From Myspace to tragedy: A friendship gone wrong | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website this is a story about trust love and
independence the story features three characters a mother her daughter and the daughters suitor the daughters suitor
lives deep inside a very dark cave one day the daughter asked her mother if she could visit this man the mother had
concerns but didn't want to stand in the way of her daughter's happiness so she pulled a thread out from the edge of her
skirt and told her daughter to hold onto it as she made her way into the cave if
for whatever reason she felt in danger all she needed to do was tug on the thread her mother would then pull her
away from her [Music] [Music] Sonia Ryan was 20 years old when she gave birth to her daughter Carly being a
young single mother was not with our struggles but in a unique and special way Sonya felt Carly saved her life she drew
strength for knowing her baby girl needed her no matter how hard things got Carla gave Sonya reason and purpose to
go on this bond between mother and daughter evolved as Carly grew older but never broke only strengthened it was
Mirador quite literally in the striking resemblance the pair border one another it was often remarked that they looked
more like sisters with matching porcelain skin chestnut hair deep brown eyes and a shared sense of style and
interests as she entered adolescence Khali experienced her own struggles guiding her along was her mother's
unconditional love and wisdom Carly told her mum everything the two shared a very
open and honest friendship Sonya supported Carly whilst giving her daughter independence and opportunity to
grow mistakes were inevitable but they were just lessons alone whatever came their way the pair knew they would
always have each other 14 year old Carly Ryan lived with her mother and younger brother in Stirling a
quiet and picturesque hinterland town in South Australia nestled on the southern
edge of Mount Lofty Stirling is the gateway to the sprawling at'll ADL's wine region it's known for its scenic
Main Street organic cafes historic pub and stately old homes alongside striking contemporary architecture yet for all
its charm Carly's hometown didn't offer much excitement for a teenager the population peaked at around two and
a half thousand people and the visitors only really stopped by during autumn to check out the rich colors of the
tree-lined Main Street there were no cinemas shopping malls or music venues and by nightfall most of the shops cafes
and restaurants were closed with adelaide city centre a 16 kilometer bus ride away Sterling's youth were often
left to make their own fun it was mostly her interest in the music and fashion the drew colleague to the
emo subculture that was flourishing at the time the punk inspired subgroup was often associated with dark colors and
themes however Carly fully embraced the spectrum of color in her fashion a reflection of her bright creative and
playful nature she wore Pink's greens and blues in a variety of patterns laid with jewelry into Banta t-shirts
she dyed the front part of her fringe red taste up the back and framed her eyes with eyeliner personality was Carly
was far from the brooding and angsty type often associated with the emo scene she was a fun-loving young girl who
would go out of her way to make others around her smart compassionate and caring carly was always looking out for
her friends asking her mother for advice by saying I'm worried about my friend what can I do she'd often tell her mum
to take a break from housework just so the two could put on some music and dance around together Sonya was only in
her early 30s affording her a genuine sense of relatability to her teenage daughter
by 2006 the internet was branching out from its infancy into a sprawling seemingly Angelus place of entertainment
knowledge and experiences although the internet had a long way to go to become the fully accessible and influential
resource it is today it was fast becoming a staple on many home computers the seeds of online powerhouses and
social media hangouts Facebook YouTube Reddit and Twitter were planted by 2006 but had yet to evolve at the time
myspace was the biggest social media platform in the world surpassing even Google that year as the most visited
website the site often uses a platform to submit blogs photos music and video some personalised profiles shared to
their network of friends it quickly drew in a younger generation looking to make
connections far beyond to the borders of their hometowns there was still a lot yet to learn about the internet and what
lurked within it but users approached it with naive optimism as did the older generations who were coming to grasp
this unquantifiable thing that seemed to like the work of science fiction like her peers
Carly Ryan found herself drawn to spending time online where there was always something to do or someone to
talk to sitting at the family computer in the kitchen of her home Carly scrolled through forums dedicated to her
interests chatted with friends through MSN Messenger and posted selfies taken with her digital camera Sonya would
often look over her daughter's shoulder as Carly spent countless hours pursuing her favorite sites and exchanging
messages back and forth with friends for Sonya knowing Carly was just in the other room
tapping away on the keyboard came with a sense of relief stranger danger was associated with the
outside world where it was visible brash and sudden the online world seemed the safer option where threats could easily
disappear at the press of an off button Carly spent a lot of time on her MySpace
page a digital art space she covered in photos of herself lyrics from her favorite songs and art that resonated
with her it was online where Carly's friends introduced her to a user going by the name of corrupt koala corrupt
koala had been chatting with mutual friends of Carly and they had come to know him well he was 18 year old Brendan
Kane are born and raised the taxon who now lived in South Australia's neighboring state Victoria Kylie was
