The unsettling discovery on the Karoonda Highway | Forensic Files

hungry to become a detective Philadelphia Police Officer Thomas Lockhart begins a lifelong pursuit of a
serial killer who mysteriously resurfaces every nine years when the killers crimes begin to defy all
scientific explanation Locke's obsession with finding the truth threatens to destroy his career his family and
possibly his sanity directed by Jim Mickle and starring Boyd Holbrook Cleopatra Coleman and Michael C Hall in
the shadow of the Moon is a genre blending psychological thriller that examines the power of time and how its
passing can either bring us together or tear us apart watch in the shadow of the
moon on Netflix September 27 [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 today's episode contains violence
against children that won't be suitable for all listeners the kirinda highway is
a 172 kilometers on way that connects the South Australian Riverside township of Murray Bridge with Loxton further
north on the cusp of the state's border with Victoria largely desolate the highway cuts through expensive
agricultural landscapes with several remote houses and small towns dotted along the way including wanaka situated
105 kilometers east of the capital city of Adelaide WA knockers Main Street offers little but a post office fire
station and a public pay phone plus the football oval and tennis courts nearby with a population of fewer than 100
people it's the kind of town where anything out of place is noticed by mid March 2015
roadworks along a stretch of the Karuna Highway two kilometers east of guanaco were completed shortly afterwards a
large gray suitcase was sited on the roadside it appeared as though it had fallen off a passing truck
sun-bleached stained and dirty from having been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time
the Lanza brand suitcase caught the attention of multiple highway travelers with one stopping to investigate upon
partially emptying the bag behind a bush and realizing it contained soil to children's clothing infested with
insects they disregarded the fire and dragged the bag back to the roadside on Tuesday July 14 2015
a motorist traveling down the highway pulled over to relieve himself as he made his way into the thick bush land
framing the side of the road he noticed an array of dirty and torn children's clothing strewn under a patch of trees
in front was the abandoned suitcase he crouched down to unzip the case and rummaged through its contents for
himself noticing a small human jawbone [Music] [Music] the suitcase contained the heavily
decomposed remains of a young child national news outlets theorized that was missing Australian boy William Terrell
in September the year prior three-year-old William was playing in the yard of his foster grandmother's
house in New South Wales when he suddenly vanished ongoing search and investigative efforts had failed to turn
up any trace of William and although police had yet to conclude what had happened to him the general consensus
was the boy had been abducted international media cast a wider net suggesting the remains in the suitcase
were those of missing English girl Madeleine McCann the three-year-old was at the center of modern history's most
reported on missing person case after she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal in May
2007 multiple scenarios and suspects had been considered over the years including
the possibility she was abducted by a pedophile ring and transported overseas [Music]
speculation ended at the conclusion of a post-mortem the child was an unknown Caucasian female aged between two and
four years old approximately 90 centimetres tall with shoulder length fair colored hair two balls of blue and
white stripe to dishcloth were tucked inside her mouth which had been sealed with silver duct tape there was no
injury to the skeletal remains and in the absence of soft tissue a cause of death could not be determined although
asphyxiation was presumed it was believed she had been deceased for upwards of seven years killed elsewhere
before her body was stored in the suitcase within a month and discarded on the roadside where it remained until
discovery the girls skull was covered with a disposable nappy and a purple downunder
brand bath towel was wrapped around the lower part of her torso South Australia's major crime investigation
branch established a task force Mally to oversee the case fronted by detective Superintendent des Bray he withheld
details of the autopsy from the media but told ABC news reporters that the child quote died a violent death under
terrible circumstances the media dubbed the unknown girl the Angel of Oaxaca entered the roadside where her remains
were found was memorialized with flowers teddy bears and messages of grief one read you deserved a better than this
rest in peace little angel [Music] task force malli questioned every resident of Oaxaca and to learned of an
incident in early May that had been a source of intrigue in the small town one morning went to guanaco residents were
walking their dogs outside town they rounded the dusty truck along the railway line and sighted a clean-cut man
neatly dressed in a suit he was Caucasian about 60 years old with gray hair and was of average height and build
the men was walking alone down the road with a large dark-colored suitcase without looking up he crossed the train
tracks into the scrub towards the karoon de highway the dog walk is described feeling an unnerving sixth sense about
the suited stranger he was heading away from town and opted to carry his bulky suitcase as opposed to pulling it along
