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Subscribe to RSSSYDNEY -- A coroner on Friday opened Australia's fourth inquest into the most notorious and bitterly controversial legal drama in the nation's history: the 1980 death of a 9-week-old baby whose parents say was taken by a dingo from her tent in the Australian Outback.
Azaria Chamberlain's mother, Lindy, was convicted and later cleared of murdering her and has always maintained that a wild dog took the baby. She and her ex-husband, Michael Chamberlain, are hoping fresh evidence they have gathered about dingo attacks on children will convince Northern Territory Coroner Elizabeth Morris and end relentless speculation that has followed them for 32 years.
Anne Lade, a former police officer hired by the court to investigate the case, told a packed courtroom at the Darwin Magistrates Court in the Northern Territory that in the years since Azaria disappeared, there have been numerous dingo attacks on humans, some of them fatal.
Rex Wild, a lawyer assisting the coroner, described several of the attacks and said he believed the evidence showed that a dingo could have been responsible for Azaria's death.
'Balance of probabilities'
The Australian newspaper reported that the court was told there have been 239 recorded attacks by dingoes in Queensland between 1990 and 2011.
"Although it (a dingo killing a child) may have been regarded as unlikely in 1980 ... it shouldn't be by 2011-12," Wild said. "With the additional evidence in my submission, your honor should accept on the balance of probabilities that the dingo theory is the correct one."
AP Photo / File
Michael and Lindy Chamberlain leave Alice Springs courthouse on February 2, 1982. Lindy Chamberlain, who was accused and later cleared of killing her infant daughter Azaria, said a dingo took the baby.
Morris adjourned the hearing without issuing a decision, and did not say when she would release her findings.
Azaria's death certificate still lists her cause of death as "unknown." The Chamberlains say they want to set the record straight on behalf of their daughter.
"It gives me hope this time that Australians will finally be warned and realize that dingoes are a dangerous animal," Lindy said outside the courthouse in the Northern Territory capital, Darwin. "I also hope that this will give a final finding which closes the inquest into my daughter's death, which so far has been standing open and unfinished."
According to the Australian Associated Press the Chamberlains’ lawyer Stuart Tipple said on ABC Radio before the inquest began Friday that the couple were not bitter.
"What they really want to do is to get the message out there and to make sure that this sort of tragedy never ever happens again," he said.
Fear and paranoia
Azaria vanished from her tent in the Outback on Aug. 17, 1980, during a family vacation to Ayers Rock, the giant red monolith now known by its Aboriginal name Uluru. Fellow campers told police they heard a low growl followed by a baby's cry shortly before Lindy — who had been making dinner at a nearby barbecue area — went to check on her daughter.
Lindy said she saw a dingo run from the tent and disappear into the darkness. There were dingo prints outside the tent, and spots of blood on the bedding inside. Upon seeing Azaria's empty bassinet, Lindy screamed, "The dingo's got my baby!" — a line made famous by the Meryl Streep movie, "A Cry in the Dark," based on the case.
Azaria's body was never found, though her torn and bloodied jumpsuit turned up in the surrounding desert.
AAP via EPA
The camping area, including the Lindy Chamberlain's tent, where her daughter Azaria went missing near Uluru, or Ayers Rock, in Australia's Northern Territory on August 17, 1980.
Officials, doubtful that a dingo was strong enough to drag away a baby, charged Lindy with murder. Prosecutors said she slit Azaria's throat in the family car — which initial forensic tests said was splashed with baby's blood — and buried her in the desert. Lindy was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Years later, more sophisticated tests found that the "blood" in the car was a combination of milk and a chemical sprayed during manufacture. Three years into Lindy's prison sentence, a jacket Azaria had been wearing was found by chance near a dingo den. Lindy was released from prison and her conviction was overturned.
Still, three separate coroner's inquests have failed to agree on a cause of death for Azaria. The last inquest, held in 1995, returned an inconclusive finding, with the coroner saying there was not enough evidence to prove a dingo was responsible.
In court, Michael Chamberlain fought back tears as he spoke of the nightmarish aftermath of his daughter's death.
"Since the loss of Azaria I have had an abiding fear and paranoia about safety around dingoes," he said. "They send a shudder up my spine. It is a hell I have to endure."
Australians have followed the case closely since it began, and most have strong opinions. Although public support for Lindy has grown over the years, many still doubt that a dingo could have killed Azaria.