quick to learn she had a lot in common with Brandon the pair bonded over similar interests including their mutual
love for music Brandon was a musician himself and played the guitar he carried himself as a bit of a rebel but with a
soft emotional edge just like the musicians Carly admired she was fascinated by his American background
and how we talked of travelling between his two homes Australia and the USA Brandon was older more mature and a
well-traveled offering Carly advice and support when he remarked that she was cute carly was giddy over the following
months brendan became only person in Carly's entire life not just her on line one they exchanged email addresses
Instant Messenger accounts phone numbers and were chatting every single day in the days before smartphones video calls
weren't come in place but Brandon sent Carly webcam footage of him on the computer whilst the two message to each
other that was as close as possible to seeing him in the flesh for Sonya hearing about the young musician Carly
befriended online didn't immediately alarm her but she did find her daughter's sudden infatuation of him
strange Sonya glimpse to the images and footage Brandon was sharing of himself there he was tapping away at his
computer keyboard a young man exactly is Kali described Sonya's apprehension subsided but she used her own myspace
profile to keep an eye on the pair one of Callie's closest friends had recently started a relationship with a
boy she'd originally met online Carly witnessed the couple together admiring the joy and happiness the pair
emanated seeing an online relationship work out in the real world and wanting the same thing for herself
Carly embarked upon an online romantic relationship with Brandon Brendon was equally eager to be Carly's boyfriend
not wanting to stand in the way of Carly's happiness Sonia accepted the relationship she felt her teenage
daughter was looking for confidence and validation and found it in the sweeping thrill of her first romance the young
couple were in constant contact expressing their love for one another eventually they started to make plans
for the future together Carly's face lit up whenever she spoke of Brandon to friends and he became accepted as a part
of her life their online social media pages were covered in affectionate messages to each other all that remained
was for them to finally meet in person it was something Carly was incredibly eager to do but Brandon lived an 80 hour
drive away in a different state making plans to do so difficult by late January 2007 Carly and Brandon had been in
contact for 18 months with her 15th birthday coming up Carly saw the opportunity of meeting Brandon in person
as the best gift she could ask for she invited Brandon to her upcoming birthday party occurring at her family home in
Sterling however Brandon was quick to shut down her proposal revealing he was going to
be in the United States at the time and to thus unable to attend Colly was clearly upset coincidentally
Brandon explained his father Shane would be driving through Adelaide for work at
the time of Carly's party Brendan asked if his father could stop by her place and deliver birthday gifts on his behalf
[Music] previously Brendon had introduced his father Shane to Cali through MySpace
Shane was a former SAS commando who nel worked as a security guard for celebrities he'd once told Cali about
his experiences working for goth rock musician Marilyn Manson and being a fan she was impressed Kylie was happy to
interact with Shane and build a relationship with him being close to Brandon's family made karlie feel a part
of his life Shane was supportive or be young couple and seemed to have their best interests at heart when Callie
asked her mother if Shane could attend her birthday party Sonya was unsure motherly instincts kicked in
she didn't know Shane well and was hesitant for a man she considered a little more than a stranger to come to
her house Carly told Sonya everything she knew about Shane assuring her mother he was a good guy adding to his
genuineness was Shane's work as a security guard to celebrities a role that would only be given to someone
trustworthy nevertheless Sonia could hear the faint sound of alarm bells ring in the back of
her mind she considered our layout if Shane was a predator Carly quickly disregarded the suggestion telling her
mother she was being gross after impassioned begging from her daughter Sonia permitted Shane to come to the
party on one condition he would have to meet Sonia in a public place first it seemed like the safest option she wanted
to get a better feel for the guy before letting him near her family Shane happily agreed to the made-up in
the days leading up to the party Sonia met Shane on the Main Street of Stirling he was a fairly unremarkable man in his
late 40s with slightly balding hair a beer belly crooked teeth and hunched shoulders he explained he was in the
area for work a statement backed up by the polo shirt he wore that bore the logo of his security company
he was doing Brandon a favor of delivering birthday gifts to Carly but thought it was a good idea that he
finally meet the family of his sons affection Sonya asked to see some form of identification
Shane gladly handed over his security badge confirming his name address and occupation any doubt Sonya had about the
man was quickly overshadowed by authentic evidence proving he was everything he claimed to be she felt he
was friendly enough and Shane was happy to oblige to Sonya's request to qualm all her concerns about him as Shane
didn't have a hotel booking Sonya graciously invited him to stay at her place for the duration of his trip it
only seemed too right considering their children were dating when Shane met other members of the Ryan family he got
along fine with everyone Carly was most excited to meet him as she was his direct connection to Brandon he handed
over the birthday gifts his son had gotten for her she opened them later discovering Brandon had purchased her
lingerie and de nurse's outfit they weren't items Carly had asked for but she was happy to receive them as
Brandon wanted her to have them it appeared Shane was eager to make a good impression on Carly on Brendan's