by its handle this sighting didn't align perfectly with the timeline established
as the first sightings of the suitcase on the roadside occurred in March with the suited man witnessed the more than a
month later nevertheless a connection was drawn and police appealed to the public to identify him images of the
children's clothing found with the remains were released to the media including a black dress with sequin tutu
- a pink striped dress silk boxer shorts dora the explorer' pajama pants pink track pants a cream fur-trimmed
coat and a single pink slip off with a butterfly motif on the toe there was also a 90 by 90 centimeter patchwork
quilt featuring a black border of colourful music notes although badly deteriorated police were able to
reconstruct seven of the quilts twenty-five octagonal patches they contained images of butterflies geckos
dogs a camel a pumpkin patch and stars the fabric had been manufactured in New York seven years earlier but the quilt
itself was handmade in machine stitch investigators believed that the one-off item was crafted by someone close to the
child and may have been used as a teaching tool to help them identify the animals and objects on the patches the
black sequined tutu dress was one of 28 sold exclusively in store by fashion brand cotton on kids throughout South
Australia eight years prior as it was no longer feasible to trace the item back to the victim investigators believed the
key to identifying the girl hinged on the one-of-a-kind quilt superintendent des bray told the media someone loved
that little girl and either made her or gave her that quilt I would appeal for whoever loved her to get in touch with
us attempts to identify the child continued for weeks police extended their line of
questioning to sounds within a two hundred and fifty square kilometer radius of Oaxaca as officers on
horseback canvassed the terrain for 48 kilometres from the side of the discovery motorists provided dashcam
footage taken along the kirinda Highway over previous years revealing the suitcase had been moved and examined to
multiple times before it was finally reported to police all 145 children from Australia's missing-persons register had
been ruled out opening up the possibility that the victims birth was unregistered or that they were indeed
from another country Detective Inspector Greg Hutchins told the media he had never seen a murder like this in his 37
years of service quote this truly is the little girl lost she seems to be lost to
society lost to the system forgotten by all and to that he's incredibly sad as the investigation reached its third
month superintendent Dez Bray announced it's hard to believe someone hasn't missed
her I thought when we started this job that we would quickly identify who this little girl was somewhere out there is a
mother a father at the very least an extended family and I'm at a loss as to why someone hasn't reported this little
girl on Tuesday October 6 2015 call number 1267 was placed to the Crime Stoppers Hotline from a woman named
Tonya Webber Tonya lived over 1,600 kilometres from guanaco in the remote Northern Territory town of Alice Springs
and had been following the angel of Oaxaca case she recognized some of the child's clothing but her concerns piqued
when she saw the patchwork quilt as it bore similarities to one that had been handcrafted by her best friend Colleen
Povey several photos of Colleen Poppy's granddaughter two-year-old Kendall a Spears were supplied to Task Force Mally
the toddler had pale blonde hair and in one image she was wearing a pink striped
a dress similar to one found with the unidentified remains another showed candle east in a stroller clutching a
Rubik's Cube tucked behind her was a patchwork quilt with a black border of colorful musical notes an exact match to
the one found with the angel of guanaco Tonya Webber explained that candle Ace was taken interstate seven years earlier
by her then 20 year old mother Kali Pierce Stephenson nicknamed mouse for her short stature and petite fille
cheese Carly became pregnant at age 18 and 2 gave birth to Kent Alise known affectionately as candles on June 19
2006 Carly took on motherhood seriously she was fully supported and assisted by her family however a disagreement with
her mother soon prompted to seek independence and work elsewhere in November 2008 Carly abruptly
announced that she and Kent Elyse were moving to Adelaide she packed their belongings into her 1996 Holden
Commodore station wagon and left after a brief stop in the town of Port Augusta to visit Carly's grandmother the pair
continued onwards to Adelaide and spent a day at Marion shopping centre with an old friend roughly a week into their
trip Kylie called family friend Tania Webber in tears saying she had made a mistake and wanted to come home
Tania offered to pay for her flight her arrange to have someone pick her up but Kylie declined by the end of their
conversation she seemed to have calmed down and was back to her happy self Tania tried contacting Carly numerous
times after that but she never answered over the coming months family and friends progressively heard a less from
Carly and call stopped entirely after a year her Facebook page also appeared abandoned on September 4 2009
Coleen reported her daughter and granddaughter missing records confirmed Carly was using her bank account
regularly with the most recent transaction occurring days earlier at an ATM in South Australia police made some
phone calls and were informed that Carly was planning to move north to Queensland
