidents
were related in 2003.
“We received information that Mr Cauchi had been associating with one of two
suspects police have for the disappearance and presumed murder of Mr
Bradshaw,” he said.
He said police believed it was possible Mr Cauchi went missing because of
his association with a suspect and the knowledge he had of what happened to
Mr Bradshaw.
“However, there is no suggestion that Mr Cauchi was involved in the murder
of Mr Bradshaw,” he said.
Since the link was discovered, police conducted several unsuccessful
searches around Karoonda for the bodies, believed to be dumped near each
other.
“We don’t give up on these jobs and hopefully someone will now be willing to
come forward with further information,” Mr Huppatz said.
Rewards of up to $200,000 are offered for information about the person, or
people, responsible for these suspected murders.
THE mysterious disappearance and likely murder of two South Australian men, six years apart in the 1990s, is believed to be linked, police say.
Both Russell Bradshaw, 35, and Damien Cauchi, 21, are missing, presumed murdered and the remains of both are believed to be in the Murray Mallee area — somewhere in the region of Karoonda, Borrika or Perponda.
Police believe Mr Cauchi was probably murdered because he learnt something about Mr Bradshaw’s disappearance.
Mr Bradshaw disappeared from his home in Salisbury Heights in February 1992, but his disappearance wasn’t reported to police until many years later.
Police submitted the first Missing Persons report.
“There was a substantial passage of time between his disappearance and police become aware of that,” acting senior sergeant Rod Huppatz, from the SA Police Major Crime Investigation Branch, said.
The second man, Damien Cauchi, disappeared in August 1998 from Adelaide — where he had moved to from Mt Gambier — and was reported missing by his worried parents after he failed to contact them.
“We believe these two murders are linked because we received some information in 2003 that Mr Cauchi had been associating with one of two suspects police have for the disappearance and presumed murder of Mr Bradshaw,” snr sgt Huppatz said.
“We believe it’s a possibility that Mr Cauchi went missing because of his association with that person and possibly because of some knowledge he had regarding what happened to Mr Bradshaw.
“However, there is no suggestion that Mr Cauchi was involved in the murder of Mr Bradshaw.”
Prior to that information being supplied to police, investigators were unaware of the link between the two men.
Since then there have been several unsuccessful searches in the Murray Mallee region for the remains of the two men — whose bodies are believed to have been dumped near to each other, but not in the same exact location.
“It’s a very expansive area and unfortunately it’s needle-in-a-haystack stuff,” snr sgt Huppatz said.
“Although the passage of time hindered us in the beginning of this investigation, it is possible it will help us now.
“We had a slow start in relation to this investigation — we didn’t know these matters were connected until 2003 — and the passage of times changes thing.
“But maybe that will now help us — people may now be willing to come forward. The suspects are getting older may seem to be less of a threat.
“We don’t give up on these jobs and hopefully someone will now be willing to come forward to us with further information.
“I’d ask anyone with information about these to come forward — you can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at Crime Stoppers SA.”
Both of these cold cases are part of the Major Crime-led operation called Persist.
On Monday night, police renewed their appeal for information into the horrific stabbing murder of mother-of-two Suzanne Poll.
Operation Persist is focused on resolving unsolved murder and long-term missing person cases in SA, using a range of strategies including detailed case reviews, the retesting of forensic material, the release of playing cards into SA prisons that highlight the cases, and media coverage of some investigations seeking public help.
Rewards of up to $200,000 have been offered for information leading to the apprehension and/or conviction of the person, or people, responsible for the suspected murders of Mr Cauchi and Mr Bradshaw.
Posted on 01/08/2019
Crimestoppers SA