"I think that the people that don't think for themselves aren't ever going to be convinced, and it really doesn't matter what you show them," Tipple told the AP. "I could show them a video of the dingo taking the baby and it wouldn't convince them — because they've made their mind up."
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After 32 years and the 4th inquest I really don't think there is much anyone can say. There is no new evidence, just a rehash of 32 year old evidence. Be it animal or human that killed Azaria we will never know. I hope this is finally the end of the saga...will it bring peace of mind to the Chamberlain family, I doubt it...as it will always remain a "question mark" on what happened to a little life lost in our outback long ago.
I admit I do not really know much about this case, but I certainly believe that a dingo could carry off an infant. While I have never seen a wild dingo, I have seen many coyotes which I understand are similar in size and strength. Based on a few small dogs and other small animals I have seen coyotes carry off, I would say that a coyote or a dingo is more than capable of carrying/dragging off an infant. I also have no problem believing that a wild animal like a dingo would see an infant as food, and a relatively easy target, particularly if it is hungry. I feel for these parents, having had this hanging over them for more than 30 years and hope that the case is finally closed so that they can have some degree of peace. With this hanging over them, I am sure that the healing process over the loss of their child has been difficult. While I do not know for a fact that she is innocent, I would have expected that the extensive investigation would have turned up some evidence against her if she was guilty. There is also no mention in the story about any possible motive she could have had for killing her baby. That along with the witness saying that they heard a growl and the baby crying shortly before the baby was discovered missing does seem to lend credibility to her version of events. That, coupled with the fact that there have been many incidences of dingos attacking small children over the last thirty years, and the fact that the baby's jacket was found near a dingo den, also makes me think that Chamberlain is innocent. I hope that this case is finally closed so that the Chamberlain's can finally move on without this hanging over Lindsay.
Evening JS...hard to know what went on. They botched the investigation, brought in some nit wit from England and he said there was a "print of a human hand" on the front jump suit..and scissor marks around the neck of the jump suit. This was later thrown out as evidence and the "expert" admitted he had lied, he wanted his 15 minutes of fame. They had Aboriginal trackers but they could not decipher the tracks so nothing came of that. There were human and dingo but that is normal in a camp. Then they said one of the brothers had killed Azaria and they panicked and buried her body in the desert. We don't need to be told dingoes are dangerous, they are wild animals and should always be treated as such. There has been inquest after inquest, all with the same outcome..."unknown" and I can't see how it will be any different now. All they know is, a baby is dead, but how and by what they will never know.
My Miniature Schnauzer (only 7kg / 15lbs) can drag a blanket with my 9-month old son on it around the house. Dingo's can be about 23-32 kg / 50-70lbs. So a dingo being able to drag a 9-week old baby away seems likely to me.
Besides, hyenas (which are a little bit bigger) have been know to drag off small or weak humans in the night.
Dogs that have recently gone wild, forget everything about being domesticated. I've never seen a dingo either but having worked in canine rescue I have no doubt a wild animal could carry off a newborn.
Some of these animals can carry many times their own weight.
My grief is for the parents and hopefully they will have some legal closure to this nightmare of theirs.
I can't imagine being falsely accused of killing my baby. It's just impossible to imagine the pain of going through that on top of losing your child. No sympathy for the death of your child, just people treating you like a monster at a time when you're already experiencing excruciating pain and loss.
No closure. No end to it. No chance to heal.
What a nightmare for this woman.
I have two very loyal and protective pet dingoes. They have been mans best friend in Australia for many thousands of years. They will take a child if one appears to have been offered up, especially if they sense a wrongun. They eat their own pups if they are stillborn or unfit to join the species. Azaria quite literally means sacrifice, offering in the wilderness. The Chamberlains went camping at Ayers Rock with a purpose, premeditated. Still makes me sick when I think of the thousands of Dingoes slaughtered because of religious fanatics on a hair-brained mission, half baked idea.
You are absolutely right. I think it is hideous that a government could continue to torment a family with this unproven crap.
And people think the U.S. is bad!
MOT-
Does it really? Now that is odd.
Thanks for sharing.
no disrespect to Meryl Streep, but i believe it was elaine benness in "seinfeld" who made the phrase a household item with her famous (drunken) exclamation at a party "maybe the dingo ate your baby". one of my favorite episodes and quotes...sad story in real life, though, and another example of the lynch-mob mentality of the judicial system. when a baby dies it must be somebody's fault, usually the mother/father, etc.
MOT from down under - you are incorrect & spreading false information. "Azaria" does NOT mean "sacrifice in the wilderness", it means "blessed of God".