with a new boyfriend certain Carly and canter lace were fine the police nevertheless agreed to keep their file
open until someone directly saw or spoke with the pair according to reports Colleen contacted
the police again six days later explaining she had received a phone call from Cali sounding strange and speaking
in a whisper Carly refused to disclose where she and Ken Dilys were living but reassured her mother that everything was
fine she also expressed the desire not to be contacted again this report was disputed by Carly's family who later
stated it was the police who claimed to have spoken with Carly on the phone and following her comments announced they
would be closing the investigation into her disappearance five days later Colleen received a text message from her
daughter requesting money and she transferred her five hundred dollars over the following years family and
friends received sporadic text messages from Carly needing money for various reasons from travel expenses to buying
key and Elise a birthday present her mother obliged every request in the hopes the two would eventually return to
Alice Springs in February 2012 Coleen passed away from breast cancer at the age of 44 shortly before her death she
asked a collie and candles here yet but her wish to be reunited with her daughter and granddaughter before she
died went unfulfilled in 2013 Carly's cousin wrote and published a Facebook post for Carly which read to my
beautiful cousin I know you're somewhere out there and I just want you to know I
won't stop looking for you if you see this or if anyone has seen this girl please to let me know not a day goes by
that I don't think of you both I just want to know you're both safe kenta leases medical records were sparse
her last doctor visit occurred when she was 18 months old to receive immunizations there were no further
records after that nor had she been registered with education authorities or child care facilities anywhere
throughout Australia as per standard procedure when Kent Alise was born several drops of blood were drawn from
her heel for routine screening the sample had been stored and was compared to DNA from the remains in the suitcase
revealing a match the angel of Oaxaca was two year old Quinta Lee's Pierce before any announcement was made to the
public a search for Quinta Lisa's mother Kali was initiated five years earlier in
New South Wales on the afternoon of Sunday August 29 2010 a group of trail bike riders were navigating through the
heavily wooded area of Daly's water hole in the Blanco State Forest as they sped
around a bend one of the riders overshot the corner and entered a small clearing
where he spotted what appeared to be a large leg bone the group investigated further finding a ribcage spine pelvis
and a human skull along with various items of clothing police arrived and sealed the area off as a crime scene it
appeared as though the body had initially been buried but was later upturned by the roots of a nearby fallen
tree the discovery immediately stirred memories of the backpacker murders 18 years earlier covered in episode 109 of
case file between 1989 and to 1992 seven backpackers were abducted while hitchhiking from Sydney and violently
killed in Berlanga a local road worker Ivan Milat was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of James Gibson
Deborah Everest Simone SH Mittal Gabor Nagi Bella Anna ham shade Joanne Walters and
Caroline Clarke yet many believed he was responsible for other run solved disappearances and murders a lingering
dread permeated overbill angle Oh ever since the killings with suspicions that more of millata victims lay undiscovered
in the forest the skeletal remains at Daly's waterhole shared a notable similarities to mallets crime scenes
prompting speculation that the trail bike riders had stumbled across another one of the serial killer's victims the
lap was known for making little effort to conceal his victims remains often leaving them alongside boulders or logs
and haphazardly covering them in a light layer of forest debris yet he's known victims were discovered in a remote area
of dense forests to the north the newly uncovered remains were further south in a more accessible area close to
well-worn tracks investigators were hesitant to prematurely draw links to mallet and
refused to even mention his name to reporters alluding to the increasing conjecture superintendent Evan Quang be
remarked we definitely will not be jumping to conclusions there are many lines of Investigation to
explore we are chasing facts we are not chasing assumptions where those facts lead us is where our investigation will
continue the remains were those of an unknown female aged between 13 and 25 years
approximately 150 to 160 centimeters tall with shoulder-length hair she had sustained blunt force trauma to her
torso with fractures to multiple ribs on both sides of the chest although the exact cause of her death could not be
determined her injuries strongly correlated with the application of compressive force by way of stomping or
kneeling the remains had been in the forest from anywhere between six months to ten years a timeframe that ruled Ivan
Milat out as a possible perpetrator as he had been arrested in 1994 as police examined missing person files across
Australia a DNA profile was extracted from the victims tibia bone and uploaded to the National Criminal Investigation
database this allowed the sample to be cross-checked against others collected from crime scenes convicted offenders
