A child-abducting murderer dubbed Mr Cruel who stalked kids in Melbourne in the ‘80s was never caught, but Victoria Police have renewed hope.
Police are expected to make an announcement today of an increase in reward money that could lead to the criminal’s conviction. The sum will go from $300,000 to a whopping $1 million.
This news marks 25 years since the abduction and murder of Mr Cruel’s last known victim, 13-year-old schoolgirl Karmein Chan.
Mr Cruel’s crime spree lasted a decade, and included a number of unsolved crimes, including the 1988 and 1990 kidnappings of 10-year-old Sharon Wills and 13-year-old Nicola Lynas. It is believed there were many more attacks, but none of the known victims could ever identify him because he was either wearing a balaclava or they were blindfolded.
According to The Herald Sun, the rewards for information on Sharon Wills and Nicola Lynas may also increase, bringing the total reward to a possible $3 million.
Karmein was kidnapped from her home in Templestowe on April 13, 1991, while her two sisters were in the house. Her body was found a year later, and an autopsy learned she had been shot at least three times in the back of the head.
It is believed she was killed because she may have unmasked Mr Cruel.
Detective Senior Sergeant Chris O’Connor – who led the investigation into the case at the time – recently told News.com.au there wasn’t enough evidence, despite interviewing thousands of people.
“You can be the best investigator in the world and it may be the best run investigation, but at the end of the day if you do not have avenues of inquiry that are solid, it’s a very difficult that you’re going to identify the person,” he said.
A former classmate and friend of Karmein told Fairfax that the case is still on the mind of students from their old school, Presbyterian Ladies’ College.
“I’m still scared. They still haven’t caught the guy,” said the friend, who asked not to be named.
“It’s a very live thing for everyone in our year level. It comes up whenever we hear about a young girl being attacked, especially around the home. That’s probably because this happened at a very formative age for us, we were just starting to get our freedom at 14 and then this happened.”
Trending video: Baby rhino cuddles up to nurse
