Murder of Karmein Chan
Karmein Chan was a 13-year-old Chinese-Australian girl who was abducted from her home in Templestowe, Victoria, during the night of 13 April 1991 and was subsequently murdered. "Mr Cruel", a serial child rapist active in the Melbourne area at the time of the murder, is considered the prime suspect.[1]
Karmein Chan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 November 1977 Templestowe, Victoria, Australia |
| Disappeared | 13 April 1991 (aged 13) |
| Died | Victoria, Australia |
| Cause of death | Homicide by gunshot |
| Body discovered | 9 April 1992 Edgars Creek, Thomastown |
| Resting place | Templestowe Cemetery |
| Known for | Murder victim |
Kidnapping
Karmein Chan was at home babysitting her two younger sisters while both her parents worked at a Chinese restaurant they owned in the nearby Melbourne suburb of Eltham.[2] The girls were confronted by a man in a balaclava with a knife, who forced Chan's sisters into a wardrobe before fleeing with Chan.[3] Before leaving, the offender spray-painted "Asian drug deal", "payback" and "more to come" on a vehicle in the Chans' front yard.[3][4] Police suspect this was a ruse to distract them from the killer's real motive.[5] Chan's mother made an emotional plea on television for her daughter's return.
Investigation
Prior to Chan's abduction, there had been several kidnappings and sexual assaults of girls in Melbourne's suburbs by an offender known in the media as Mr Cruel. The Victoria Police had started scaling down Operation Challenge, which had been established in response to the crimes attributed to Mr Cruel, the day before Chan's abduction.[6] Detectives believed that Chan would be released the same as previous girls who had been abducted.[7]
On 6 May 1991, 23 days after Chan's abduction, Victoria Police formed the Spectrum Taskforce to investigate Chan's abduction and to continue Operation Challenge investigations.[8] A reward of $100,000 was offered for information on her abduction.[9]
On 9 April 1992, Chan's remains were found in a landfill area at Edgars Creek in the suburb of Thomastown.[10] The skull had three bullet holes in the back of the head. The body had probably been there for twelve months.[11] On 31 January 1994, the Spectrum Taskforce was disbanded.[12] The offender was never brought to justice.[13] A few detectives had doubts whether Chan was a Mr Cruel victim.[13] An inquest was held in 1997 with the coroner finding that she met her death through foul play, but it was not possible to identify the person or people responsible.[14]
The case has remained open with cold case detectives regularly reviewing the investigation.[15] On the 25th anniversary of her abduction the reward was increased from $100,000 to $1 million.[16][17]
See also
References
- Silvester, John (8 April 2006). "'Mr Cruel' filmed his victims, say police". The Age. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- Heath, Sally (11 April 1992). "Agony and hope of the waiting family". The Age. p. 20. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Catalano, Antony (4 May 1991). "Brutal abductor breeds fear with cruelty". The Age. p. 20. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Daley, Paul; Catalano, Antony (21 April 1991). "A man in dark shatters a happy family". The Sunday Age. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Tobin, Bruce (3 May 1991). "Rumors hurting family, says kidnap girl's father". The Age. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Tobin, Bruce (11 April 1993). "Why Mr Cruel has to be caught". The Age.
- Silvester, John (15 December 2010). "The hunt for Mr Cruel". The Age. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- Tobin, Bruce (28 January 1993). "Police receive 400 calls on kidnap drawings". The Age.
- "Karmein Chan $100,000 award announced 1991". Victoria Police News. Victoria Police Media Unit. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Tobin, Bruce (13 April 1992). "Karmein possibly shot in panic". The Age. p. 4. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Holgate, Ben; Daley, Paul (12 April 1992). "Mr Cruel executed Karmein: police". The Sunday Age. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Tobin, Bruce (30 November 1993). "Taskforce hunting Mr Cruel to wind up". The Age. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Moor, Keith (2 April 2001). "A cruel time on manhunt". Herald Sun.
- Button, Victoria (13 September 1997). "Police keep file open on Karmein". The Age. p. A3. Retrieved 23 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- "New clues in police hunt for 'Mr Cruel'". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2010. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana media briefing Karmein Chan reward. Victoria Police Media Unit (television production). Victoria Police. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- "$1 MILLION REWARD ANNOUNCED ON 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF ABDUCTION AND MURDER OF KARMEIN CHAN". Victoria Police. 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016.
Further reading
- Daly, Martin (13 April 1996). "Cruel legacy". The Age. p. A19. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Delianis, Paul (15 February 1993). "To catch a killer". The Age. p. 11. Retrieved 22 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.