suspects and missing persons yet there was no match as her tapes showed signs of Dentistry carried out in Australia
detectives made inquiries with dentists local to the Southern Highlands region but to no avail focus shifted to a badly
decomposed t-shirt found near the remains the white size tan shirt featured a motif of a rose heart and
angel wings with the word angelic written above in pink text that was produced by fashion brands chain
reaction and sold in retail stores throughout Australia in 2003 an artistic impression of the Taoiseach
was released to the public with the motif inspiring the media to name the unidentified woman the angel of Belanger
Oh a facial anthropologist examined the skull to create an approximate image of what the angel of Berlanga Lowe may have
looked like at the time of her death damage was circulated in the media and sensor law enforcement agencies overseas
but no one recognized her in November 2012 more than two years after the discovery Western Australian
law enforcement announced that they had received information that the woman may have been a European backpacker who
worked for a vineyard in the Margaret River region as the victims death didn't align with Ivan Milat killing spree
police considered the possibility that they were dealing with a copycat or someone hoping to cover up their own
crime by pinning it on the serial killer other theories included that the Angel of Blanco had been murdered by her
domestic partner had fallen under society's radar been isolated with limited social connections placed in
institutions were engaged in sex work criminal psychologists believed the perpetrator was likely studying news
reports to keep up-to-date with the investigation with the crime constantly on their mind but with no clear leads or
major breakthroughs the case went cold for five years in 2015 following the discovery of key and Elise Pierce's
remains in the suitcase in South Australia a sample of the two-year-olds DNA was sent to the forensic and
analytical science service centre in New South Wales the whereabouts of her mother were still
unknown and police aimed to rule out the possibility that Carly may also be deceased but cross-checking Kenter
Lisa's DNA with the collection of unidentified remains stored at the facility testing revealed that canned
Elise shared a familial match to the remains uncovered in bolongo forest in 2010 the pair were mother and daughter
the angel of Berlanga Lowe was 20 year old Carly Pierce Stevenson the World Health Organization has named the health
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angels of Oaxaca and Belen Glo were two-year old candle each pierce and her mother Kali Pierce Stevenson a statement
from the Pierce family expressed their devastation while thinking those involved in finally returning them home
a tribute for Carly by her stepfather Scott Povey and her brother Luke was later featured in the publication
Northern Territory news at read Carly and candles the Sun doesn't shine as bright as it did but the night is now
lit with a few more stars no more looking to see if that girl is you as we saw someone else in a crowd no more
waiting to hear no more waiting to see you show up smiling again as usual no more laughter giggles and pranks no more
late nights just talking with the music playing our hearts of a thousand cuts and we will remain your strength give
candles a hug sweetie love always dad and Luke Superintendent Dez Bray requested the public's assistance in
finding the missing pieces of the puzzle appealing to landlords Motel workers or
caravan park owners who may have accommodated Carly and can't Elise prior to their deaths quote this is one of the
most shocking crimes imaginable and has torn apart and devastated a loving family those responsible for this crime
though truly evil and remain amongst us in the community and must be held accountable for what they have done
inquiries were made into how the pair met violent ends 1,200 kilometers apart it had since been brought to the
attention of investigators that when Carly and candor laced departed Alice Springs on Monday November 10 2008 they
were not alone they were accompanied by Carly's 34 year old boyfriend Daniel Holden
according to the book the lost girls by Ava Benny Morrison Carly's mother Colleen had a bad feeling about Hold'em
and was unsure why her daughter would be interested in someone almost twice her age
Colleen offered to look after Kendall East so the couple could make their journey to Adelaide alone but Khali
refused and the trio left the next day later that month Hold'em Kylie and Kendall ace arrived to the outer suburb
of Charnwood in the Australian capital of Canberra there the trio state with Holden's cousin Christine for several
weeks during that time tension brewed between Carly and Hold'em at roughly 2:30 a.m. on Monday December 15 2008 the
couple left to go for a drive leaving Kendall eise in the care of Christine later that day at around noon Holden
returned alone with a scratch on his face he said there had been a fight and Carly had asked to be dropped off at a
bus stop Christine was suspicious and asked how Carly could leave without her daughter hold him replied sometimes she
does that two days later Hold'em traded Carly's car for an older model Holden's statesman on Friday
December 19 he placed the candle ace into the Statesman telling his cousin he was taking the toddler to her
grandmother's house in South Australia when Colleen puffy reported karlie and candle ace missing almost a year later
Northern Territory police contacted Holden in South Australia he explained that he and Cali were no longer together
