The chilling abduction of a schoolgirl in Adelaide | Forensic Files

today's episode is brought to you by the Lindsay Busey AK annual memorial walk Lindsay boo Xia was the 24 year old real
estate agent from Victoria in the Canadian province of British Columbia we covered the circumstances of her death
in detail back in August 2016 during episode 28 of case file every year Lindsay's father Jeff Busey AK organizes
a memorial walk to honor his daughter's memory in the campaign for justice this year marks 11 years since Lindsay's
death and once again the Lindsay Busey Act memorial walk for justice will be going ahead on February 2nd the walk
begins in Victoria is a Royal Oak burial park on Falaise Drive the cemetery where
Lindsay's ashes are held it continues past the house where Lindsay was murdered and ends up on the steps of
Saanich Municipal Hall we recently caught up with Jeff who spoke to us about this year's upcoming walk and
filled us in on a few other things about the case we'll be releasing that interview tomorrow on the main case file
podcast feed the same way you get our weekly episodes so keep an eye out for that
[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode deals with a crime
committed against the child it won't be suitable for all listeners during recess
until lunchtime at Hakham West primary school in 1982 teachers patrolled the schoolyard to oversee the young children
as they ran around and played together between lessons yet there was often one student separated from the others
preferring to stick by her teachers sides rather than go off and play with her peers 10 year old Louise Bell a shy
and timid girl Louise found comfort in the company of adults whom she knew and trusted when her fifth grade teacher
Miss grace asked if boys would rather play with her classmates instead of accompanying her on yard duty she
responded on fine unhappy I just want to stay and help you before linking hands with her teacher
Louise's introversion extended beyond school hours when her friends were rushing out of the classroom to head
home the ways would often stay behind and help clean up before her parents arrived
to pick her up during a school camp she sat by herself on the bus and didn't interact with the other pupils but the
camp itself served to bring the ways out of her show when she joined in on a pillow fight that broke out amongst the
children the teachers were delighted to say the ways jump in on the fun it was a
clear sign that Louise was finally starting to feel more at ease with her peers despite suffering from asthma she joined
the school's basketball team the year five basketball Saints donning a number seven blue and yellow jersey her father
Colin Bell sometimes assisted with the team affording the dad and daughter some valuable bonding time
in late November 1982 the basketball Saints celebrated the end of the season with a break up barbecue and pool party
at their coach's house during celebrations Louise was thrilled to be awarded with a trophy commending her
efforts ending 1982 on a high note the following year started like any other for the Bell family parents Colin and
Diane were enjoying spending quality time with Louise and of a younger daughter six-year-old Rachel who were
both off school for the summer holidays Christmas and a new year have gone by in
a whirlwind of excitement and social engagements and things were starting to quieten down after the busy festive
season the Bell family were looking forward to relaxing over the weeks ahead before school resumed at the end of the
month with the two young siblings eager for upcoming plans that included a shopping excursion a picnic and a trip
to the cinema to see the latest Steven Spielberg blockbuster et On January 4 1983 Colin and Diane instructed their
two daughters to prepare for bedtime as the Sun began to set over meadow way a quiet residential street in the lower
middle-class suburb of hakkon West located 30 kilometers south of Adelaide central business district the Bell
residence was an unassuming small family homestead typical of the area a single-story creamed brick building with
a fenced-in backyard and small front lawn the face directly onto the street at 8:30 p.m.
Louise dressed in part of the new pajama set she had received for Christmas a pale yellow sleeveless cotton top dotted
with small yellow flowers she chose not to wear the matching shorts as she found
to them too uncomfortable the young Belle daughters said goodnight to their parents and retired to the
small bedroom they shared at the front of the house which held two single beds pushed against the jacent walls
separated by a chest of drawers the bed heads lay underneath a large window that
overlooked at the front lawn at 10 p.m. Diane went to check on her daughters and
found that Louise was still awake noticing that the curtain and window were open above Louise's bed though Amy
instructed her eldest daughter to close them before wishing her good night and heading off the bed in the room next
door Diane awoke at 6 o'clock the following morning of January 5 as she walked down
the short hallway towards the front door she peered into her daughter's bedroom and noticed the youngest Rachel was
still sleeping but Louise was not in her bed she checked to the lounge room kitchen bathroom and backyard but there
was no sign of her eldest daughter anywhere Diane woke her husband Colin who rushed
into his daughter's bedroom where he made a horrifying discovery the curtain and a window above Louise's
bed were open under the mesh floor screen appeared to have been cut from the corner of the window frame and was
flapping in the breeze he raced outside checking the neighbors swimming pool before heading down the street to the
primary school desperately searching for any sign of his daughter failing to find
her Louise Colin returned home distressed to find she hadn't shown up during his brief absence he turned to
his wife and said something is terribly wrong [Music] police arrived at the bells meadow way
property to conduct a search for the Waze and question her family about her possible whereabouts six year old Rachel
Bell who had been sleeping soundly in the bed next to her sister hadn't heard the ways get out of her bed at any time
throughout the night or morning likewise neither of her parents had heard Athena
despite their bedrooms being separated only by a very thin wall and both bedroom doors remaining open all night
notably the window leading into the 10 year olds bedroom was in full view of the street shielded only by a handful of
sparsely established trees and shrubs other than the tear in the mesh flyscreen covering the window there were
no signs of forced entry or of a struggle having taken place upon initial inspection of the torn screen police
believed the wire had been pushed out of place from inside the bedroom this led them to consider the possibility Louise
was responsible for the breakage herself and had likely left home on her own accord and would soon return however
given Louise's asthmatic medical history they proceeded with a full-scale investigation amidst concerns for her
safety by 11:00 a.m. a team had gathered at the nearby Christie's Beach Police Station
to formulate a plan enlisting the services of various departments including high-ranking police officers
the special task and rescue force country Fire Service and to the state emergency services they established the
police command post at the nearby happened West primary school where Colin bill made a brief appearance telling the