Azaria means helped by God not sacrifice and you sound like one of the idiot "detectives" who butchered this case.
@MOT from down under - is noting but a lying troll. The meaning of the name Azaria is "helped by god" or "(s)he who has een helped by god." It's meaning most definitely has nothing to do with "sacrifice" or "offering." Trolls like MOT need to go crawl back under their rocks and stay there.
Oh. Thanks you guys, before I made a fool of myself by repeating it. :)
Dogs can pull five times their own weight.
I agree with the above comments. Why did the Australian authorities refuse to believe that a dingo was capable of abducting a baby? It doesn't seem implausible to me.
State Police incompetence, that's why. Then add a splash of corruption...
For that great clip of Elaine Benes from Season 3 Episode 10, "The Stranded", saying "maybe the dingo ate your baby", here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghCTZF61ey0
For the record, as horrible as it was, I believe the family. It is entirely possible for a dingo to haul a baby off...the tragedy only compounded by 32-year ordeal they have lived since.
I grew up in Wyoming and saw coyotes (think North American dingo) come right up in your yard to take a dog or cat..and yes, they have bitten and chased kids as well. In southern California the coyotes are a daily pest that raid peoples yards and there have been instances of children attacked. Of course the dingos got the child. There never was any motive for the couple to kill thier own child. What a sick twisted system to pursue them all this time. Glad I live here, as screwed up as it is.
There are reports of a coyote taking a baby from its carriage and running off while the mother screamed for help... It took place somewhere in California I believe. The baby was not recovered.
Some years ago a small boy was attacked and killed by a 'dingo' on the island of Tasmania near Australia. His brother was a witness to the attack... They had both been trying to run away from the dog.
Here in Colorado, up against the foothills, coyotes come right up to your backyard. They are of the breed which early settlers hereabouts used to call "Prairie Wolves," and they are easily as big as large German Shepherd Dogs... When we hear them 'yipping' in the middle of the night we hasten to get our dogs inside.
Just as an afterthought: It strikes me that Australian authorities might be somewhat concerned about the affect which 'Dingo Publicity" might have upon their very important tourist trade... Given the right kind of 'inspiration' people can convince themselves of almost anything.
MOT from down under - Don't know where you got your meaning of the baby's name, but when I looked it up it is Hebrew and means "helped by God". A somewhat different meaning than yours.
Relax 'Ol_Doc!' MOT is a known troll... His comment has been removed by community request.
@ MOT
Azaria \a-za-ria\ as a girl's name (also used as boy's name Azaria), is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Azaria is "helped by God". From the male biblical name Azariah.
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Azaria
Don't make up 'facts' for attention. I remember this case quite well and followed everything available at the time, the parents are innocent and the prosecution should have been tried for their inept handling of the case, as should the so called expert, James Cameron. His 'expert' testimony was just his attempt at his 15mins, so he made it sound spectacular. He had no idea what he was talking about so he just made $h1t up.
One reason that the woman is still pursuing the case is despite being exhonerated and the Australian government paying the couple $A1.3 million for wrongful imprisonment, the media in Australia continues to fan the fires of the story and the police steadfastly contend that their "proof" of the mother killing the child is "absolute." The Australian police have constanly had the couple followed, parked partol cars in front of their house, and visited the husband's employers and told them that they have a murderer as an employee and it will cause their firm to come under increased police scrutiny.
The police, with the help of the media, fabricated a "scenario" that the woman was a witch who was taking her new baby to Ayers Rock to sacrafiuce it to Satan and that even the child's name was a name for Satan. Her name actually means "blessed of God." The devil worshiper's god is Azazel. They contend that while the family was playing elsewhere that the women took the child to their car, slit its throat, and placed the body in a large camera bag. She then returned to her campsight and sounded the alarm. While others were searching for the 9-week-old child the mother disposed of the body. The only hard "evidence" that was presented was that there was blood on the front seat of the car was not just blood, but was blood containing a specific type of natal hemoglobin (which is gone by the time a child is 4-6 months old) of the same blood type as the baby. The Australian police withheld lab reports that concluded that it was blood. It turned out to be a combination of baby formula and a fungicide sprayed on the interior of the car to prevent mildew while the car is shipped. They contended that the baby's clothing had a cut mark near the neck, but that turned out to be untrue. But the Australian police built their story and they are sticking to it.
The government has settled with the parents but I believe that there still exists a pending legal action against the police.
I love animals and would never do anything to try to make people angry with them.