and she was now seeing someone from Queensland he offered to pass on her new contact
number and asked police to call him back later that afternoon however further attempts to reach him were unsuccessful
On June 24 2010 a woman in a wheelchair entered a bank in Adelaide's northern suburbs claiming to be Carly she
requested Carly's contact details be updated to an address in South Australia that same month
Carly's identity was hijacked again when the same woman attended one of her compulsory Centrelink interviews in the
North Adelaide suburb of Salisbury she produced canta Lisa's birth certificate in order to receive $8,000 in family tax
benefits and rent assistance within carly's network of friends and associates was a wheelchair-bound woman
named hazel Passmore who resided in Adelaide she was a former girlfriend of Daniel Holden the pair commenced the
relationship around 2005 with Holden becoming stepfather - Hazel's three children Lauren willow and Orion in mid
2007 the family relocated to Alice Springs and to launch the car detailing business dealing drugs on the side there
they met and befriended Carly in Turkey and Alise on Monday September 15 2008 Holdem hazel
and their three children set out on a 16 hour drive to Adelaide Holden was yawning and struggling to stay alert but
he ignored Hazel's requests to pull over and rest suddenly two kangaroos left out
in front of the car Holdem swerved which caused the car to spin out of control and flip five times on its side he
emerged from the wreckage relatively unscathed but Hazel's legs torso and some internal organs were crushed
two-year-old Lauren sustained minor injuries however nine-year-old er below and seven-year-old Ryan were thrown from
the vehicle and died instantly toxicology tests confirmed the presence of amphetamines in Holden's system which
he claimed he had taken days earlier Hazel's left leg was amputated leaving her permanently wheelchair-bound as she
recovered in hospital Holden paid her a visit accompanied by Kylie and Kendall ace
describing Haldimand to Kylie as quote really chummy hazel was certain the two were having an affair and ended her
relationship with Holdem following the funeral for Hazel's two children on November 14 Holden fled to Canberra with
Kylie and Kendall ace believing police would press charges against him for the crash police tracked hazel down to her
devaron Park home in Adelaide's North she explained that on December 20 2008 Holden reappeared in Adelaide alone and
the pair resumed their relationship Holden would give conflicting stories regarding Kylie's whereabouts claiming
she was in our springs Canberra and Queensland according to hazel Holdem had a pornography addiction and had pedophilic
content on his computer pertaining to underage girls then now 41 year old Daniel Holden was
currently serving four years at Cessnock Correctional Center in New South Wales for raping a nine-year-old girl in 2013
Holden's criminal record dated back to his early 20s with offences for drink-driving
theft fraud and domestic violence drug and alcohol addictions increased his violent tendencies and led to the
deterioration of his first marriage he adopted a transient lifestyle thereafter before arriving in Alice Springs with
hazel Passmore in 2007 Holden was interviewed in prison telling police his relationship with Carly was built on a
foundation of support following the car crash that claimed the lives of his two stepchildren but ended within two months
over financial matters he sold her car and used her bank card to settle a debt with his cousin before returning to
Adelaide to resume his relationship with hazel he cleaned he maintained an affair
with Carly up until 2009 later that year she informed him she was moving to Queensland to be with another man
Holden's story changed the multiple times throughout the interview and he often contradicted himself though he
denied any involvement in Carly or candor Lisa's murder or that he had conspired with hazel to steal Carly's
identity and access her finances police executed search warrants at multiple properties associated with Holden
finding Kinder Lisa's birth certificate Carly's Medicare and - library cards and
her mobile phone several notebooks were filled with sexually explicit stories many of which featured young women and
children a handwriting expert concluded Hold'em or third most but several were written
by hazel Passmore according to the book the lost girls by Ava Benny Morrison when questioned hazel claimed she wrote
the stories at Holden's request there's a form of foreplay and that Holden would ask her to recount
her own childhood sexual abuse to get himself aroused one notebook contained a list of about thirty
children identified by their age first names in two locations which included places where Hold'em stayed throughout
2006 and 2007 alongside the names Hold'em had written the words consent forced or rape the list included the
name candles but there was no evidence to indicate he had assaulted any other children mentioned and to the list was
ultimately determined to be a fictitious fantasy just further evidence of Holden's pedophilic inclinations police
also seized the diary written by a 17 year old who Hold'em was in a relationship with at the time of his
arrest for rape in 2013 one entry dated January 8 2013 read Daniel lied to me said he killed
Carly and candle but they're still alive it's all over Facebook but he says they're dead
and he made them think she's alive everything he says doesn't make sense apparently he killed her in December