media we loved Louise very much and want her to come home it doesn't matter if she's done anything
wrong just some knowledge that she's alright would be a relief we are worried that she may have an asthma attack if
she is in trouble three helicopters swept the nearby coastline as law enforcement volunteers
and to Louise's relatives and friends came to the surrounding suburbs checking everything from stormwater drains to
rubbish bins the possibility that the young girl had simply run away from home was dismissed when over 100 members of
the multiple emergency service departments failed to uncover any sign of Louise after six hours of intense
searching by the next day of January 6 police declared of Louise's disappearance a major crime the police
Technical Services team was unable to find any scientific or physical evidence to suggest who Louise had been abducted
from her bedroom leading investigators to maintain the belief that the young girl had voluntarily left home but had
ran into foul play shortly thereafter Rachael Bell drove around with police to point out all the locations that her
older sister was known to play but there was no sign of the Wiis at any of her favorite hangouts police stations across
the state were issued with a description of Louise who was approximately five foot tall and average Bill with short
brown hair brown eyes lightly freckled skin and it was likely wearing floral yellow pajamas that may have taken a
change of clothes with her investigators conducted door knocks of the area and interviewed anyone who had been in
recent contact with the Bell family to see if they could uncover any leads in the days before Louise's disappearance
the local milkman recalled having to jump some tent wires that had been sitting across the concrete path leading
to the bells front door however on the morning of January 5 he noticed the tent wires were no longer sitting on the
front path but had instead been bunched together and moved aside on the lawn clearing the way as the search for
Louise gathered pace Colin and a Diane Bell remained at home in case their daughter reappeared where any news came
through although police had initially advised the couple not to speak to the media in a bid to raise awareness Colin
and Diane invited members of the press into their home to make a public appeal for information they said they hadn't
been able to sleep spending many hours with police going over Louise's photographs school reports and anything
at all that might provide some sort of clue sitting solemnly on the couch in their lounge room and emotionally
distraught Colin Bell broke down in tears as he told TV news reporters I'm convinced she's not hiding anywhere and
if someone is watching this don't harm her please don't Diane sat by his side visibly shaken as
she timidly asked her daughter to please come home Colin urged residents of South
Australia to check their backyards sheds and unoccupied shacks for Louise before
pleading quote to anyone who might have her even if they just leave her in a phone box a hundred miles from here
please do it if they fear this has gone too far and I don't want to get caught please don't harm the Wiis leave her
where we can find her a large publicity campaign was launched with hundreds of posters featuring Louise's photograph
and the physical description distributed throughout suburban shopping centers with newspapers television and radio
stations asked to promote the campaign posters of Louise's smiling face were plastered on the front of public
transport buses throughout the Adelaide metropolitan area urging anyone with information to come forward
ten detectives were assigned to work on the case full-time as an additional thirty five police officers conducted
numerous searches around at the bells property and the surrounding Hackham West area the police Technical Services
team conducted further tests on the mesh floss grain from Louise's bedroom window
and stated that were unable to determine whether the screen had been torn from within the bedroom or cut from outside
the home police staged the reenactment to determine the logistics of someone reaching in the bedroom window and
snatching the Wiis from her bed and concluded it would have taken an adult male perpetrator six feet tall or higher
just thirty Seconds to lift the child and carry her out they also theorized Louise may have been
enticed to exit the house either via the window or even the front door although her parents dismissed this theory saying
their daughter was well aware of stranger danger the Bell family and investigators who were working
tirelessly on the case continued to hold on to the hope that Louise would be found alive but braced themselves for
the worst major crime squad detective JJ Edwards said there is always hope but as time goes by that hope must diminish
the sad part is we just have nothing on how she left home there is no positive information which could indicate the
circumstances of her leaving home or what has happened to her since that time On January 12 one wake after Louie's
vanished the South Australian government offered a $5,000 reward for anyone with
information about her whereabouts the reward was not as substantial as the community had hoped but given the lack
of evidence to confirm without question whether or not a crime had occurred it was the best the government could offer
acting South Australian premier mr. Roy said you don't know what's happened to this poor ten-year-old girl whether she
has run away from home or is lost in the bush we will increase the reward the moment the police are able to tell me
they are now convinced there is a crime but at present we want information on the whereabouts of the child the day
after the reward was announced Colin Bell received a phone call the unknown male caller claimed to have taken the
Wiis and demanded $30,000 threatening to kill the child if the money wasn't paid
the call was soon determined to be a hoax the caller identified as an unemployed in 19 year old from the
nearby suburb of Mitchell Park who was charged with the crime of demanding money with menaces
a second phone call from someone claiming to have information about Louise was made at 9 p.m. on January 17
four days after the initial hoax call strangely this call was placed to a hack of West's resident who lived on
underbanked Grove just two streets away from the bells home on Meadow Way but the recipient of the call had no
relation to the Bell family the unknown male caller spoke with a slight European
accent and claimed he had in the ways Bell in his custody he sounded noticeably upset pausing to take deep
breaths as he explained that Louise was in need of medical assistance alluding that her injuries were the result of
sexual assault he said Louise was happy with him and did not want to go home but insisted it
was a matter of life or death describing her medical condition as a desperate situation the caller explained that he
had chosen a phone number at random and was unwilling to contact emergency services for help in case that phone
call was traceable to prove that he was telling the truth he admires the pair of
Louise's earrings could be found underneath a brick on the corner of South Road and Beach Road in Hackham
West a main intersection just one kilometer from the bells property on Meadow Way police were immediately
informed of the call and a rush to the location specified by the anonymous caller sure enough on the corner of the
South broht and Bates road intersection they found a broken brick with a pair of
small silver hoop earrings hidden underneath : and Diane Belle confirmed the earrings