behalf in the days leading up to the party he took her shopping at rundle mall in
Adelaide City sharing her with over $400 worth of gifts including t-shirts bags underwear a corset and fancy dress
costumes anything Carly wanted Shane would get fur at one clothing store a shop assistant suggests that Carly go
try on some clothing she was eyeing Shane followed Carly to the change room and the shop assistant witnessed him
peering over the door watching Carly inside the assistant thought it was weird but Carly didn't seem outwardly
fazed by the action on the night of January 26 2007 Shane joined Carly's friends and family members in
celebrating her 15th birthday at her home everything started off smoothly and Carly and her guests were having a great
time but as the night wore on Shane started exhibiting noticeably strange behavior at one point Carly was talking
to an old friend who happened to be her ex-boyfriend when Shane found out he got
visibly agitated and behaved in a way others could only describe as a tantrum he later informed Carly he called and
spoke to Brandon on the phone about her behavior Brendon expressed that he wasn't happy
Carly was talking to her ex Shane warned her to stay away from him and Carly wanting to keep her boyfriend happy
agreed to the demand Shane's behavior towards other guests also became increasingly inappropriate
he made other teenage girls uncomfortable when encouraging them to kiss each other in front of him
even demanding Colleague kissed one of her friends causing the girls to label him as creepy another party goer
overheard Shane tell Carly I love you I would never let anything happen to you you're beautiful
motivated to maintain a good relationship with the man she saw as her future father-in-law
Carly appeared to brush away any concerns she or others felt about Shane armed with mother's intuition Sonya
still had her doubts Shane had been around for a few days now and despite accepting the man into her home she felt
herself constantly on guard she tolerated him but with great caution she was willing to give him the benefit of
the doubt to make Carly happy and keep the peace but never felt she could fully trust him the morning after the party
Sonya walked past her daughter's bedroom she peered inside to check on Carly and
was horrified to discover Shane was laying on her daughter's bed beside her they appeared asleep and although he was
fully clothed than lying on top of the sheets the scene was enough to deeply disturb Sonya there was absolutely no
excuse for it the man had crossed the boundary all of Shane's peculiarities flashed through
Sonja's mind now with sinister undertones like the way his gaze lingered on her teenage daughter
whenever they were together it was enough to make Sonya skin crawl she was convinced Shane was a predator enraged
Sonya demanded Shane leave her house telling him he was no longer welcome and he was no longer to have any contact
with Carly Shane puffed up and got aggressive defending himself against what Sonya was
employing he stormed through the house and grabbed his bag leaving quickly in anger Carly was incredibly upset by the
events unfolding crying and begging her mum to reconsider she cared so passionately about Brandon and worried
the fight between their parents would jeopardize their relationship Sonya told her daughter firmly Carly something
isn't right about this something doesn't feel right at that moment something seemed to click
in Carly's mind she sat down at the kitchen table a little bit her mother and said okay mom after things had
calmed down Carly broke down and confided in her mum revealing Shan had unbuckled her pants
lifted her top and touched her inappropriately he had also propositioned her for sex
explaining that Brendon wouldn't mind if they did it Carly accepted the man was a
crepe but one had Sonya to talk things through with him to quash any conflict for hers and Brandon's sake but the news
of Shane's perversions far outweighed her daughter's teen romance Sonya just wanted to keep carly safe and away from
shame she obtained two Shane's email address and sent him a heated message once again warning him to stay away from
her daughter or she would notify police about what he did to Carly she received a response from Shane's email he wrote
[ __ ] please that email was so full of lies in PSA and I am disgusted that someone of a reasonable intelligence
could believe such crap to be true the things you caught me were totally defaming and I have forwarded the email
on to my solicitor for further action I sincerely hope you have insurance against the lawsuits you will need it
all we're going to court as a decorated SAS officer well you will go in as a [ __ ] determined to keep Shane from
contacting Carly Sonya temporarily confiscated Carly's mobile phone computer and internet access it worked
to their relief they didn't hear from him as far as Sonya knew Shane had taken her warning seriously it was unknown
whether or not Brandon was told what his father did to cally during his stay at the Ryan house despite the actions of
his father Carly still had feelings for her boyfriend she still hoped they would
someday meet so she could clear things up between them less than one month later at midday on February 19 2007
Carly told her mum she was going to catch a bus into the city to meet up with friends Carly made the trip in to
Adelaide often to go shopping around to the Rundle more precinct and hang out with friends in the surrounding park
lands afterwards she told her mother she would spend the night at a friend's place
Carly put on a leopard print dress with a pair of black wedge heels she grabbed her navy blue duffle bag filling it with
necessities for her sleepover this included a change of clothes a can of hairspray her purse mobile
phone and a tube of lip balm throughout her preparations she stopped to give her
mum four separate hugs Sonya noticed her daughter had a funny expression on her face that morning a
look that she didn't recognize Carly wasn't her typical cheerful self before she left at about 4 p.m.