But I think the real baffling case here is that australians have doubted for 32 years that a powerful carnivore is capable of eating a baby. I think certain house cats would have that capacity, let alone a powerful canine.
Then, the amusing thing, is that cattle mutilation 'experts' blame the killings on foxes. So a fox can kill a heifer but a dingo can't kill a baby. This is when you need to question the "Experts."
I find it more questionable that the people of Australia actually harbor any doubt whatsoever that a baby could be taken and killed by a canine.
The article indicates that the majority of Australians actually believe a wild dog is not capable of taking and killing a baby...total insanity!!! There are plenty of animals who are lower in the food chain that are easily able to kill a small human!!!
They pitched Azaria's tent right next to a picnic table, in a spot where feeding dingoes are attracted. Do I need to spell it out? There are many translated meanings, derivatives of Azaria but the one that counts is the one that fits. And I'll say this one last time: Mormons, for the love of God, quit christening Jews for Pete's sake!
MOT--yes, spell it out. Did the dingo take the baby or not? Even if dingos are attracted to picnic tables--this would mean the family was stupid, not a group of evil, child-sacrificing witches. There is no meaning of "Azaria" which has to do with "sacrifice" that is easily available--if you have one, share it.
I think it was silly that the authorities didn't accept that the dingo might have taken the baby. There are multiple cases in the US of dogs that same size picking up infants and carrying them around (one dog, probably thinking she was helping, picked up a crying baby by its head and carried it to its mother--the baby died).
The annoying thing about trolls is that they appear to be paid by the post--and bring up odd things like Mormons baptising Jews after their deaths. It is puzzling to me that such people do not get banned altogether.
No matter what the inquest determines, to some this woman will always be a murderer. Since the evidence of her guilt appears so slight, I prefer to err on the side of charity and believe it was Australian wild dogs who took her baby.
But, I'll never know of a certainty.
dman-353357,
Nothing can be known with certainty. Heisenberg made that point clear, maybe. But come on: A mother who had (perhaps) shown nothing but love for her daughter (if her daughter wasn't an alien implant, in which case her daughter wouldn't be her daughter, but if we don't open the box and collapse the infinite possibilities into a single reality, I guess we'll never know, about the cat or the dingo) suddenly decides to slit her throat? In a convivial company of friends? With nary a satanic ritual (they're pretty elaborate, you know) to (un)bless the sacrifice?
Oh get gone. The woman had the misfortune of being the one who got up from the fire to check on the baby. If her husband had been a bit more limber, he would have gone to prison.
The dingo's got my reason!
Lune
"But, I'll never know of a certainty." Nor will anyone else dman, nor will anyone else...
Heisenberg??? Lenny Heisenberg?? From Brooklyn? We used to study quantum mechanics together... At least I think so --- but I'm not sure.
ercillor-2107261,
Lenny may be from Brooklyn, and Heisenberg may be Lenny, but I'm unsure if Schrodinger's cat is a dog.
Lune
Well I think that I have the answer in a small book entitled "Schroedinger's Cat." I purchased it years ago.. Maybe I should actually read it... I might even learn how to invert a Hamiltonian.
<img src=
sounds good
sounds good
The whole investigation and trial seemed to be a witch hunt, with the public's fear and misunderstanding of the Chamberlain's religion (Seventh-day Adventists) firmly at the core. Rumors of satanic worship and sacrifice were spread and fueled the emotions of general populace, tainting people's ability to judge without preconceived notions.
Based on the evidence provided in the media, I don't believe they are guilty. A dingo is certainly very capable of carrying a baby away, and there is plenty of evidence to support that claim. Then again, that is merely my opinion, but I know they didn't get a fair shake through the initial trial and subsequent years. How very tragic for all involved.
Why do these cases get re-visited from time to time, when there is almost never any new developments that would make any difference?
I would say in this case it was a welcomed revisit. The couple were and are looking at some type of resolution. If recent evidence gathered helps their case, than it should be brought back. I believe the "new" evidence in this case would be the fact that the range between their babies death up until now shows several examples of attacks and the evidence that yes, it could in fact happen. This has hung over their heads for years. It doesn't make a difference for us, it's a difference for them. The fact that they are still looking for a difference should speak volumes.