belonged to Louise as they featured a repair her grandfather had made to the catch on one of the items certain Louise
was wearing the earrings on the night of her disappearance there was now no doubt she had met with
foul play and was in grave danger in a subsequent press conference investigators said it was unclear
whether the person involved was known to the Bell family but given the information received during the
anonymous phone call they remained confident that Louise was still alive and was being held captive in the
adelaide area attempts to trace the phone call from the perpetrator were unsuccessful the
recipient of the mysterious call had scribbled down as many nights during the conversation as she could but nothing
listed led to the identification of a suspect however investigators now had some information to go by the suspect
had a European accent and it was described as pleasant sounding and well-spoken with a very good command of
English days later on January 20 police received a report from a member of the public who was prompted to call
authorities after spotting a man acting suspiciously in the date' Creek area 85 kilometers south of Adelaide the man was
in the company of a young girl and too the pair was saying with the blue car police rushed to the area but failed to
uncover any sign of Louise or her captor six weeks went by with no further contact from the alleged perpetrator
then on February 28th the underbanked Grove resident who had received the phone call that led authorities to the
discovery of Louise's earrings was once again involuntarily involved with the investigation
the woman awoke at 6:45 a.m. and went to collect the milk and a newspaper from her front yard when she noticed what
appeared to be an old rag laying on her lawn she paid the item no attention and carried on with her morning routine
hours later at around at 9:00 a.m. she returned home after dropping her son off at school when the rag caught her saw it
once more as she noticed that was neatly folded she picked it up and realized that wasn't a rag at all but a
sleeveless cotton pajama top dotted with yellow flowers it had multiple tears down H side and was
drenched in water thinking nothing of it the woman placed the item of clothing inside an empty
poplin container with the intention of later throwing it away half an hour later she was hit with the stark
realization the Wiis Bell had been wearing a floral yellow pajama top on the night she went missing police were
notified of the discovery and presented the item to Colin and go aunt Bella the couple noticed the label from the
inside color of the top was missing confirming that it belonged to that daughter Diane herself record previously
cutting the large red label from the gunman after Louise had complained that was itching her neck having now
identified Louise's earrings and pajama top police were no closer to finding the
child or her doctor had the suggestion of police the woman who found her Louise's pajama top agreed to be
hypnotized in a bid to revive any memories that could assist with the investigation under hypnosis she
recalled that when she first left her house to collect the milk and paper at 6:45 a.m. she noticed the head and
shoulders of a clean-shaven man with collar length blonde hair hiding behind a brick wall less than 100
metres from her home after returning home from dropping her son off at school the woman also recalled she had seen the
leg of a man in a nearby walkway this information led to the theory that the perpetrator had been hiding closeby so
he could watch as the woman discovered the pajama top authorities were convinced that the perpetrator was
taunting them by distributing Louise's belongings throughout hakham West with the intention of them being found it
appeared he derived pleasure from this twisted game of cat-and-mouse examination of Louise's pajama shirt
revealed it a being removed from her body in such a way that suggested her hands had been bound together at the
time in addition traces of algae and soil on the waterlogged pajama top were found to contain a unique blend of
microbiology found exclusively in the on compare Inga River an 88 kilometers away
that stretches southwesterly from the Mount Lofty ranges and ends in port Noarlunga
located just eight kilometers from the bells family home in hackin West an inlet and surrounding riverbanks
important or longer was searched but resulted in no trace of Louise or her abductor nevertheless investigators
believed at the close proximity between the locations where Louise's earrings and a pajama top were found as well as
the source of the algae and soil samples found on the ladder indicated the perpetrator either lived in nearby or
had not taken the school girl far the reward for information regarding Louise Belle's whereabouts received a
significant boost when a group of anonymous adelaide businessman donated an additional ten thousand dollars for
her safe return raising the total sum of the reward to fifteen thousand dollars Catholic priest
reverend father robert aiken offered himself as a mediator for the bail family and made a public plea for the
person responsible for Louise's abduction to return the young girl to her family he invited the perpetrator to
make a confidential contact with him anytime via phone at the church or any other location reassuring he was just as
concerned for the perpetrators well-being as it was for Louise's when the priest was asked if offering his
services to the potentially dangerous man put his own safety at risk Father Aitken replied I have no dependents this
girl is just beginning life and I don't mind her putting myself in danger if it's going to help someone
father Aikens invitation yielded at no response meanwhile police continued with their investigation
door knocking over two and a half thousand homes and conducting interviews with over 8,000 people despite these
efforts months passed with no compelling leads or discoveries then crucial information was offered from an
unexpected source when several inmates at the now-defunct Adelaide jail alleged they knew who was responsible for Louise
Belle's disappearance according to four prisoners in April of 1983 a fellow inmate serving time for an 8 month
prison sentence for a string of child sex crimes confessed to murdering Louise the inmate was 36 year old father of
four Raymond dijanna casing casing was not unknown to investigators he'd been interviewed just days after the incident
as he was a known sex offender who up until just before Louise's disappearance had lived only 500 meters away from her
residence in hackin West at the time the ways went missing casing had only just relocated to the outer city suburb of
Torrance ville 29 kilometers away a link between the suspect and Yahweh's bail was established the wire
information provided by one of guessing's ex-wives prior to his move across town to Torrance Ville getting
served as president of the Hakam West community group and had given the Bell family in application form for
membership when cleaning out casings belongings after their separation his ex-wife found a piece of paper with
Colin bells name and address written on it passed on by another member of the community group to whom the bills had
expressed an interest in joining further investigation revealed the uncovering go
River was a favorite fishing spot of casings and a pair of sneakers found in the back of his vehicle contained to the
same microbiological substance as that found on Louise's pajama top based on raymond de Jonge casings alleged to