Carly rushed over to give her mum one final big hug her hold was noticeably tight when she did pull away tally
headed to the front door as she skipped off the veranda Carly called out love you mum
the following morning on February 20 the phone rang at the Ryan household Sonya answered the caller explained they had
found a purse left on the footpath of a southern suburb of Adelaide assuming it was a piece of lost property they looked
inside for a form of ID and found a phone number which rang through is Sonya Ryan a sense of nervous panic prickled
throughout Sonya's body the purse was Carly's the suburb Carly's purse was found in was not an area the teenager
frequented and there was nowhere near where she told her mum she was going to spend the night if Carly had planned to
go there she would have been upfront about it Carly wasn't one to lie to her mother
Sonya try calling Carly's mobile phone but there was no answer she knew Carly had her phone on her when
she left the house the day before in fact Sonya received a text message from Carly the night before that red
momma may okay everything's good Sonya contacted Carly's friends only to discover her daughter hadn't gone to the
city to meet with who she said nor did she spend the night at any of their houses they had no idea where Carly was
panic washed over Sonya and she called the police to report her daughter as a missing person
at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of February 20 Kim Gordon was enjoying a walk in her
seaside hometown of port Elliott on the Florio Peninsula of South Australia located 80 kilometres from Adelaide CBD
put Elliott is a popular beach town frequented by holidaymakers and surfers its most well known for its swimming
Beach Horseshoe Bay a secluded stretch of pristine coast framed by two granite outcrops and surrounded by picnic areas
it was a long horseshoe bay where Kim took a leisurely early-morning walk as she trudged the sandy stretch the Sun
rose over the distant horizon she noticed something in the water there was a young female facedown in the shallows
panicked Kim needed help to pull the girl from the water she called out for help but there was no one around she
sprinted to a nearby car park and found a local fisherman Ian Slade Ian rushed down to the shoreline and
jumped into the ocean to pull the girl from the waves the clothing on the young woman was in disarray and she had
numerous bruises and lacerations to her neck face and arms Ian and Kim attempted to resuscitate the
girl as an ambulance was called when paramedics arrived they quickly realized there was a little they could do the
young lady was pronounced dead her body which contained to no form of identification was labeled by police as
Jane Doe given the extent of the injuries foul play was immediately suspected and a taskforce was quickly
established police were quick to piece together Sonya Ryan's call about her missing
daughter and the unknown deceased female found in Horseshoe Bay Sonya Ryan opened
her front door to be greeted by the police one had tears rolling down his face and she immediately knew he came
bearing bad news they informed her that a body matching the description of her daughter had washed up on a secluded
beach in Porter Lea about one hour's drive from stirling sonya positively identified Jane Doe as her baby girl
Carly an autopsy revealed Carly suffered 19 different injuries including between six
and eight around her head likely caused by fists or a blunt object she was found wearing different clothing
to those which she had left her home in the day prior her tracksuit pants were inside-out and although her bra was on
correctly it appeared hastily clipped together the lower clasp of the strap was undone her
underwear had been removed and was found nearby tangled up in belt suspenders cause of death was determined as
drowning as a result of craniofacial trauma the presence of sand in Carly's lungs suggested her assailant suffocated
her facedown in the sand before dumping her unconscious body in the ocean where she eventually drowned experts concluded
that Carly may have still been alive just half an hour before she was discovered police searched the shoreline
rocky outcroppings and jetty and divers searched the water some items of jury belonging to Carly were found at a
nearby lookout area known as Freeman's not none of Carly's friends could provide any answers as to why Carly we
end up in Port Elliott nor did they have ideas who she may have met there some suggested Carly had been hanging out
with the new group of people ones they didn't know and perhaps you drove down to the coast
with that police information booths were set up in Port Elliott in the nearby town of Victor Harbor the public were
urged to come forward with any information that could help identify Carly's movements on the night of her
death detectives spent hours analyzing local CCTV footage taken the day of Carly's death in hopes to track her
final journey in footage collected from the nearby seaside tourist town of Victor Harbor they spotted Carly in the
presence of two men outside the Crown Hotel the trio were then spotted an efficient ship shop and later at a local
subway food outlet a worker at the fish-and-chip shop remembered the group stopping by the older men with Carly
asked for advice on a good place to have a drink the worker suggested horseshoe bay the same man also visited a
supermarket as he purchased a pack of cigarettes he asked the cashier a similar question about a place to have a
drink the cashier also recommended horseshoe bay - port Elliott locals Benjamin and Donna went swimming at
Horseshoe Bay at 8:30 p.m. that night the pair record a girl matching Carly's description sitting on a rock on the
sandy shoreline with over two men one looked older than the other the younger male wore all black clothing and a black
hat the older male wore baggy denim jeans and a red shirt they were both clean-shaven and had
short dark hair Benjamin and Donna sat just meters from where Carly and the two men were talking but they couldn't hear
the conversation around 9:45 p.m. Benjamin and Donna left the beach when they reached the steep steps leading up
and away from the shoreline the older man with Carly flushed her tortured them asking are you all right police pressed
forward on identifying the two men seen with Carly the South Australian electronic crime unit investigated
Carly's online presence looking for links between her murder and her digital profile
she may have had online contact with her killer or killers at the time of her death Carly had three different myspace
profiles but only one was visible to the public she last logged on to the site the day before her body was found her
profile page had since become a virtual memorial covered with grief-stricken messages from France some read we will
all miss you Carly for all the times that we spent together and all the laughs we shared you cheered us up when
we were having bad days and you always showed us the bright side of everything you were such a wonderful person