@Dasvet,
Despite their exhoneration and a settlement of $A1.3 million, the Australian police have continued to harass this couple. They park patrol cars in front of their house, they follow the women when she is grocery shopping, etc. But worst of all, they have on several occasions gone to the couple's employers and told them they they were employing a murderer and could expect their firm to come under serious scrutiny. The Australian police have engaged in a lot of coverup and a huge amount of stonewalling, mostly because they fabricated evidence. An example is the baby had on an undershirt that was later found in the desert. The police claimed that the shirt had been turned inside out. The mother said that she would never have put the shirt on inside out. The police used this as "proof" she was guilty. In fact, they also suppressed 7 pictures that show that when found the shirt was right side out. A police photographer had turned the shirt inside out so as to photograph the inside.
The woman and her husband are most likely on the cusp of another lawsuit against the police because of the continuing harassment. Getting facts admitted in an inquest is a good way to get legal bases loaded for a civil case against the police. It gets them on the record.
Nothing will be proven one way or the other, is my prediction. It will, like in America, come down to how much the lawyers can extort from the taxpayers, is also my prediction. The woman is not in jail because most people believe dingos could very well be able to carry off an infant. Just more lawyer bs.
For many years Americans did not think Coyotes posed a danger to humans because there had never been a documented attack on a human by a Coyote. With the growth in population in the US there are now documented cases of attacks.
Perhaps this is a similar type misconception.
Evening historian..No we have always know Dingoes are dangerous..It is the people who feed them, and think they look a "nice doggie" are the one's at fault. They should be left alone and with little human contact as possible to live undisturbed in the wild.
Is a dingo is a smaller, Australian version of a jackal or hyenea (sp) type animal.. or more "wild dog". I always thought jackal/hyenea.. just mean and tough and almost fearless. Not so much canine lineage.
Buster d'Crabb,
The dingo is definitely a dog, but of an ancient lineage still quite close to canines before they were domesticated by humans. Pretty much wild canines came to Australia thousands of years ago, and the insular isolation kept them separate from the domestication of dogs elsewhere in the world.
Brings new meaning to the phrase "You dog, you!"
Lune
I have seen dingoes in the "Australia" exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo, and those on display looked much larger than a coyote. Even a 40-pound domestic dog is extremely strong, probably as strong as a 160-pound man. I am sure a dingo is capable of carrying away a small adult and certainly a child or infant. As for the comment someone attributed to Meryl Streep, Ms. Streep did portray Lindy Chamberlain in the movie account of this tragedy. Sadly, the saying about the baby and the dingo was used as a bad joke on "Seinfeld."
So true historian..last fall here in the Highlands of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Canada a twenty three yr old woman was killed by coyotes..
I didn't follow the story, but I don't see why they didn't just test the theory 30years ago. Capture a dingo, get it hungry, give it a baby, see if it can run away with it. Conclusion: Yes, its plausible dingos can carry a child away. or no, it doesn't look like a dingo can. Repeat tests a few times to confirm.
Wikipedia points out the following about 'Dingoes:"
" Today, it is estimated that the majority of the modern "dingoes" are also descended from other domestic dogs. The number of these so-called dingo hybrids has increased significantly over the last decades, and the dingo is therefore now classified as vulnerable."
"Vulnerable" meaning that they are not "protected."
Anyone who loves dogs -- as I do -- and has them living in their home, knows -- or should know -- that these marvelous additions to our family life must not be allowed to run loose with their neighborhood friends. Dogs are pack animals -- like us I guess -- and when they run in packs they can be very dangerous -- like us I guess... Even the small, affectionate friend who curls up by your side of an evening can show a different side of its personality to a small child who is unfortunate enough to encounter your 'friend' running with a pack of ten or so neighborhood dogs. Dingos are only somewhat different.
Simplicit-love it! That makes too much sense, lol. The case was clearly not run/investigated well. I will say that the mentality of studying or investigating cases has recently become extremely popular since many criminal science shows have gone extreme lengths to test things, hence has changed the way people in general look at the way a case is investigated.
A bitter irony in this whole mess is that Lindy was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, and there wasn't a body to support the prosecutions case.
Imagine if the death penalty had been in force at the time and she had paid the ultimate price...
As alluded to elsewhere on this page, due process was a bloody farce!
And, how about that wonderful initial result on "blood" spattered all over the inside of the car?
OBXRon,
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Did that Brit go to prison for giving the court false information under oath? Especially since it sent an innocent person to prison for years? Seeing as how it was Britain where he lived, I bet he got 30 days doing public service or something, they're so goddamned lame with their criminals. I hope that at the very least his reputation was ruined and he was shunned within his profession, if not by every decent British subject. He's a good example of why I'm very much FOR public corporal punishment.