jailhouse confessions previous residency within the Hakan west area known association with the bell family
convictions for child sex offenses and to the forensic evidence that put him in the vicinity of the onku pega River
police charged him with the abduction and murder of Louise Bell in November 1984 desynch stood trial in the South
Australian Supreme Court were only two of the inmate statements regarding his alleged confession were considered
admissible the prosecution used these as the backbone for their case and argued that multiple sources claimed Keating
had showed a consciousness of guilt regarding Louise's disappearance although he didn't have a European
accent his well-spoken manner matched the voice described by the hack on West a resident who received the phone call
that led investigators to Oasis earrings the only physical evidence linking gazing to Louise's disappearance was the
microbiological substance found on his sneakers that was also found on Louise's pajama talk nevertheless the
circumstantial evidence against him was strong and after 24 hours of deliberation the jury delivered their
verdict guilty Raymond to John Keating was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Louise Bell gating continued
to maintain his innocence over Louise's murder and 17 months into his life sentence he appealed his conviction
during the appeal hearing one of the two inmates who had testified against him at
trial retracted their testimony admitting guessing had had never confessed to the crime in another blow
to the original trial the appellate judge determined the statements given by the second inmate who claimed casing had
confessed were a complete fabrication both witnesses were deemed to be unreliable and untrustworthy rendering
their evidence inadmissible with the Arthur's jailhouse confessions which formed the entire backbone of the
prosecution's case the highly circumstantial case against gazing weakened dramatically Chief Justice King
who was overseeing the appeal said quote if the evidence is disallowed the inevitable consequence is that the trial
is miscarried and at the verdict must be set aside on April 12 1985 raymond de Jongh
Keating's conviction for the murder of louise bell was quashed by the South Australian Court of Appeal and he was
cleared of all charges relating to her disappearance minutes after the hearing came to an end D Singh was released from
custody his wrongful conviction referenced as a miscarriage of justice in the Australian legal system yet his
release served as an opportunity for getting to continue to harm others as years later he was found guilty and
sentenced to seven years prison for child sex crimes committed against two sisters over an eight-year period with
getting eliminated as a suspect in the law waste bail investigation her case was reopened and her disappearance was
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/ case file what are you waiting for in December 1985 almost three years after Louise Bell went missing a cranial
inquest was conducted to examine the cause and circumstances leading to her disappearance during the inquiry police
confirmed that they were no longer actively looking for our suspect but were instead focusing their
investigations on finding the schoolgirls body in order to provide closure for her family although
detectives had no suspects they described the likely perpetrator to be a tall strong man who was very
psychologically abnormal following the two-day inquest State Coroner Kevin Ahern handed down his findings
concluding that Louise had been abducted from her bedroom during the night of January 4 1983 in what was likely a
sexually motivated attack he also suggests that the perpetrator could be an exhibitionist given his premeditated
actions in exposing certain clues to authorities such as Louise's pajama top and earrings coroner Ahern said that
there was nothing to suggest who Louise's disappearance was connected with any other missing children's cases
in South Australia and he found it quote very disturbing to realise there are people in the community of such abnormal
mentality the coroner added that while the whizzers body had not yet been located
his official finding presumed she was no longer alive determined to get on with their lives Colin and Diane Bell had not
spoken to the media since the early days of the investigation and were distraught
to discover the inquest into their daughter's disappearance was being conducted so close to Christmas in a
reluctant comment to Adelaide newspaper the advertiser Colin Bell said I just want to be left alone with my family
what's left of it it's been a tremendous strain on all of us only the offender can know what we've been through and
it's water off a duck's back to him we just want to get our lives back together after the cranial inquest four years
went by with no new information regarding Louise Belle's disappearance and - the case went cold until a new
line of inquiry eventually came to light on December 30 1989 a 13 year old boy was riding his bike important or longer
when the occupant of a white Volkswagen Kombi van tricked him into entering his vehicle the teenager was then bound
gagged and blindfolded before the assailant threw the boys bicycle into the back of the van after driving nine
kilometres south towards the rugged coastline of maslin's Beach the assailant wiped his captives back down
and abandoned it against the gate to create the illusion the team was in the area when the alarm was raised that the
teenager was missing the discovery of his abandoned bike led police to presume he had drowned and a land and sea search
of maslin's beach ensued in reality the teen was being driven to his abductors property in Hackham West where he was
held captive overnight and subjected to repeated acts of sexual abuse at midday the following day the assailant
temporarily left the property giving the brave captive time and opportunity to free himself from his bonds he ran to a
house next door where he raised the alarm and called police for help the assailant returned home a short while
later oblivious to the fact his captive had escaped and police were awaiting his
arrival he was promptly placed under arrest the man responsible for the teenager's attack was 41 year old at
data Fenig a mild-mannered German born maths and science high school teacher who was married with two daughters upon
learning his captive had escaped Fenig admitted to the brazen attack but said he had only taken the boy because he
felt lonely telling police quote I just wanted someone to hug date of fennec was held in the
Christie's Beach police station where he placed a phone call to his wife admitting he had been thinking about
committing the crime for months whilst Fenig was in police custody law enforcement received a phone call from a
woman who believed the schoolteacher could be responsible for another crime 11 months prior to pfennigs arrest On
January 18 1989 10 year-old Michael black left his house in the rural Riverside town of Murray Bridge located
76 kilometres of Adelaide Michael hopped on his bicycle and rode towards stir reserve a popular Riverside
Recreation Area Michael was looking forward to an afternoon of fishing taking with him a fishing rod canvas bag
and his beloved family dog Stewart Reserve was one of Michael's favorite fishing and swimming spots where the
lush green lawns and calm waters provided the perfect place to cast the line various witnesses spotted Michael
at the reserve throughout the day with the last known sighting occurring just before 3 p.m.