and you will forever live on in our hearts and memories rest in peace Carly you are an amazing girl and always
managed to make me smile you will be missed by everyone who ever had the privilege to meet you
I love you today I woke up hoping it was all a dream but it did happen I saw the
newspaper today your pretty face was on the cover I just started crying as investigators scroll through Carly's
online content searching for clues the media were doing the same Carly's myspace profile was full of
artistic expression related to the emo subculture she was engaged in including dark imagery in text the media were
quick to take the content out of context and paint a picture of Carly that was far from the outgoing bubbly teen she
was they made unproven connections between the emo subculture and Carly's death and in the harshest of cases found
a way to blame her interest in the scene for her death hungry for salacious information reporters camped outside the
gates of Carly school morning students were confronted with prying questions as journalists digged into Carly's personal
life determined to find any sliver of information that would create a striking headline the scrutiny became so intense
the media were officially told to get off the property and stop harassing students
meanwhile police were informed of the presence of a light blue car with Victoria state registration plates seen
by witnesses in Port Elliott and Victor Harbor the day Kali was there it was also spotted parked on the cliffs
overlooking Horseshoe Bay the night before Carly's body was discovered a security guards ID was noticed on the
passenger-side dashboard it was 11 days after Carly's body was found when police
raided a home located in rosebud West on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula approximately 75 kilometers southeast of
Melbourne CBD parked out front was the light blue car they had been searching for inside they found a 48 year-old Gary
Newman Newman was well known to Carly Ryan and her family but they knew him by a different name
Shane Shane was the father of Carly's online boyfriend Brendan Kane in reality Shane was
actually the alter-ego of Gary Numan a divorced father of three when police arrived to arrest him in
relation to Carly Ryan's murder Newman was sitting at the computer he was logged into an online chatroom
and conversing with a 14-year old girl in Perth Western Australia as for Brandon Cain Carly's boyfriend whom she
had been speaking with for 18 months prior he didn't exist Brandon was nothing more than another
construct of Gary Numan who hid behind the persona online to groom young girls for 18 months
Newman methodically strung together an intricate web of lies to manipulate Carly Rowan people embodied her with
messages from the fictitious Brandon an identity he designed specifically to attract a collie mimicking her own
interests and playing on her personal insecurities and vulnerabilities Newman went to great lengths to keep up the
charade even the webcam footage believed to be Brandon typing at his computer - Carly who was faked by Newman it was
just looped footage she had edited together of someone else the security company he claimed to work
for was also a fabrication Newman had not only created a fake ID to play the part but even went so far as to say the
fake company's logo onto Apollo shirt he wore it when meeting Sonya for the first
time to uphold the lie his deception was so intricately layered Newman had literally thought of everything
even when Sonya had her doubts about him he was always one step ahead controlling
the situation with more convincing lies all executing the search of Newman's home
police found computer disks and hard drives with thousands of images of child pornography Newman had kept thorough
records of over 200 fake online profiles he created to groom young girls pages and pages of notebooks were filled with
details of all his fake identities and phony accounts including fake names mobile phone numbers social media pages
and the passwords associated with each one police were astounded they had never seen such a large-scale and elaborate
setup before the deep dive into Newman's online identity revealed Karly was not the first girl he had preyed upon he
previously visited a 14 year old girl in America whom he had also groomed online
using a false identity he had referred to her in messages as his princess and wife she turned to down his advances
upon discovering the truth [Music] then prior to meeting Karly Newman arranged to meet another victim in Hong
Kong this time using the alias of Nash yet that 14 year old girl never showed up to their pre planned meeting Newman
was infuriated according to witness statements he promised he would get revenge on the girl saying he would
leave her looking like package to me phone and internet records proved human was in contact with Carly four months
prior to her death on the day after her death Neumann logged into Shane's MySpace page and purged all interactions
posted there between himself and Carly Brendan's myspace account was fully deleted but it was able to be recovered
and messages between Carly and Newman pretending to be Brandon were exposed Shane's MySpace page had only four
friends listed only three were visible one was Carly a second was a girl named JD into the third was a close friend of
Carly of the same age police believed Neumann hadn't targeted Carly specifically evidence suggests that he
had attempted to Groo in various girls from Carly's Friendship Circle failing one attempt he moved on to another and
kept making his way through his pool of potential targets until he snared someone Carly
Brendan was Nieman's blank canvas whom he designed to appeal to whichever go he was attempting to groom at the time he
scrolled through Kylie's online profiles noting her interests and favorite bands
making them Brendan's also one of Charlie's friends pursued by Brandon was Ashley she stated quote we would talk
about normal stuff like what we did during the day and then he would bring up sex stuff I wouldn't talk like that
and I didn't go along with it that's when he said I was boring when Ashley posted a picture on her
profile page featuring Carly Newman narrowed in on his new target he told Ashley he thought Carly looked hot
and asked for her email address handwritten notes by Newman were found in his home they were titled Adelaide
[ __ ] with Carly's contact details crawled beneath alongside them he had written
the words rest in peace Carly investigators believed after Neumann had been kicked
out of the Ryan house here a established contact with Carly through his Brandon persona to bypass Sonya's attempts to
stop him from contacting Carly Newman would call the home phone while song it was at work using Brandon Newman tricked
Carly into meeting him the night of her death he convinced her to lie to Sonya about where she was really going that
night Carly shed an open and honest relationship with her mum that was forced to break that trust under the
