The Jane Doe Murder Mystery

Explicit content warning

11/13/22 • 24 min

Policing Australia: The Official Podcast of the Australian Police Journal

APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay discusses one of the more difficult police investigations he was involved in as a fingerprint expert: the so-called Jane Doe Murder Mystery.

Detectives and support staff spent months trying to identify the body of a young woman, murdered and left abandoned on a suburban street in late 1991. One of the more gruesome elements was a fingerprint found on newspaper that had been forced into the throat/mouth of the victim. The unique circumstances of the murder meant the prints could not be easily identified. Justice was eventually attained, but only after many twists and turns.

Note – explicit content is contained in the podcast, and in the article which is now at www.apjl.com.au

APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay discusses one of the more difficult police investigations he was involved in as a fingerprint expert: the so-called Jane Doe Murder Mystery.

Note – explicit content is contained in the podcast, and in the article which is now at www.apjl.com.au

Previous Episode

Crueller than Murder

Retired Detective Inspector Dennis Bray talks to Jason Byrnes about his high-profile investigation regarding the disappearance and murders of Kerry Whelan and Dottie Davis. Bray’s article, Crueller than Murder, is the feature article of the September 2022 issue of the Australian Police Journal.

Rather than canvassing each step of the investigation, Dennis talks about aspects of the complicated and complex operation – topics discussed include management of the investigation, the work undertaken to find key evidence, the challenges of dealing with the offender (a sociopath) and lessons regarding establishing and maintaining successful relationships between investigators and the families of the victims.

Visit www.apjl.com.au to subscribe to the journal, and to access the article Crueller than Murder.

Host: Jason Byrnes
Guest: Dennis Bray

Next Episode

The Devil in Disguise

The true story of a woman kidnapped from her suburban home and left tied to a tree in bushland, while the offender lazily issued a $500,000 ransom demand. The story is also about the fortunate series of events which led police to rescue the woman before she succumbed to the elements and injuries. Sent to gaol for his horrendous crime, the offender later came to a violent end whilst robbing a second-hand antiques store.

APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay (accompanied at times by some boisterous birds) talks to podcast host Jason Byrnes about ‘the Devil in Disguise’ – his excellent article about the case.

The full article can be read at www.apjl.com.au.