later that afternoon his fishing rod bike bag and thongs were found to neatly stack together further upstream at the
much quieter fishing spot of Kili reserve his shirt was found in a willow tree even further upstream where he's
thought was spotted barking frantically and running up and down the riverbank no witnesses had seen Michael at tealy
reserve and his parents confirmed it was an area their son did not like the frequent as he was forbidden from
venturing there without parental supervision although he was a competent swimmer an extensive underwater search
of the area was conducted by police divers as they believed Michael may have drowned his body wasn't found nor did a
rise to the surface after three days as was expected in the case of death caused
by drowning according to officers in charge of the investigation the possibility that Michaels body lay
undiscovered in the water was incredibly slim and he was officially declared a missing
person while Dida Fenig was in custody for the abduction and assault committed against the thirteen-year-old boy taken
from porn no longer a witness reported that Finney could been at her house around the time of Michael blacks
disappearance when a story about the missing boy aired on the news veni grimmer he had been at stir reserve on
the day Michael was last seen and he had helped the young boy with his fishing rod police interviewed fennecs wife who
confirmed her husband had been away from home during the time of Michael blacks disappearance leaving for a 3-day trip
in his combi van to study physics in preparation for an upcoming teaching job according to Phoenix daughter her father
said he lent Michael a knife to help him scale a fish and asked the young boy to
return the knife to his van once he was done in addition multiple witnesses confirmed having seen a white combi
speeding away from tiri reserve on the day Michael vanished police identified many similarities between Michael's
unsolved case and Dida Phoenix recent crimes against the thirteen-year-old boy they suspected fennec made efforts to
mislead police by setting up michael's bicycle to appear as though the child had drowned just like he had done when
committing the following abduction eleven months later subsequently fennec was charged with the murder of Michael
black given the location of his home in hackin West he also became a person of interest in another high-profile
unsolved case the disappearance of Louise Belle there were multiple factors pinpointing
data Fenig as a suspect for Louisa's of belgian firstly the ten-year-old had attended school and played on the same
basketball team as one of fennecs daughters and two the two were familiar with one another
Fenny was also known to frequent the ANCA / Inga river in his canoe a key location of interest in Louise's
abduction due to the algae and soil samples found on her pajamas additionally Fenig was an insomniac
known by family members and neighbors to walk the streets late at night he lived
on Holi rise a street just seven minutes walk away from the bell property on meadow way with the two homes connected
by a series of quiet Lane ways that would have provided ample opportunity for him to transport the young girl
without being seen however Fenig provided police with an alibi for the night of Louise's
disappearance he had been on holiday with his family visiting relatives in Swan Hill a Riverside town in a
neighboring state of Victoria his wife and daughters had been staying in one Caravan while fennec had been staying in
a separate rental caravan on his own investigators tracked down the caravan rental company and discovered a deed
Afeni had actually returned his Caravan on january 4 putting him back in adelaide during the night of Louise's
abduction while his family remained in Swan Hill this was confirmed by a former neighbor
who had been instructed to water the pfennigs garden while the family was in Victoria in the days following Louise's
disappearance the neighbor noticed the deed of fennec had returned home early so we went over to notify him about the
events of the previous few days when Fenig opened to the door he was noticeably disheveled and was alleged to
have remarked there goes my alibi in February 1991 a thorough search for the remains of Michel black into Louise Bell
was conducted at Finney's property on Holly rise floorboards in two bedrooms were pulled up and a section of the
backyard and area shed were excavated but no human remains physical evidence or anything else of interest was
uncovered for the kidnapping and sexual assault committed against the thirteen-year-old boy from porn no
longer deed Afeni pleaded guilty but professed his innocence for any other crimes with the strong circumstantial
evidence against him he stood trial for the murder of Michael black entering a plea of not guilty in a highly
controversial move the judge allowed propensity evidence otherwise known as similar fact evidence to be presented at
trial this meant pfennigs other related convictions were permitted to be referenced during his current trial and
used as evidence against him permitting similar fact evidence is rarely a lay out due to concerns the defendant may be
unfairly judged but the presiding judge for the Michael black murder trial felt it essential the jury be made aware of
pfennigs prior criminal history involving children based on circumstantial evidence and statements
from over 100 witnesses dead of Fenig was convicted of Michael blacks murder and sentenced to 38 years in prison he
remained a person of interest in the ways bells disappearance but police had no concrete evidence to link him to the
crime and to the case eventually went cold during the earlier years of the Louise
Bell investigation the suspect pool included a convicted killer couple Val made back into Barry Watts the couple's
known crimes are covered in case 101 of case file but investigators nationwide believed it back into watts might have
been responsible for the unsolved disappearance of a number of young women in Australia
throughout the 1980s prior to her death in 2008 Velma Beck was interrogated at length
about Louise bail but she failed to reveal any information that solidified her role Barry Watts were involved in
the crime passing away without the deathbed confession many had hoped for by mid-2009 26 years had passed since
Louise vanished in the middle of the night from her own bedroom and her cold case was reopened with the hopes that
advances in forensic technology could lead to new opportunities in the investigation the team of investigators
were assigned to undertake a comprehensive review of the case and re-examine all available evidence
efforts proved fruitful with forensic experts identifying and extracting several previously undiscovered traces
of DNA evidence on the pajama top Louise had been wearing on the night of her abduction the technology wasn't quite
advanced enough to link the DNA to a suspect but in 2012 Louise's pajama top was sent to a