impression it was worth it to meet the love of her life in reality Newman was luring her to a
secluded location that she was unfamiliar with where he knew he could be alone with her the nice base profile
Newman used to pose as Brandon's father Shane contained a short bio providing a glimpse into the men behind the mask it
read I may not be a kid anymore but I tend to act much younger than I am and to never ever call this a midlife
crisis to me there is no such thing all throughout our lives we're going through
changes even people in their late teens and early 20s do it's called evolution I
am or thriving self-opinionated and this annoys some people but they can either live with it or hate it either
way they are not going to change me I may not be a kid anymore but I tend to act much younger than I am
I do go for women somewhat younger than me usually someone sexually adventurous he described himself as having tattoos
multiple piercings and that he was a former military commander trying to get his security license back off to some
financial disasters and years of traveling the world he mentioned having custody of a beautiful and loving son
that no one could ever take away from him that son was a 17 year old who was also arrested in Newman's home in
relation to Carly Ryan's murder he had recently been returned to Newman's custody after years in the foster care
system he was identified as being the younger male last seen with Carly on the night she was murdered
due to the fact he was underage at the time of Carly's death his full identity was protected and his name wasn't
publicly released evidence was discovered that put both men at the crime scene sand was found on shoes
belonging to both Newman and D son tests of the sand grains and shell fragments resulted in a match for the sand at
Horseshoe Bay furthermore the sand on Victoria's coastline when human and his son lived was completely different
proving the sand on their shoes came from the crime scene witnesses around Victor Harbor were also able to
positively identify Newman's son in a lineup as one of the men with Carly the afternoon of her murder after the
arrests were made a memorial was held for Carly in the tranquil grounds of Centennial Park around 150 friends and
family attended Sonya Ryan described her daughter as special loving caring humorous strong gifted and unique
whilst the waiting trial Gary Numan asked fellow inmates where the salt water destroyed DNA and queried whether
they ever tried putting clothes on a dead weight he wrote to relatives requesting nay provide him with a false
alibi at the time of Carly's murder the trial began nine hundred and sixty five days after Carly Ryan's body was found
on October 19 2009 Gary Numan and is now 19 year old son stood trial in the Adelaide Supreme Court both pled not
guilty before proceedings began supreme court judge justice Trish Kelly declared
all evidence of Newman's predatory pursuit of other underaged victims to be inadmissible and prejudicial this was an
act to keep the jury focused purely on evidence related to Carly from the very beginning Newman made it clear he wasn't
going to make it an easy trial he took the stand in January 2010 his testimony full of lies and conflicting stories
initially he blamed his obsession with the internet on bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders that
caused him to go off for no reason and stupid things he said he had since been medicated and become a better person he
justified his hundreds of fake identities as smart stating he had taken expert advice and used bogus names when
interacting online to avoid identity theft he also claimed the 200 false identities he created were research for
a book he was writing about the Internet Newman insisted he only had a parental relationship with Carly he considered
himself a stepfather figure to her providing her with advice and chatting about movies and music
he claimed he always related well to young people but it did not manifest into a sexual attraction despite
admitting he found a Carly attractive Newman quickly added that he was asexual and therefore felt no sexual interest to
anyone the prosecution referred to the lingerie and fancy dress costumes Newman had
gifted Carly for her birthday demonstrating that he did in fact Harbor a sexual interest in her furthermore
Newman displayed sexual jealousy during Carly's birthday party becoming angry when seeing her interacting with her
ex-boyfriend when Sonia Ryan took the stand she revealed to the court how Carly had disclosed to Newman's
inappropriate behavior whilst he visited the Ryan household faced with the indisputable CCTV footage showing Newman
his son and a colleague together on the afternoon of her murder Newman was forced to admit he was with Carly the
night of her death Newman explained that he drove Carly and his son to a party in Port Elliott later
in the night Carly refused his offer of a lift back home so he and his son left without her
according to Newman's story Carly was alive and well when they left her on the beach and returned to Victoria they
didn't learn about her death until three days later Newman also claimed that the
co-accused his son was the sole creator and operator of the bread and fake identity
according to Newman news of Carly's death had broken his heart he told the court he had called Crime Stoppers with
information a claim that was proven to be false it was clear to prosecutors that Newman
lied with ease and without guilt even when his deception was obvious to others he dodged and waved around the evidence
presented shaping a narrative that he was a sacrificial lamb to his son only taking responsibility for the murder so
that his son wouldn't have to spend his life behind bars yet k evidence at the trial by another of Newman's sons gave
jurors a stock look into the man's true behavior Newman's older son testified that Newman was furious after returning
home from Carly's birthday party when Sonia had kicked him out Newman told his son's that he wanted to go on holiday
back to Adelaide before commenting that he was going to fix Carly up Newman wanted them to help him kill her his
sons didn't really believe he was capable of murder so they shook it off as an empty threat
nevertheless his oldest son was shocked and disturbed at the mere suggestion he moved out of the house shortly after
leaving behind a heated letter to his father deterring him from hurting others Newman's oldest son was shocked to learn
a few days later that Newman had convinced his seventeen-year-old younger brother to go to Adelaide Carly was
reluctant to have anything to do with her she knew was Shane Newman knew she wouldn't go somewhere with Shane alone
he needed Brendan to be real to coax Carly to go with him the part of Brendan was played by his teenaged son
upon his return to Melbourne Newman bragged to his oldest son about the crime Newman showed off his discolored
knuckles and asked today's look Bruce to you he boasted that he'd done the job and confessed he punched Carly in the
