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Coronial inquest into missing four from Nannup | Day 1
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[/FONT]A three-day coronial inquest started in Busselton on Wednesday, examining the mysterious disappearance of Gary Felton (alias Simon Kadwell), his partner Chantelle McDougall, their six-year old daughter Leela McDougall and friend Antonio Popic.
It is believed Ms McDougall, her daughter and her friend Mr Popic were last seen in Perth on July 14, 2007 after they abandoned their rented home in Nannup.
Their landlords Lyndon and Elizabeth Crouch had leased them a house on their beef farm on Roberts Road.
On July 19, Ms Crouch noticed a yellow envelope stuck in the door of the property that informed her that her tenants had left for good. By that stage, she had not seen them for a number of days.
Mr Crouch said in his evidence that he was surprised about the note, which had informed him that he could have all the furniture that was left behind in lieu of rent.
The house was spotless, the fridge was cleaned, the only other thing that was left behind was half a bucket of rice, he said.
The couple also found a note on Mr Popics bed that said they were all moving to Brazil.
Investigations into the disappearance have left police baffled, with little to indicate whether the four were murdered, had died in a suicide pact, had relocated to a remote area off the grid, or had left the country by sea.
Mr Felton used the alias Simon Kadwell, police later discovering it was an identity he had stolen from a former colleague he worked with in the UK.
According to witness reports at the inquest, his landlord Mr Crouch described Mr Felton was physically and mentally weak, and was controlling of Ms McDougall, their daugther and Mr Popic.
WA Police senior sergeant Gregory Balfour said Mr Felton had also disassociated from mainstream society.
Mr Balfour said Mr Felton had bizarre spiritual philosophies, was the leader of an internet-based cult called the Truth Fellowship and had written a book Servers of the Divine Plan.
During the investigation, police discovered Mr Felton stayed up all night playing online games, and chatted to people on chat sites often discussing with them his family had a suicide pact, then would sleep all day.
Police believe Mr Felton met Ms McDougall in 1997 at an ashram in Melbourne, they moved to WA and lived a communal lifestyle with Feltons partner at the time.
Mr Felton returned to the UK with his former girlfriend, according to police he had travelled between the UK, India and Australia using a passport with the name Simon Kadwell, Ms McDougall went and met up with him and returned to WA with Felton in 2003.
The relationship with his former partner had ceased, she told police Felton had a narcissistic personality.
Mr Felton and Ms McDougall resided in Denmark when they decided to move to Nannup and found a quiet and remote home to rent 12 kilometres out of town.
Leela who was six years old at the time of the disappearance was home-schooled, other than the Crouch siblings, her landlords said she had little contact with other children.
Ms McDougall was described as happy and outgoing, she was well liked in the community, and worked at the Nannup Hotel, a hardware store and a fish and chip shop.
Her parents Jim and Catherine McDougall said at the time their daughter was young and naive, she wanted an alternative lifestyle and aligned herself with Felton.
Mr Popic met Mr Felton and Ms McDougall in Denmark, he moved to the Nannup property around 2004 living in a caravan next to the house.
He was a follower of Feltons spiritual beliefs.
It is understood Nannup Police received a tip-off from a local that Simon Kadwell was not Mr Feltons real identify however police leads did not find anything unusual.
On May 5, 2007 Nannup Police sergeant Taylor stopped Mr Felton in a routine traffic stop and took the opportunity to question him about his identity.
Senior sergeant Balfour said at the inquest it was reported Mr Felton appeared nervous, he was issued a ticket in the name of Simon Kadwell, police believe it may have been a catalyst for the disappearance.
The last known contact with Felton was a phone call made to a travel agent.
In the days before the disappearance, senior sergeant Balfour said Ms McDougall and Mr Popic sold their vehicles and puppies to a pet store in Busselton.
Ms McDougall went to Busselton to sell the puppies and deposited cheques at the Commonwealth Bank.
She had phoned her parents to tell them they were moving to Brazil, Mr Popic visited his family in Manjimup telling them he was going to Alice Springs.
What is not clear to police is how they travelled from Busselton to Nannup then Bunbury after selling their vehicles.