@Merlin the problem with your statement is that the Brit lying under oath wouldn't face corporal punishment, but Lindy Chamberlain (if she's innocent, I don't know either way) would, because she was initially found guilty.
This story, what i recall most, seemed to be the birth of modern era tabloid journalism. World media was relentless in it's coverage and presentation...yes, like a pack of wild dingos.
And really this family/woman is not judged innocent, officials only acknowledge that a dingo could have done it. She needs to declared innocent and the death certificate read "animal attack" (death by dingo)... otherwise a cloud still hangs over her in some minds.
Regardless of the outcome, it was still a great line from a Seinfeld episode.
looks like Lindy keeps losing things including the fiancee
It is a sad and tragic story, but I agree, when Elaine said those lines I laughed until my sides hurt.
"Anti-fungal cream? Why would a woman have anti-fungal cream in her medicine cabinet? Unless?"
Maybe she had athlete's foot or something similar. What difference does it make?
Dear Okie, it was another line from Seinfeld. Sorry you missed it. Do you live in "A place where even squares can have a ball?" Merle still kicks ass!
Many of you here, in common with a significant number of the general public and certainly offialdom, are woefully ignoring a glaring, basic fact - that there is not the slightest shred of evidence to support the contention that the child is deceased.
An assumption has mistakenly been made, now, as then, taken to be the fact of the matter.
It would be far more accurate to describe the baby Azaria's circumstances as "missing - fate unknown".
except for the blood droplets found inside the tent....and the bloody and torn jumpsuit of the infant's that was found near a dingo den...and the witness accounts of hearing growling and hearing a baby cry out.... or do you think an infant crawled away from the camp.......decided to throw away it's bloody jumpsuit near a dingo den(just to incriminate the dingoes) and has lived safely for the last 30yrs in the outback...There's plenty of evidence to suggest the infant was killed if only you bother to use common sense
*puts on alumininum foil cap* or maybe! the dad growled and thats what the other campers heard, and they used a recording of Azaria's cry to fool the others, the mom then went to check on the baby while the dad had already made off with her.
As for the bloody jumpsuit, it wouldn't be hard for the dad to cut his own hand and smear it all over the hand torn suit and placed strategically near a den.
They then sent the baby off with a fellow Adventist who raised the girl that is still alive!
*Tada* case closed for the conspiracy theorists
All joking aside, I can't imagine having your baby die in such a tragic way, then not even have a body to bury or be able to hold a memorial for because you are on trial for murdering your own child. I can't imagine what these parents have gone through.
Nonsense vayne, all circumstantial, and the key phrase you offer incidentally is "evidence to suggest". None of it good enough to definitively determine the fate of the child. CSI you ain't.
So the lack of common sense seems to be emanating from your direction.
Bottom line, nobody at all can rule on what happened out in the boonies that day, and perhaps we'll never ever know.
But the fact is, convicting the mother of murder was a gross miscarriage of justice that needs to be rectified!
It was definative for the Australian government to convict the mother of murder..........so I may not be CSI (tho only a moron could disregard the evdidence that the child was killed) but apparently the Australian courts (your countrymen if I'm not mistaken) thought the same as the rest of us.In fact you are the only one trying dispute the death of this child.The dispute is who did it? the mother or the dingoes......not whether or not it was done..........Im quite sure anyone reading your ridiculous statements will agree that you're totally riding the short bus sport.........or you're a total troll ..personally I'm leaning towards troll because otherwise spelling your screen name to log on would be beyond your capabilities
Do you realize how incompetent and unsophisticated criminal investigation was 32 years ago?, Vayne
The Australian Government had nothing whatsoever to do with the conviction.
It has not been determined without doubt that the child was killed.
There is no evidence to support the death of the child.
Let others on the board decide who the troll is.
A dingo is a wild dog...Dogs come from wolves originally and like the feral pigs in Australia have gone back to their wild state...The possibility that one took a small child is there.( If it had been a wolf we would believe the story).If this really happened I think the mother has suffered enough...I personally couldn't live with the death of my baby ..They would have to put me away.
I read this article thinking that there was finally some resolution, but alas.... Turns out the word "resolved" in the headline is misleading.
Wild carnivores are opportunistic hunters-will take what they find available when there is little risk to themselves. At the time, Oz was experiencing one of their numerous severe droughts, when "incursions by wildlife" heightens the risk of attack. Dingos are very comparable to coyotes, and coyotes can carry away (not just drag, but lift and carry) 30# lambs and kids. They can drag away newborn calves weighing nearly 100#, but there was no indication of drag marks at the scene. The baby was not as large as 30#-she could easily be carried off. This was tragic for this family.