face pushed her into the sand killed her and threw her into the water in an outrageous display in court Neumann
constantly argued with his lawyer his lawyer actually tried to resign from the case on two separate occasions as he
thought Newman was intentionally hindering his efforts at a fair trial as the end of the trial journey and
inhumans sensed things weren't going his way he suffered an apparent seizure after he was labeled a lawyer his
behavior and demeanor started to change and he was put under suicide watch the co-accused Newman's son was more
cooperative he confessed to a social worker while in juvenile detention admitting he and his father met up with
Carly and had taken her to the beach using the mask of Brendan his father tricked Carly into meeting them telling
her not to tell her mother as Shane would be there and Sonya would never agree to it Carly was convinced to meet
when Brennen stated that Shane was just giving him a lift to Adelaide and if he didn't take it then they couldn't be
together Newman's son had only been in his father's custody for less than a month
when he was invited to go to Adelaide to play the part of Brandon the son revealed that as the group sat and
talked on the sandy shore of Horseshoe Bay his father made an advance of Carly once again when she got up and started
to walk away Newman stood and jumped on her from behind pushing her into the sand and punching her in the head with
Kylie incapacitated Newman continued his attack Numan son admitted he hoped his father
cover up the crime they even sent the text message to Sonia Rowan from Kylie's mobile firing after her death pretending
to be Kaali they wrote that everything was fine finally accepting there was no way out of his web of lies Neumann
admitted he did attack Carly but insisted that he had no intention of killing her however his fate was sealed
when I was revealed a fingertip of a latex Club containing his DNA he was found at the crime scene this proved the
murder was premeditated as he arrived to the meetup prepared with equipment necessary to cover up his crime for 12
weeks the jury were told of the elaborate laws Neumann maintained in order to win the heart of Carly Ryan
they heard about the extraordinary lengths he went to to uphold the fictitious character of Brandon Kane
Gary Numan showed no reaction when the court found him guilty of Carly Ryan's murder he was sentenced to life in
prison with a non-parole period of 29 years upon sentencing justice Trish Kelley said to Newman quote it was a
terribly cruel thing you did to this beautiful impressionable 14 year old child I say child because that is what
she was in love with the idea of the handsome musically inclined and her other exotic Brandon Kane we spent
Christmas in the United States and was coming home via Paris to be with her the real man was an overweight balding
middle-aged pedophile with sex and murder on his mind when your deception came unraveled and unstuck you killed
her leaving in your wake a devastated and inconsolably grief-stricken mother family and friends
after the sentencing Sonya Ryan said quote I hope that he suffers that he rots from the inside out and he sees
Carly's face every morning and he's haunted for the rest of his miserable life this has been a big media circus
but people need to remember Carly was a real person a baby a toddler a child a teenager who did nothing wrong but to
trust the trader it couldn't be proven just how much of a participant Newman's son was in the lead-up to Carly's murder
the prosecution argued the fake myspace page associated with fictitious Brandon was operated by both Newman and his son
either in conjunction or at different times it was also pulled forward that the two
other private myspace accounts linked to Carly were actually set up and run by Newman himself as a means to speak with
her directly and without the knowledge or notice of others unable to determine the extent of Newman's son's plot or
participation in the murder of Carly the jury acquitted him of both murder and manslaughter they couldn't find him
guilty of a lesser offense such as assisting an offender because he was never charged with that
crime Newman nodded and smiled when his son was acquitted as his son male thank you to the jurors the outside court his
lawyer said his client was relieved and too wanted to go back to his hometown and get on with his life at the time of
the trial there had been a suppression order in place concealing the identities of both Newman and his son from the
public news publication the advertiser later revealed they fought to have the identities of Carly's killers publicized
as the public had a right to know they were able to strike a bargain with the Supreme Court who lifted the order
hiding Newman's identity his name and face were quickly circulated throughout media outlets however as his son was
acquitted his identity suppression order was maintained journalist Sean Fewster wrote an article
on Carly's death for the advertiser titled the masked murderer into the girl whose death changed the Internet in it
he stated quote the boy's identity was forever consigned to the vault of South Australian state secrets that meant the
advertiser could not link him years later to a series of grotesque sexual offending committed elsewhere nor could
it report on the circumstances of those crimes each of which horrifyingly mirrored the events preceding Carly's
death once his identity was publicly revealed Newman's ex-wife came forward further exposing him as a violent sexual
deviant for the ten years of their marriage she lived in fear of Newman who would lash out at her with rage fueled
bashings at any slight perceived indiscretion she recalled the time he left her bloody when she wanted to go
shopping with a friend the beating was interrupted by the woman's mother who called a doctor when the doctor asked
the woman if Newman had harmed a human crushed her hand to keep her silent the doctor didn't report it furthermore his
ex-wife revealed Newman liked extreme pornography featuring young women dressed as schoolgirls and it once plied
a girl with alcohol in an attempt to rape her she claimed to the Newman's true identity was ignored by his family
friends police doctors hospital staff in the courts Newman subsequently appealed
his conviction on several grounds one of those claimed Sonja Rowan should not have been allowed to give evidence at
trial as he believed conversation she had with Carly where he say including the one where Carly revealed she had
been inappropriately touched in April 2011 his appeal was rejected judges believed it was important that
jury be provided with context about events leading up to the murder and evidence that Newman intended to kill
Carly was still overwhelming without Sonya Ryan's testimony Carly Ryan was the first Australian to be murdered by
an online predator a day doesn't pass with the arts anya thinking of her daughter quiet
you can imagine from a mother's perspective I asked myself constantly how could not say that she was in so
much danger the man of depravity in controlling the lengths she went through to get hold of her I was no match for
