This is a partial list of unsolved murders in Australia.
, there are 200 homicide "cold cases" in Victoria according to Victoria Police.
There are 111 cases in South Australia that remain unsolved dating back to the 1950s.
List Year Name of victim/s Location body/ies found Notes1898Michael Murphy, Norah Murphy and Theresa MurphyGatton, QueenslandGatton murders 1902Bertha Schippan Towitta, South Australia Aged 13, murdered at home while her parents were away overnight1917Jim BarclayWonnangatta Valley, East Gippsland, VictoriaFirst victim of the Wonnangatta murders1918John BamfordMount Howitt, VictoriaSecond victim of the Wonnangatta murders1921Chrissie VennNorth Motton, TasmaniaVenn was a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a hollow tree stump. 1931 Arthur Brennan North Fitzroy, Victoria On 12 September 1931, Brennan was shot dead outside his home, at 26 Rowe Street, North Fitzroy, by a burglar, who was trying to get into a neighbour's residence.
Brennan confronted a man he saw standing on the neighbour's verandah. When he tried to make his escape, Brennan blocked his path at the garden gate and the pair then grappled. During the struggle, Brennan was shot in the chest by a small automatic pistol that the intruder had managed to draw from his overcoat with a free arm. Brennan died at the scene. The gunman was chased by two other bystanders but was able to get away.
An investigation revealed that the gunman, likely aged 25 to 30, had earlier been seen scoping the area, and the police were able to get a good description of his appearance.
The police were unable to locate the suspect and after three months had elapsed the City Coroner gave a finding that Brennan had been murdered by a "person unknown".1935James SmithPort Jackson/Sydney harbour, New South WalesPart of the Shark Arm case1935Reginald Holmes Dawes Point, Sydney, New South WalesConnected to the Shark Arm case1952Betty ShanksGrange, Brisbane, Queensland1965Marianne Schmidt and Christine SharrockWanda Beach, Cronulla, Sydney, New South Wales 1966 Allen Geoffrey Redston Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Redston was kidnapped and murdered on 28 September 1966, having disappeared the previous day. Redston's assailant was never caught, and it remains an infamous cold case in Canberra to this day.
Redston headed to a friend's house, planning to spend the day at the Curtin Tip. After waiting for a short period of time, Redston left the area and was not seen again until his body was discovered the next day. The next day, after a search with police dogs, Redston's body was discovered among the reeds in a creek bed in Curtin. He had been bound, strangled, wrapped in carpet, and then moved to the location.
On 27 September 1966, Redston was sent by his mother to buy ice cream for himself and his brother from the local shops. Redston however sent his brother away and headed to his friend's house, planning to spend the day at the Curtin Tip. After waiting for a short period of time, Redston left the area and was not seen again until his body was discovered the next day among the reeds in a creek bed in Curtin. He had been bound, strangled, wrapped in carpet, and then moved to the location.
A manhunt began and quickly turned up the descriptions of two suspects: "a blond-haired youth, aged 13-15", and a young man. Both men were seen with Redston earlier that day, and both were seen leaving the tip where Redston is believed to have been murdered.
No-one was ever officially charged of the crime. 1967 Mima Joan McKim-Hill Biloela, Queensland McKim-Hill was a 21-year-old Australian woman who was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled on 9 March 1967.Clarke, Connie (10 October 2016) Laying murder victim Mima McKim-Hill's ghost to rest , The Sunday Times. Retrieved 30 August 2019.Atkinson, Robert (25 August 2014) MCKIM-HILL, Mima Joan (PDF) , Rewards, Queensland Police Service. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
McKim-Hill left Rockhampton at 8:00am on 9 March 1967, and travelled south to Calliope. Her car was found abandoned at 3:00am the following morning on the Gladstone by-pass road, three kilometres north of Benaraby.
Her body was found on 26 March 1967 at Collard Creek alongside the Dawson Highway, north-east of Biloela, eighty kilometres from where her car had been found.(27 March 1967) Woman's body found in bush , The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
During the investigation, police followed two lines of enquiry.Robinson, Paul (24 March 2010) 1967 murder sparks new forensic testing , ABC News. Retrieved 30 August 2019. They searched for four men seen travelling in the local area in a Ford Customline, but they were never located.(28 March 1967) Hunt for three men in murder , The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 August 2019.Smith, Leighton (9 March 2018) Mysterious witness cracks shocking CQ murder cold case open , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 30 August 2019. In 2011, the police said those men were still of interest. A truck driver carting tallow was also of interest to police during the investigation.