2008 but people gave her money on her daughter's birthday in 2010 and 2011 got a text from hazel saying they're dead
and she seen pics hazal had come across a cameras SD memory card belonging to Hold'em that
allegedly contained child pornography and compromising images of Carly she confiscated it and later gave it to a
relative in case something happened to her the card itself was handed in to police
photographs of hold him and people known to him had been deleted from the card while images of various properties where
he had resided throughout his adult life remained one photo showed a skull fragment belonging to one of Hazel's two
deceased children having been taken at the scene of the car crash in 2008 there were also pictures of Carly time-stamped
the morning of Monday December 15 2008 she was wearing the white angelic t-shirt that was found with her remains
police compared the images to those of the palang below crime scene Carly's skeletal remains were in a near
identical position to the way her body lay in the photographs which depicted the brutalization inflicted upon her
including a foot pressed against her neck on October 28th Daniel Holden requested a second interview with
investigators during which he claimed he wanted to come clean he proceeded to implicate the boyfriend of his cousin
Christine in the murders as he was providing this information police received word that Holden's phone
records placed him near Berlanga low State Forest within the timeframe the photographs of Carly's attack were taken
he was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder telling officers you've got the wrong
guy you'll see investigators were certain candle ace was murdered after her mother but had yet to establish the
exact time and location of that crime according to the book The Lost Girls police offered hazel Passmore a deal
tell the truth none of the information provided would be used to build a case against her she
agreed revealing that in mid-2009 she had discovered Carly's belongings in the boot of Holden's car believing the pair
had resumed their affair she confronted Holden who told her not to worry about Carly anymore as she was dead he then
described in detail how he had killed her hazel remained uncertain that Holden was telling the truth until she came
across the incriminating photographs of Carly on the SD card showing her death in the exact manner he described hazel
asked him about can't Elise and hold him explained he had suffocated her sexually
abused her body then dumped her somewhere on the highway when news broke in 2015 that a toddler's body had been
found on the kirinda Highway hazel wondered if it was canned Elise but was too afraid to contact authorities she
told the police hold him killed Carly so that he could come back to her quote he
did it for me it was all me hazel admitted to accompanying hold him to Centrelink in the bank pretending to be
Carly in order to gain her single parent benefits rent assistance medicare rebates credit card and savings but
claimed she did so under duress despite evidence to the contrary she denied speaking to Carly's family on the phone
and pretending to be her during calls she then told police carly destroyed everything I had and I hated her if I
could have ripped the money off her I would have done hazel denied spending Carly's money
herself saying it was used exclusively by Hold'em to pay rent into living expenses overall Hold'em had obtained
more than 72 thousand dollars from Carly's accounts on Sunday December 13 2015 Kali and
candle ace were farewelled at the Alice Springs desert church a statement from their family thanked the community for
their support saying many throughout Australia pray that mother and daughter will now rest
forever in the arms of the angels it described carly as a cheeky kind and a loyal young woman who was always there
to support her family although she was small in stature Carly's heart and personality were described as huge and
she was commended for her optimism two year old candle ace had been the center of attention and idolized her
grandparents together the pair were quote facing the world with all its charms persuasions and pitfalls over one
hundred mourners donned the pair's favorite colors pink and blue as they were laid to rest side by side in a
single white coffin they were buried alongside Carly's mother Coleen fulfilling her final wish to be reunited
with her daughter and granddaughter their shared headstone read in our hearts and each other's arms forever
two days later Daniel Holden was charged with the murder of candor Lee Spears the
prosecution's case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence including hazel Pass Moores confession investigators
endeavored to build a stronger case by determining the exact location and circumstances of the toddler's murder
according to witness statements hold him left his cousin's camera-based property
with candle East's on Friday December 19 2008 four days after Carly was killed when he arrived that hazel Passmore was
Adelaide home the following day he was alone Holden's movements were trapped by his mobile phone and credit card data
feeling he spent an hour in the New South Wales regional hub of Wagga Wagga on the morning of December 19 where he
visited the local Woolworths supermarket to purchase garbage bags silver home handyman brand duct tape and
multi-purpose wipes the duct tape and wipes were an exact match to those found with candor leases remains he then drove
another hour to the Riverside town of Narendra and checked into the Midtown Motor Inn at 11:00 a.m.
