In mid 1995 Italian law student Victoria Cafasso decided to defer her studies and take some time out. The 20 year old travelled to Tasmania, Australia, staying with a distant relative while she thought through her options. She arrived in Beaumaris, a small seaside town on the north east coast of the island state, on October 6th. Five days later Victoria took a short walk to the local beach to do a spot of sunbathing. Just a few hours later her body was found on the shoreline. Victoria had been the victim of a frenzied attack and had suffered multiple stab wounds. Over the years there have been several persons of interest and in 2023 there has been a new development in the case.

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It was nearly 2am on Sunday November 15th 1970  when 18 year old college freshman Robin Graham ran out of petrol on  Hollywood freeway, California.  A couple of highway patrol officers pulled up to assist her and directed Robin to the nearest emergency phone, from where she called her parents' home. They had not yet returned from an evening out so Robin left a message with her sister that she needed picking up. Over the next thirty minutes or so highway patrol officers passed by a few times to check on Robin. On one pass they noticed a man aged in his mid-twenties standing by the open bonnet of Robin's car. They assumed the man was a family member who had come to help.  At approximately 2.30am, Robin's father arrived to collect her. He found the car locked and no sign of his daughter. Robin has not been seen since that night, more than fifty years ago. 

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Part 2 of the episode Kyllikki Saari (Unsolved Murder). If you haven't already, please go back and listen to part 1 before continuing.

See show notes in Part 1 for episode desription.

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*PART 1 of Kyllikki Saari (Unsolved Murder). Part 2 will be released Friday Nov 17th, 5:00am GMT.

Though it was 10pm it was still light as 17 year old Kyllikki Saari and her friend Maiju started their cycle home. It was Sunday May 17th 1953 and the pair had just attended a church youth event near the rural town of Isojoki, in southwest Finland.  At a crossroads on a lonely forest road the friends separated - Kyllikki still had 6km to pedal before she would reach home.  The teen never made it out of the woods, leaving a grieving town and a whole host of suspects.

With a complex and detailed narrative and over half a dozen persons of interest, Kyllikki’s case is one of the most challenging I have covered.

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Sandy Drummond was a down to earth, bright and likeable former British soldier. The 33 year old worked at a paper mill and shared an isolated cottage with his brother just outside St Andrews in Fife, eastern Scotland. In the spring of 1991 Sandy’s relaxed demeanour suddenly altered and a cloud of sadness seemed to descend on him. A few months later Sandy abruptly resigned from his job and a few days later he was found dead, laying face down on a farm track close to his home. With no sign of violence it was believed Sandy had died of natural causes. The post mortem showed this theory could not have been further from the truth.

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Message from John:
Hi, it's John here.  I wanted to put this message in the podcast but I'm currently on holiday in Cornwall and the WIFI isnt great, so I wasnt able to upload it.  As I'm away the episode is slightly shorter than normal, but rest assured I have not skimped on my research. This is a case I've been sitting on for a while, waiting for the right opportunity to share. I also wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for listening and for your kind reviews.  A big thank you to those who support the podcast.  As an independent podcaster who works on the podcast in my free time this means so much. I really appreciate it.

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Segametsi Mogomotsi lived in the village of Mochudi, just outside the capital city of Gabarone in Botswana. On a Saturday in November 1994 the 14 year old disappeared while selling oranges to raise funds for an upcoming church excursion. Less than 24 hours later her dismembered body was found a short distance from her home. It appeared Segametsi had been been the victim of a ritual murder. This horrific crime was a catalyst for widespread protests across the country as many felt those in power were attempting to cover up the truth.

Sign the petition for Segametsi at Change.org!

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Dr Danuta Kaczmarska was loved and respected by her patients. In January 1986  the 52 year old was found brutally murdered at her home in Hall Green, Birmingham, in what looked like a frenzied but premeditated attack. The community and police were baffled. Then sensational and often judgemental stories began to surface that the kind, amiable doctor was leading a double life. It is suspected that Danuta knew her killer.

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Brian McDermott left his home in East Belfast and promised his mum he would be back for Sunday lunch. It was the last day of the summer holidays in 1973 and the 10 year old was headed to the playground at nearby Ormeau park. Brian was spotted there by several witnesses but he never returned home. Six days later his partial remains were found in a hessian sack floating on the River Lagan. At the time police said it was the most ghastly and fiendish murder that Northern Ireland had ever witnessed. Fifty years on the case remains unsolved and is dogged with conspiracy and rumour.

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On an early spring evening in 1982, 8 year old Toya Hill went out to play in front of her family's apartment block in south eastern Baltimore.  At some point she wandered to a local grocery store to buy some sweets. Toya never returned  home and it was as if the thrid grader had walked off the face of earth.  No sign could be found and the police were baffled.  Toya's mother Annette had her own suspicions regarding what may have happened to her daughter and set about devising a plan to  find the truth.

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The evening of December 18th 2008 was Mellory “Mel” Manning’s  first shift on the streets of Christchurch’s red light district for months. The 27 year old had turned to sex work at a young age to fund a destructive drug habit. Recently a family tragedy had led Mel to take steps to change her life. Tonight was a one off, she  was off the drugs but wanted extra money to buy Christmas presents. At 9.43pm Mel sent her last text message. Two minutes later her phone was out of service. The  events that followed are now permanently etched into the annals of New Zealand criminal and legal history.

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