As for not knowing if the child is deceased, the amount of blood initially found on the jumpsuit supported the conviction that the bloodloss was severe enough to be "incompatible with life" for such a small body. Don't add more fuel to this fire. The baby was correctly declared deceased.
Jeepers! Time has not been kind to her! I guess living under a cloud of suspicion has taken it's toll.
It didn't do John and Patsy Ramsey much good, either.
I bet it isn't so much time that hasn't been kind to her, but the courts, prison, her fellow Aussies, the press, the world.... She has suffered much unjustly.
Patsy got what she deserved though. I find it funny that John was dating the mother of Natalee Holloway in an ironic way.
I heard about this tragedy when it first hit the news all those years ago. I have always believed that a dingo took the baby, just as the parents said. So authorities are finally admitting what most people with any common sense knew all along. At one point this woman was convicted, then pardoned, then found not guilty, then ruled innocent, then re-investigated...Now they are dredging it up again. I should think over 30 years of harassing an innocent woman is enough. I have never seen a wild dingo, but I have been around dogs all my life and I know that it is certainly physically possible for a 40-60 lb dog to carry off a newborn human infant or any other 8-10 lb package. Also with all the news coverage about domesticated, TAME dogs killing infants and children, it should be plain that a WILD dog would certainly do the same.
That's pretty much how I feel about it too. I've never seen dingos or wolves but I've seen a small coyote carry off a big fat raccoon. It was horrific to watch and quite honestly, he didn't seem to be struggling with the weight. The poor raccoon had come out too early and the coyote was on the prowl. I imagine a dingo could easily carry a 9 week old. :(
Are you kidding? It would have given me a boner. I've seen hawks take off with hundreds of mice, a few small rabbits and the best is when they prey on snakes. They wiggle around and try to bite the hawk. I wish I knew how to type the Tarzan call.
Geez, stone, I know nature is nature and I'm not squeamish at all, but a boner? You might want to get some help for becoming aroused at the sight of small animals being killed.
Impatient Girl- I was hoping for a little good spirited chat this morning but alas, heartbroken again. Tell us, if the coyote had not eaten the raccoon would you feel pity for the poor little coyote that starved to death? Nature can be cruel but also beautiful. Just so you know, coyotes prowl 24/7 so the poor raccoon would be just as dead at midnight. You were just lucky enough to see it.
Ram, just a little of bit of off color humor, did not mean to offend anyone or taken too seriously.
I recall this story very well and always believed the mother's story. Imagine the pain and suffering she endured after losing her baby and then being sentenced to life in prison.
Coyoties have taken alot of children. I live in the country and worried about hawks. I've lost alot of cats and chickens to hawks and eagles.
I would just like to point out how easily false information gets spread. MOT from downunder declares Azaria to mean, "sacrifice, offering in the wilderness"...In reality, it is from the Hebrew and means, "helped by God"...Feel free to double check my accuracy at...www.thinkbabynames.com...
This family has been through enough. If you feel the need to further disparage them, by all means do so, IF YOU HAVE VERIFIABLE, CORRECT information. Think about yourself in this situation and then treat them according to the treatment you would like. It is a simple concept.
I can't imagine something this horrible. Wasn't there a TV movie made about this? My heart goes out to the mother.
d i n g o ...and dingo was his name O!
LOL, that made me laugh (out loud)
Ok. I havent heard of this case till now. Im not going to say whether I think the parents are at fault or not. I think the loss of thier daughter and all they have been through has been enough. The only thing I did want to point out. Its nothing major. Its just whats in this article.
First, who is insane enough to take a 9 week old child into the outback camping? For all the people right now saying, "Well we took our baby camping, and nothing happened. We did it with all our children." Fine, ok you were the lucky ones. Rembmer luck is the guardian of the idiot and the fool. Is your inner wild man, honestly, that hard to ignore? You gotta camp that bad? Ever think of getting the little one a baby sitter? "Oh no, we couldnt possibly leave her alone with someone else, she's to young." Ah but she is old enough to be taken into a place where there are a lot of dangerous things. One spider bite, snake bite, scorpion sting, bee sting, mosquitos..shall I go on?