under the alias Daniel Marshall plus one child despite paying for a night stay mobile data showed he left two and a
half hours later continuing onwards to South Australia the motel had since changed management and investigators
were unable to detect any forensic evidence in the room where Holden briefly stayed they tracked down the
previous owners who confirmed that in 2008 the motel was stocked with purple bath towels whose brand and batch number
matched the one wrapped around candor Lisa's body police were certain Holdem murdered the toddler in the motel room
before placing her body in the suitcase which he disposed of as he journeyed to Adelaide Daniel Holden pleaded not
guilty and went to great lengths for delay court proceedings from firing his illegal team to intentionally leaving
important documents in his prison cell his trial was scheduled for August the following year but a week before it was
due to commence Holdem unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty hoping it would ultimately result in a reduced
prison sentence he made one final effort to delay the inevitable when his sentencing date arrived on November 30
2018 requesting to revert his plea for candor Lisa's murder back to not guilty his application was rejected a document
titled facts in the crown case not disputed by the defense listed a number of a search
by the prosecution that Hold'em had agreed to including he was quote attempting to or planning to sexually
assault ki and Elise at the time of her death he admitted to using Carly's mobile phone to give the impression she
was still alive sending a flurry of messages immediately after her mother reported her missing and using the
device up until May 2011 Holden's defense team argued that their clients actions were the result of an
unstable upbringing that had negatively impacted his adult life forensic psychiatrist dr. Olaf Nielsen
interviewed Hold'em during his incarceration diagnosing him with depression and a probable personality
disorder citing a child Wildomar by abuse neglect foster care and substance use by the time he reached his teens
Holden was a delinquent who often initiated fights with peers participated in drug taking and had weekly contact
with the police one therapist who saw hold him during ages 13 to 14 described him as a very damaged young boy holden
provided dr. Nillson with his own version of events starting on December 14 2008 when he and Carly went driving
late at night to quote go sightseeing and have a good time they pulled off the highway and into Berlanga lo state
forest arriving at around 5 a.m. the next morning an argument broke out and Carly
threatened to tell hazel how long their affair had been going on for the outraged Holden became violent grabbing
a broom handle from the car and hitting Carly across the ribcage she vomited blood causing him to panic and drive off
leaving her behind he maintained she was still alive when he left but knew she would die soon after he admitted to
being affected by ecstasy and methamphetamine which he claimed put him a volatile state as for Kant Elyse
Hold'em said that's horrible I guess she got suffocated Justice Robert Ellen Hume
refused to accept Oldham's accounts calling them substantially inaccurate based on undisputed facts
Carly's injuries were akin to being stomped or knee to the chest and hold him splaying that she was alive and
vomiting blood before he abandoned her were disputed by the photographs he took which showed her clearly deceased body
with no visible blood the judge thought it unfortunate that dr. Nielsen did not ask Hold'em to explain matters such as
why he took the photographs or did the things they depicted furthermore information provided by Hold'em to
different doctors was inexplicably inconsistent he provided three separate accounts of his father's death variously
stating that he was 20 18 and 15 at the time he also claimed the duration of his
relationship with hazel Passmore was four years then 11 years and asserted that he was never unfaithful despite
telling dr. Nielsen his relationship with Carly began when he was still living with hazel judge whom was left to
question Holdens credibility which was already shaky given his history of dishonesty and fraud offenses and his
capability of deceiving others when it served his purpose as holdem showed no signs of remorse the judge ruled I am
satisfied that the offender's actions were deliberate purposeful and subject of some prior consideration I am
satisfied that the offender completely understood what he was doing and it's wrongfulness victim impact statements
spoke of the pain suffered by Carly and candor Lisa's loved ones during their lengthy disappearance they described the
hurt they felt at having been led to believe that Carly no longer won that anything to do with her family
Carly's biological father burrs Pierce directed part of his statement had Hold'em quote the hate that I feel is