that he used her best qualities to lure her to her death the murder of her daughter left Sonia shattered since her
birth Carly had given Sonia a reason to live now that she was gone Sonia struggled to go on Sonia Ryan
quote when everything happened to Carly there was a lot being cooled into some kind of black abyss that Gary Numan had
created I can't sit in that space because it's sitting in her suffering and it would just dissolve my soul I
think what people don't realize is the trauma and I wouldn't want them to realize
unfortunately these crimes continue to happen Carly suffered terribly at the hands of
a monster with no remorse where does that leave me as her mother that leaves me in a position to either
die or find the strength somewhere from within to fight fight not only for Carly
but fight for every single young person that is online trying to make connections I believe this is what Carly
would want me to do determined for her daughter's death not to be in vain Sonia established the Carli Ryan
Foundation a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting Internet safety Sonia has worked tirelessly for over a
decade educating schoolchildren families in the community about the dangers of online
interaction and providing support counseling and political advocacy her efforts earned her the title of 2013
South Australian of the Year Sonia Ryan quote the Internet is an amazing tool for education in the
communication but we have to be aware of the dangers that compose as well Carli story reminds us that not everyone
online is who they say they are and that we need to question what we're told not
just accepted and trusted in June 2017 after a vigorous crusade at both state and federal level
Carly's law was passed into the commonwealth Criminal Code by the Australian Government the new law makes
it a crime for an adult to use a carriage service to plan prepare cause harm to or engage in sexual activity
with a minor it carries a 10-year maximum prison term for offenders the first arrest under
Karly's law was made just a few weeks later in May 2000 18 Carly's law was further strengthened in South Australia
a tougher version of the law was passed making it illegal for a person to lie about their age in an attempt to meet a
child even if they don't intend to commit a crime against the child after Carly's law was enacted a
patchwork quilt made from the teenagers favorite clothes was hung up on a wall in Parliament House each piece of fabric
is in the shape of a heart a colorful display of reds greens blues pinks and whites in polka dots stripes
and checkered patterns at its center is the largest heart made from a green fabric with white dots cutting out from
what was once Carly's favorite dress she wore it during a mock wedding she once had with a friend just a fun and silly
day she looked back on with joy after the Memorial Quilt was unveiled Sonya Ryan wrote a piece for the
advertiser quote my daughter's favorite pajamas are hanging in federal parliament they're hanging there in the
hallways of power when really the only hallway they should be hanging in is mine but that'll never happen now
aged just 15 my beautiful daughter karlie was murdered by a pedophile who lied about his age online what for with
every breath in my body for Carly's legacy I met with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as his government announced a
colles war it all in the loophole leaving kids are vulnerable to predators police will better identify SiC
predatory activity online to prevent horrific sex crimes against our kids as I write this sitting in Parliament under
my daughter's pajamas I feel closer to her than ever and also more determined but hate any other mother to live
through what I've enjoyed Carly's death will no longer be in vain together we're stopping any other family
going through the horrendous pain that mine has if you have a daughter go home and squeeze her tighter than you've ever
squeezed her tell her you love her over and again and know that she'll be safer from today thanks to a perfect
compassionate forever young 15 year old girl called Carly further adding to Sonya's grief was
knowing karlie had her mobile phone on her prior to her murder but was unable to find an opportune moment to call or
text her for help this inspired Sonya to create thread thread is a safety app free to download
on mobile phones if the user feels at all in danger or threatened that can send a discreet alert that reveals their
location to trusted contacts and emergency services it was important to Sonya to provide safer options for
children to request help if needed but not discourage parents from letting their children go out into the world and
seek independence the app is currently only available in Australia but the Carli Ryan foundation hope to get
funding to make an available worldwide the name of the app was inspired by a fable that resonated with Sonia the
story of a daughter wanting to meet her suitor in a dark cave and a mother who had her worries but didn't want to stop
a daughter from independence and discovery it is the thread pulled from the mother's skirt that keeps them
connected regardless of where the daughter travels the thread would also bring the daughter safely back to the
mother if she found danger [Music] [Music] you [Music]

Case 91: Carly Ryan

This is a fable about trust, love, and independence. The story features three characters: a mother, her daughter, and the daughter’s suitor...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Elsha McGill Additional writing – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn We would like to add a special thanks credit for Karina Natt and The Carly Ryan Foundation for the help in the creation of this episode.

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-91-carly-ryan

Brief Summary

Carly Ryan's tragic story highlights online dangers, leading to her murder by a predator posing as her boyfriend.

Key points

A Mother's Love and Concern. Sonya Ryan navigates the challenges of being a young single mother, finding strength in her bond with her daughter Carly.
The Online Connection. Carly forms a deep online relationship with Brandon, a musician from another state, leading to excitement and plans for the future.
Red Flags at the Birthday Party. Shane's behavior at Carly's 15th birthday party raises alarms, leading to a confrontation with Sonya.
A Disturbing Discovery. Sonya finds Shane in her daughter's bed, leading to a confrontation and escalating tensions.
The Final Goodbye. Carly leaves home for a night out, sharing a heartfelt goodbye with her mother.
Carly's Mysterious Disappearance. Carly's mother, Sonya, discovers her daughter is missing after finding her purse.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Carly's hometown didn't offer much excitement for a teenager.

Describing Carly's quiet life in Stirling.

3:24WatchNov 20, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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