leading forensic institution in the Netherlands allowing for a new DNA testing technique known as the low copy
method to be used this was a significantly more advanced technique than the testing method available in
Australia at the time allowing for a DNA profile to be extracted from sweat or just a few skin cells the testing of the
unidentified DNA found on the Weezer's pajama table resulted in a match it belonged to a prisoner currently
serving time in the Port Lincoln prison on the air Peninsula of South Australia at a likelihood ratio of higher than a
billion to one the prisoner was not unknown to the investigation he had been considered a
strong person of interest in the wazers disappearance since 1989 the failure to uncover concrete evidence at the time
withheld an arrest the DNA on the Weezer's clothing belonged to Hakam West local and convicted child killer data
Fenig back in 1991 pfennigs former Hakam West property was searched for clues regarding the Lois Bell investigation
but efforts resulted in no worthwhile discoveries 21 years later in 2012 police returned to the address prepared
to conduct a more extensive excavation of the yard in the hopes of finally uncovering Louisa's remains with
assistance from the Australian Federal Police state-of-the-art radar equipment was used to detect abnormalities
underground with special attention paid to three distinct concrete slopes at the
rear of the property concrete cutters were used to remove the slabs with police then using sifting pans and
trails and shovels to dig around and examine the soil underneath four days of extensive searching ensued overseen by a
heavy media presence as the community anticipated answers to the decades-long mystery as to what happened to Louise
Bell small fragments of bone were found but were later determined to have belonged to animals overall the dig
uncovered nothing of significance [Music] police continued with their inquiries following up on over 550 statements
taken from family members witnesses and other members of the public throughout the original investigation in similar
circumstances to the wrongful conviction of Raymond drone gazing two separate inmates who had served time with data
Fenig during his 38 year sentence for the murder of Michael black came forward declaring that the former teacher had
confessed to Louise's murder Fenig was allegedly drinking bootleg alcohol and smoking cannabis with a fellow inmate
during an in-house Christmas celebration when he started sobbing and confessed for killing Michael black he said he
couldn't tell authorities where Marco's body was located because quote there is a chica there when the prisoner asked
what chick fennec replied bail he allegedly admitted that he took the young girl and killed her by accident
leaving the pajama top on the front lawn of the underbanked grove resident because he felt guilty for what he had
done using a prison computer Fenig brought up a map of hakkon west and showed the inmate how close the distance
was between his former home and the bail property he claimed that Louise exited to her house via the bedroom window and
went with him willingly an ordained about this minister serving time for fraud also alleged fennec had confessed
to Louise's murder while seeking his spiritual guidance the minister claimed pfennigs whole body
shook when he started talking about the crime saying he hated the name bill because it reminded him quote of
something that's eating at my heart every day Fenig allegedly told the minister he wasn't concerned about the
crimes he was in jail for but rather for the things that hadn't yet come to light
claiming he knew everything about Louise Bell including the location of her body
he said he had picked her up carried her away and only decided to kill her when she wouldn't calm down or cooperate the
Minister encouraged defending to confess the police but he refused saying oh no I'm not going to make it out of prison
why should I bother he later showed the same inmate a manuscript he had been writing which told the story of a
warrior attempting to rescue a young girl the girl refused to believe the warrior genuinely wanted to help her and
for her lack of trust she ends up dying police were able to recover copies of the manuscript from Fenig so on November
18 2013 65 year-old Adina Finney was arrested for the murder of Louise Bell Deputy
Police Commissioner grant Stevens addressed the media quote clearly this particular matter has had a massive
impact on the family they are devastated by this crime and the fact that we have
conducted this arrest today will in some respects provide a degree of closure it's good news but it's changed with
that degree of sadness that the family are now going through another episode of this particularly gruesome story
given pfennigs prior convictions and a known reputation as a child killer officials were concerned that he may not
receive a fair trial it was argued a jury would find it impossible to overlook his well known and established
the praised character impacting their verdict regardless of the evidence presented the wrongful conviction of
raymond de jonge casing for the same crime three decades earlier stemming from false confessions provided by
inmates ensured the courts and prosecution were treading extra carefully this time around to avoid the
risk of an unfair trial it was decided that fennec would face court in front of a judge alone with no jury present
celebrated criminal barrister and Supreme Court Judge justice Michael David who was well versed in the
intricacies of the case and other trials that resulted in a miscarriage of justice temporarily came out of
retirement to oversee the trial which commenced in September 2015 two years after pfennigs arrest
prosecutor sandy McDonald opened her arguments by saying there was no doubt that Louise was no longer alive quote in
the early days there was still hope over three decades later Louise Bell is not coming home Louise
Bell is dead she was murdered she was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night in the most brazen
and audacious way MacDonald said the biggest mystery in the case was how Louise got out of her bedroom given the
difficulties of shifting a 30 to 40 kilogram child from their bed without waking her sister in the same room or
parents in the adjoining room MacDonald said it was far more likely than the waist wasn't tossed from her room but
someone she knew and recognized rather than a stranger during the trial witness accounts were heard from the inmates who
fennec allegedly confessed to as well as former neighbors colleagues and family members who said the accused to
an unusual interest in the crime one former colleague alleged Finnick encouraged him to join in on nightly
runs saying it's amazing what you can see through windows during a conversation with another former
colleague Phenix co-worker expressed her disbelief that the schoolgirl had been taken from her bedroom without anybody