consuming I've never hated anyone the way that I hate you the thoughts of what the girls went through the anger I feel
turns to physical pain it hurts to breathe I would like to say the death penalty for you but even that would not
be enough Scott Pahlavi said that when he heard his step daughter and granddaughter had been
murdered quote my heart was ripped out of me and my soul torn out of existence judge whom
accepted the prosecution's submission that Holden's crimes were motivated by several factors sexual financial and as
evident by him keeping the photographs of the indignities inflicted on Callie the thrill of the kill while the exact
cause of Cantor Lisa's death couldn't be determined judge Hume had no doubt she suffered significantly and her death was
likely prompted at least in part by Holden's need to cover up the murder of Carly
judge whom quote the last moments of Carly's life must have been horrendous she was physically separated from her
child alone in an isolated location in a forest with a man she had trusted and had romantic feelings for his treatment
of her showed complete disdain for her existence as a human being to him she was just flesh with a life that could be
extinguished for his vile pleasure even without being able to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt what it was that
motivated the offender to do what he did I am satisfied that the manner in which
the offender killed Carly Pierce Stevenson and the circumstances in which it occurred amount to a murder of
extreme gravity and appalling depravity it is a murder at the top of the range of objective seriousness Daniel Holden
was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Kent Elise Pierce and Carly Pierce Stevenson the outside court
a statement delivered on behalf of the victim's family read no sentence will ever bring closure he murdered a young
mother and her child he stole their whole lives from them and from us we live daily without Carly and Canada
lease and will do so for the rest of our lives his brutality will haunt us forever exactly how the suitcase
containing canter Lisa's body went unnoticed for almost a decade along karoon de highway remains unknown Holdem
said he left it on the side of the road in 2008 but nobody noticed the suitcase until 2015 reports of a well-dressed 60
year old man seen carrying a matching suitcase on the outskirts of Oaxaca earlier that year remain a mystery as he
has never been identified no charges were ever laid against hazel Passmore in 2016
she reached an out-of-court settlement with Holden for an undisclosed amount for damages in relation to the 2008 car
crash Commissioner for victim rights Michael O'Connell worked closely with the police when they were in the process
of identifying key and Elise Pierce in a 2019 interview with channel 9 current affairs program 60 minutes Michael said
this has been the saddest case that I've encountered this man not only took one human beings life but he took two a
mother and child he stole their lives and he stoled the opportunities that the family had to share those lives with
them the lowest of the low is kind words in my opinion an obituary for the mother
and daughter is signed off by the names of loving family members coupled with the message not a day goes by that we
don't think about you our angels Carly in Turkey and Elise [Music] you

Case 125: The Angels of Wynarka & Belanglo

The Karoonda Highway is a 172-kilometre long roadway that connects the South Australian riverside township of Murray Bridge with Loxton further north...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Alyssa Fletcher, Elsha McGill and Milly Raso Additional edits – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-125-the-angels-of-wynarka-belanglo

Brief Summary

The episode recounts the murders of Carly Pierce and her daughter Kenta, detailing the investigation and emotional aftermath of their deaths.

Key points

The Angel of Oaxaca. A suitcase containing the remains of a young girl is discovered, sparking a nationwide investigation.
A Mother's Desperate Search. Carly's family struggles to find her and her daughter after they go missing.
Carly and Elise's Tragic Discovery. Testing revealed that Elise was Carly's mother, both found deceased.
Holden's Criminal Past. Daniel Holden's history of violence and criminal behavior is revealed.
Hazel's Confession. Hazel admitted to impersonating Carly to access benefits, claiming duress.
The Funeral of Carly and Elise. Carly and her daughter were laid to rest together, fulfilling a final wish.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

You deserved better than this. Rest in peace, little angel.

A message left at the memorial for the unidentified girl.

6:47WatchSep 21, 2019

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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