An inquest into McKim-Hill's murder commenced on 6 November 1967 and concluded on 16 January 1968, during which time 26 witnesses gave evidence and a solicitor for the victim's family named a German truck driver as a likely suspect.Siegmeier, Melinda (31 March 2010) Murder Timeline , The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 30 August 2019. 1972 George Ian Ogilvie Duncan Adelaide, South Australia Duncan was an Australian law lecturer at the University of Adelaide who drowned after being thrown into the River Torrens by a group of men believed to be police officers. Around 11.00 p.m. on 10 May 1972, Duncan and Roger James were both thrown into the river and Duncan drowned.How the killing of a gay academic changed Australia, BBCnews, 14 November 2017 . Public debate was so great that Premier Dunstan permitted police commissioner, Harold Salisbury, to call in detectives from New Scotland Yard, London, to investigate the murder. Their report, which has never been made public, led to the crown solicitor announcing on 24 October 1972 that he had decided against proceeding with any prosecution.Wilfrid Prest Wakefield Companion to South Australian History Wakefield Press 2001 Pg 153
On 30 July 1985, former Vice Squad officer Mick O'Shea told The Advertiser newspaper that the group involved were Vice Squad officers and that there was a cover-up to protect them. On 5 February 1986 three former Vice Squad officers, Brian Hudson, Francis Cawley and Michael Clayton, were charged with the manslaughter of Duncan. Cawley and Clayton eventually went to trial in 1988 with both being acquitted of the charges on 30 September after refusing to testify.Gay Rights: South Australian law reform 1859 to 1975 State Library of South AustraliaA look back at the Duncan murder The 7.30 Report ABC 9 May 2002Duncan drowning witness talks Stateline ABC 6 May 2005 A further allegation was later raised that there had been an attempt to influence a juror to find the two officers charged not guilty.Duncan Report "Closed" State Library of South Australia Scan of newspaper article May 1990 Pg 6. A police task force was set up, reporting to Parliament in 1990 that there was insufficient evidence to charge any person with the murder. Repeated calls for a Royal Commission have been ignored. 1975 Shirley Finn South Perth, Western Australia Finn's body was found on Monday 23 June 1975 in her parked Dodge DG Phoenix car near the 9th fairway of the Royal Perth Golf Club, South Perth.Wills, Juliet. Website: Finn murder The state sanctioned murder of Shirley Finn "Shirley Finn—found shot dead" The West Australian, 24 June 1975, p.1,5 Finn's body was slumped behind the wheel with four bullet holes in her head. She wore valuable diamond jewellery which had not been touched.Wills, Juliet "Dirty Girl: The State Sanctioned Murder of Brothel Madam Shirley Finn ", Fontaine Press, Fremantle 2017,
At the time, various rumours regarding the murder attributed it to specific issues relating to prostitution and the way it was being handled by police and government in Perth, but no evidence of this was made public.Whish-Wilson, David. Shirley Finn at davidwhish-wilson.comAdshead, Gary. Cover Story: Shirley Finn – Death of a madam , West Weekend Magazine 17 January 2009, pp.10–15, at davidwhish-wilson.com
The murder, and the implied connections with issues relating to policing of the sex industry, resulted in a Royal Commission being held.Norris, John Gerald (Commissioner) (1976). Report of the Royal Commission into matters surrounding the administration of the law relating to prostitution . Perth: Government of Western Australia On the thirtieth anniversary of the murder a cold-case review of the case was announced.Ambrose, Melanie.(2006) "Cold case." Author Juliet Wills discusses the murder of Finn. Sunday Times (Perth, W.A.), 23 April 2006, STM section, p.10-12 An opinion was canvassed that no solution of the case was likely.Kelly, Jim. (2005) "Lawyer Ron Cannon doubtful Shirley Finn's murderer will be found". Sunday Times (Perth, W.A.), 26 June 2005, p.29 In 2014, another cold-case review was launched by WA Police. The following year, the Corruption and Crime Commission confirmed it had received new information about the murder.
On 6 March 2017, the ABC Television documentary series Australian Story aired a story titled "Getting Away With Murder""Getting Away With Murder ". ABC Television, 6 March 2017. Transcript . which revealed that a coronial inquest would be conducted in 2017.Feller, Jennifer. Shirley Finn murder: Brothel owner threatened to expose alleged lover former WA premier Ray O'Connor . ABC News, 6 March 2017 The inquest commenced on Tuesday 29 AugustTaylor, Grant; Hampton, Shannon. "Sydney hit man Arthur 'Neddy' Smith 'was paid $5000 to kill Shirley Finn' ". The West Australian, 30 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017. The public hearing was adjourned on 20 December 2017 and resumed on 23 July 2018. After a week, it was again adjourned for 6 months, "allowing new leads to be followed up and two scientific investigations to be completed". Coroner Barry King acknowledged limitations but had not given up hope. He urged persons with information to come forward.Farcic, Elle. Shirley Finn inquest adjourned to explore new leads . The West Australian, 27 July 2018, (print version: p.21). Retrieved 6 August 20181976Eloise WorledgeBeaumaris, Melbourne, Victoria 1977 Suzanne Armstrong Susan Bartlett Collingwood, Victoria (Australia) Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett were stabbed to death on 10 January 1977 in their home at 147 Easey Street.
On 15 January 2017 Victoria Police offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or persons responsible.
the crime was unsolved, but in September 2024 a man was arrested in Italy in relation to the murders. 1977 Donald Bruce Mackay Not found (Griffith, New South Wales) Mackay had informed Sydney drug squad detectives of a large crop of marijuana in nearby Coleambally resulting in several arrests and the conviction of four men of Italian descent. At the trial of the arrested men, Mackay was identified as the whistleblower.
On 15 July 1977, Mackay disappeared from the Griffith Hotel car park after having drinks with friends and has never been found. Stains from his blood group were evident on his van and the ground nearby, and his car keys were underneath the van. Nearby were drag marks, hair, and three spent .22 calibre cases.
In 1984, the coroner ruled Mackay had died of "wilfully inflicted gunshot wounds".
In 1986 hitman James Frederick Bazley was charged over the death. Bazley claimed he was innocent, blaming allegedly corrupt former Sydney detective Fred Krahe as the killer, but was convicted of conspiracy to murder Mackay. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.