seeing or hearing a thing Feniger calmly replied that he believed it was very possible as he often walked the streets
at night and to never saw another living soul yet another colleague claimed Fenig
he told them he was a suspect in the case which prosecutor sandy McDonald labeled an important piece of evidence
quote why on earth would a father teacher a family man be telling his colleague and friend that he was a
suspect in the abduction and murder of a little girl when he's not it makes no sense unless he's getting some sort of
perverse pleasure drawing attention to himself continuing to talk about it one of pfennigs daughters who had been a
classmate of Louise's testified against her father saying he had a habit of changing the subject whenever she
questioned him about Louise her father always claimed to have been interstate with the family during the critical time
period over Louise's abduction when she knew he had returned home alone from the
holiday early pfennigs ex-wife also gave evidence against him confirming her former husband had indeed returned to
Adelaide early in January 1983 while the family continued on with their interstate holiday without him when they
returned home Fenny cooked them dinner which she described as exceptionally unusual quote
Dido never made anything he wouldn't even make me a cup of tea one of the ways as classmates provided a
statement via videolink saying she had seen the ways walking home with fennec and his daughter up to six times in the
year leading up to her abduction Louise's youngest sister Rachel testified that she saw Penny's combi van
parked on their street in front of a neighbor's house in the years following her sister's disappearance in addition
the underbanked grove resident who had received a phone call from the abductor that led to the discovery of Louise's
earrings claimed a german-born pfennigs voice matched the european accent of the
unknown caller a taxi driver also testified that a man with a slightly European accent asked him to take him
for a bizarre drive-by of the Belle home in the days following the 10 year olds disappearance halfway through the trial
Fenig suffered a heart attack in prison and was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed in an
induced coma the future of the trial looked questionable until he made a full recovery and was cleared to return to
court three weeks later although the witness statements and jailhouse confessions provided strong
circumstantial evidence pfennigs DNA on the Weezer's pajama top provided a compelling piece of physical evidence
defense lawyer Paul Charmin argued that this evidence wasn't foolproof as there had been inconsistencies and
contradictions in the results of testing conducted by different labs techniques and software initial testing of DNA
found on Louise's pajama shirt in an adelaide laboratory had revealed a likelihood ratio that the DNA belonged
to the data Fenig was 64 hundred to one a stark contrast to the billion to one ratio determined by the lab in the
Netherlands despite the court receiving an in-depth explanation of how the Dutch forensic
team achieved the precise results of their low copied DNA profiling charmin argued while scientists say they can
justify the varied results from a scientific point of view that doesn't mean your honor can accept they prove
the DNA case beyond a reasonable doubt he asked the court to be mindful that fennecs DNA was not found on Louise's
windowsill or anywhere else at the crime scene the defense team clung to this argument throughout most of the trial
before presenting another theory to explain how pfennigs DNA appeared on Louise's pajamas in November 1982 less
than two months before Louise's abduction she attended a pool party at the home of her basketball coach as part
of the team's end-of-season breakup in attendance was another of Louise's teammates date of pfennig daughter the
defense argued the defendants DNA could have been passed on till aways and subsequently on to her pajamas via
contact with his daughter during the pool party school or basketball games in a process known as secondary transfer
but the prosecution destroyed this theory when it was confirmed Louise had received the pajama top as a Christmas
present a month after the pool party Louise had had no physical contact with pfennigs daughter
the clothing the shirt had also been machine washed prior to the school girls abduction which would have removed any
DNA passed on via secondary transfer the defense attempted to discredit the inmates who fennec had allegedly
confessed to asking one of them if they were lying to receive attention the inmate who had been diagnosed by a
psychiatrist is having an antisocial personality with a history of manipulative behavior responded to the
accusation in a hostile manner introducing concerns about his reliability yet the same psychiatrist
agreed that this disorder would not impact the inmates ability to provide a reliable witness statement the
prosecution pointed out that the two confessions were provided entirely separate of one another
with no opportunity for collusion between the two inmates in addition both had gone to police with information
about the confessions prior to pfennigs DNA match being found on Louise's pajamas the unique nature of the judge
only trial allowed for multiple adjournments and various sittings resulting in a trial that lasted for
close to a year ending in July 2016 although justice Michael David could not determine the exact circumstances of how
Louise left her home the night she disappeared he believed the forceful abduction would have almost certainly
woken another family member therefore he found it more likely Louise was enticed a out the window by someone
she was familiar with thirty three years after ten year old Louise Bell went missing
justice David delivered his verdict to the packed courtroom finding dead a fennec guilty for her abduction and
murder in an unusual move just as David implored the accused to lead authorities
to the bodies of both children he had been found guilty of killing Louise Bell and Michael black saying his sentencing
may or may not be affected by pfennigs cooperation in fulfilling this request after the verdict was delivered and
media release provided by the Bell family was ready outside the court by a detective who had worked on the case
quote today's verdict - leaves us feeling relieved and while it is a significant outcome it is not the end of
this difficult journey our beloved ten-year-old daughter was taken from her own bedroom a place where
she should be safe and has never come home words cannot describe the impact this has had on our lives today is the
culmination of our struggles to find answers for Louise that is what makes today's decision so important it is a
small victory for Louise we would like to thank everyone for their persistence and efforts in trying to return the
waste to us and in prosecuting this matter while today is a significant milestone we want our daughter back so I