So, did they do it? I dont know. Did a dingo do it? Possible they are nasty beasts, but I dont know. Did they have the baby sleeping between them and they rolled over on it and smothered it. Then made up an unlikly, however semi-plausible, story and covered it up so they wouldn't have charges brought against them? I don't know. The only thing I can say, they were idiots for taking thier 9 week old baby into the freakin outback. Peace to the child as she rests
Bupea Giddlefrizz,
So they get the little one a babysitter, who turns out to be suffering empty-womb syndrome and disappears into the night with the little one and all. So they stay home, and the house burns, asphyxiating them all (little one included) with smoke before the flames consume them. So they go for a nice drive instead, and the little one ends up as a mashed spot on the floor of the crumpled car pretty well smashed by the jackknifing semi. So they go to sleep one night and the little one just dies (SIDS).
Who is insane enough to post assertions as silly as yours?
Lune
Lune- all those things you mentioned were accidents unless they were found to have been negligent. Leaving a tiny baby in a tent alone in the wilderness IS negligent.
I don't think camping should be seen as "dangerous." I've taken my children camping many, many times, and aside from a few insect bites, none were harmed. There was nothing wrong with these parents taking their children on a camping trip. I think it's weird that YOU find it strange. These people had no way of knowing something so tragic would happen. I'm of the opinion that you protect your children from obvious threats, but I'm not going to quit living my life because something "might" happen when I go camping. The human species has lived most of its history (3/4 of it) living in the wilderness, if you will. It's only in relatively recent history that humans have come to see the natural world as dangerous and threatening. Good grief, I feel sorry for your children if you have any. Better lock'em in their rooms and throw away the key until they reach the age of 21. They'll have no life to speak of, but they'll be breathing. Sheesh.
As for the Chamberlain family, I believe a dingo took that baby and these people have been persecuted for far too long. Leave them alone already!
Bravo!
impatient girl,
By your reasoning (or lack thereof), leaving a tiny baby alone anywhere is negligent, if injury or death results. Leaving an infant asleep in a tent ten feet away is much safer than leaving an infant asleep in the upstairs nursery.
Lune
"First, who is insane enough to take a 9 week old child into the outback camping? For all the people right now saying, "Well we took our baby camping, and nothing happened. We did it with all our children." Fine, ok you were the lucky ones."
Yes, just like the other 99.999% of the campers with children. One reason she wasn't believed is that this thing hardly ever happens.
lol leaving a baby to sleep in a tent surrounded by not only her parents, but quite a few other campers is negligent???? Your logic is astounding.
I might as well turn myself in to the police right now for letting my son sleep in his bedroom all by himself, how negligent of me!
I don't believe it is negligent, but I would not have taken a 9 week old baby camping, too many things can happen, is the way I would look at it. But everyone is different in their thinking process. Do I blame the parents, absolutely not.
The most important lesson from this article: Don't marry for looks. Geesh what 30 years did to that woman!
Arminius256-Are you kidding me? You do realize that stress might have had quite the impact on that....right?? Well, I'll give you that, you know how to hit a man when he's down. It's not like she already went through hell...
Why is Bilie-Jean King pictured with this article?
Please tell me what school these so called experts went too? I want to make sure I don't send my kids there!
Lady, the parents are bringing it up not the cops this time, they want closure and public opinion changed of what happened. Around where I live coyotes are quite brave and smarter than most people I see walking around. If a dingo is like a 'yote, hungry or injured there is no question it could have happened.
Take a lie detector test.
Geez, any possible way any govt can waste money, law enforcement has no evidence, they cant even find out what milk is, what a disgrace. The people lost their baby and the moronic govt cant figure out that a dingo can and did kill the baby and drag it to the den. What about two dogs. The baby was 9 weeks old Female 15 lbs, possibly, when dogs are hungry they will carry off what they know is food. Like in the United States spend 6 trillion dollars on companies like Solyndra, they produce nothing and declair bankruptcy months later. NO CRIME THERE....Fast and Furious....NO CRIME THERE, birth certificate fake, NO CRIME THERE, dont pay your taxes, NO CRIME THERE...32 years of prosecuting THE BASTARDS ARE QUILTY WE KNOW IT. Pick a country any country DUMB IS DUMB. Do pelosi, reid and biden have relatives in Australia. We know obamas are in kenya. Freaks all of them. If it was there money they were spending vice the peoples they would be more exacting. But they dont need proof all they have to do is make up stuff like hillary clinton. BAAAFOOONS.
Mike in Afghanistan
Mike - I hope you stay there. Talk about dumb...
Mike, in the words of Bugs Bunny..."What a maroon!" What, exactly, you been smokin', dude?
Idiot.