would appeal to anyone with information that might assist us in finding Louise to come forward now all this afternoon's
outcome is significant it is only part of this terrible event we still want to be able to lay the ways to rest the Bell
family made it clear this would be the only statement that would be providing to the public they also appealed for
their victim impact statements to be suppressed from the media at finish sentencing amidst concerns the
publication of their feelings would cause unnecessary hardship to appease their request the court agreed the Bell
family did not have to provide a victim impact statements they have not spoken publicly about the case since South
Australian police confirmed that despite the guilty verdict the case would not be
closed until the wheezes remains were recovered detective Superintendent Dez Bray quote
I would appeal for anyone with information that might assist us to find her to search your conscience and to
come forward now it is time to do the right thing by the day of his sentencing on December 6 2016 fennec had not
accepted the judge's invitation to reveal the location of Luiz or Michaels bodies upon delivering his sentence
justice Michael David clarified he was not punishing Fenig for failing to fulfill this request but for committing
the most evil of crimes quote the shock and anxiety that your offense caused for
the South Australian community cannot be compared to the distress that must have
been suffered by the parents and family of Louise Bell the effect of my sentence
will be that you most certainly spend at the rest of your days in jail Dida Fenig
was sentenced to 35 years in prison without parole for the murder of Louise Bell in addition to the sentence he was
already serving in relation to the murder of Michael black this broad is non-parole jail time to 60 years in May
2000 18 Fenig appealed his conviction reverting to the argument that his DNA could have been accidentally transferred
to Louise's pajama top via contact with his daughter his lawyer Paul Sherman argued there was no evidence to confirm
how the DNA was placed on the victims clothing and called the guilty verdict against his client legally unsafe and
unsatisfactory charleen requested the DNA be tested against convicted kidnapper roman horns
who had recently been sentenced to 22 years in jail for abducting brutalizing and sexually assaulting two foreign
backpackers in Salt Creek in February 2016 like Fenig Pines also had a German ancestry and had lived in proximity to
the Belle residence in the 1980s the appeal was denied and fennecs a life sentence was upheld news of Finny's
convictions barked shockwaves across South Australia as residents reflected on the impact the case had on society
over the past three decades one of the ways his cousin spoke to the media about how the tragedy had impacted his life
despite being just six years old when his cousin went missing he explained I grew up in the shadow of it I'm
overprotective with my children I've always had roller shutters I've always owned a dog you always just thought how
could someone do this how could someone get away with murder and you'd wonder if someone would come
to take you as well his sentiment was shared by countless others who grew up under the blanket of fear and paranoia
created by Louise's 1983 disappearance which has been described as a turning point in which families became more
conscious of locking their doors and windows and taking more stringent precautions to protect their children
even within their own homes Deputy Police Commissioner grant Stevens explained when a child is taken we look
at our own families and we wonder just how safe our own kids are and we hope that something like this never affects
our family or people we are close to it cuts to the core of those basic principles that a man's home is his
castle and you have a right to feel safe there dr. Alan Perry a criminology lecturer
within the law faculty at the University of Adelaide spoke to winter state newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald in
1984 and described the cultural shift he noticed in Adelaide residents following
the spate of crimes committed against children and teens that occurred throughout the state dr. Perry quote
Adelaide was a relaxed open city in 1973 people left their cars unlocked on the street and would leave their front doors
unlocked at night it really was just a big country town in ten years there has been a considerable deterioration in the
quality of life people have become fearful defensive suspicious I don't know anyone who goes to bed with the
front door unlocked now it's a change in attitude rather than a change in the place that is the saddest aspect
Adelaide has changed it has lost thus innocence and once you lose it it's lost forever
the pajama top intentionally placed by data fennec on the front lawn at underbanked Grove remains the only piece
of DNA evidence directly connecting him to the murder of Louise Bell during a channel 9 television series titled a
city of evil Nigel hunt an investigative reporter for Adelaide newspaper the advertiser said quote irony can be a
wonderful thing the fact that it was fennec himself that gave police such a vital piece of evidence way back in 1983
his extraordinary as of early 2019 Louise Bell and Michael black have never been found the search for their remains
continues [Music] [Music] you

Case 105: Louise Bell

During recess and lunchtime at Hackham West Primary School in 1982, teachers patrolled the schoolyard to oversee the young children as they ran around and played together between lessons. Yet, there was often one student separated from the others, preferring to stick by her teachers’ sides rather than go off and play with her peers – 10-year-old Louise Bell...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Researched and writing – Elsha McGill Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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Brief Summary

Louise Bell disappeared in 1983; Dida Fenig was later convicted of her murder, but her body has never been found.

Key points

Lindsay Busey AK Memorial Walk. Every year, Lindsay's father organizes a memorial walk for justice in her honor.
Louise Bell's Disappearance. On January 5, 1983, 10-year-old Louise Bell goes missing from her home, sparking a massive search.
The Mysterious Phone Call. A caller claims to have Louise and demands a ransom, but it's a hoax.
Discovery of Louise's Earrings. Earrings belonging to Louise are found, confirming foul play.
The Pajama Top Discovery. A woman finds a pajama top that belonged to Louise, leading to new leads.
The Disturbing Findings of the Inquest. Coroner Ahern concludes that Louise was likely abducted in a sexually motivated attack.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I'm convinced she's not hiding anywhere.

Colin Bell's emotional plea for his daughter.

12:40WatchJan 26, 2019

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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