Confirmation of how they may have made their way to Perth and if any of the missing persons later travelled to Kalgoorlie or Northcliffe are sketchy.
Police have theorised that Mr Popic caught a train from Bunbury to Perth calling backpackers, the Court Hotel and ordered a pizza delivery to a remote part of Kings Park.
Ms McDougall told her parents she would be staying at a backpackers in Perth before they headed to Brazil.
Police said it was difficult to ascertain whether train or bus tickets purchased in cash under a false alias of Jay Roberts were used by Popic or Felton.
A police search of the Nannup property did not find any human remains and their bank accounts have never been touched since they vanished.
Catherine McDougall said they hoped to find out anything which would help find them, or find out what happened to them.
Catherine said sometimes she thought they were hiding somewhere off the grid living a quiet lifestyle, other times she thought something happened to them and they were killed or committed suicide.
It is difficult going back over it but I want to find out where they are, so I will just keep doing it until I find something, I wont give up, she said.
It is not over.
More to come.
Two young and seemingly happy Canadian backpackers took their lives shortly after meeting the WA-based leader of a doomsday cult, an inquest has heard.
The couple, Kirk Helgason and Alixander Fominoff, were holidaying in southern Western Australia and went to meet Simon Kadwell, who had online followers devoted to his teachings.
https://twitter.com/GianDePoloni/status/938681113333055489Cult leader Simon Kadwell's partner in rush to sell puppies, inquest into Nannup mystery hears
ABC News
BY GIAN DE POLONI
22 MINUTES AGO (as at 18:41 AEDT 07 December 2017)
Carolyn French was the last person to have contact with Ms McDougall after purchasing two puppies from her on July 14, 2007.
Ms French told the inquest Ms McDougall was in a hurry to sell the dogs and was adamant they needed to be collected as soon as possible.
When she went to pick them up, she said Ms McDougall seemed in a hurry to get her out of the house.
Ms French also noted how the farmhouse was full of furniture.
In the days after the family disappeared, Ms French said she received an anonymous phone call from a woman who aggressively asked her about the nature of her relationship with Ms McDougall.
Read more at:
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-...t-told-mother-in-rush-to-sell-puppies/9236296
Cult leader Simon Kadwell's partner in rush to sell puppies, inquest into Nannup mystery hears
ABC News
BY GIAN DE POLONI
22 MINUTES AGO (as at 18:41 AEDT 07 December 2017)
‘Carolyn French was the last person to have contact with Ms McDougall after purchasing two puppies from her on July 14, 2007.
‘Ms French told the inquest Ms McDougall was in a hurry to sell the dogs and was adamant they needed to be collected as soon as possible.
When she went to pick them up, she said Ms McDougall seemed in a hurry to get her out of the house.’
‘Ms French also noted how the farmhouse was full of furniture.’
‘In the days after the family disappeared, Ms French said she received an anonymous phone call from a woman who aggressively asked her about the nature of her relationship with Ms McDougall.’
Read more at:
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-...t-told-mother-in-rush-to-sell-puppies/9236296
A former Nannup local with paranoid delusions had been on forums saying that he trolled and interacted with Gary online beforehand, pretending to be his friend or nemesis. This bloke asserted that the cult had caused him to lose his timber logging license and thus lose his business, ie motive. This bloke did sell up his deer farm in 2006, however he still conducted his trout fishing guide business in the area. He made assertions that everyone whoever harmed his livelihood had been eaten by sharks and provided a number of examples, ie means. He made other delusional assertions and appeared to claim to know all Gary's activities and plans amongst his delusion that Gary was working with MI5 to specifically target himself. Upon reddit was a post by someone who possibly might be associated with Sir_Laughs_a_Lot who visited the backpackers on the same days that someone using the name Popic was alleged to of stayed there. This witness said on Reddit that he was never interviewed, I hope he has been since.
IMO, if the posts by Sir_Laughs_a_Lot has any basis in truth, and some events he mentioned have been confirmed on this thread, then he might well of known of the group's plan, change of plans and other information, which presents as opportunity.
This chap IMO needs to be asked some questions at the inquest.
He might well have nothing to do with the disappearance but he makes out that he knows a lot more.
Read through the thread if you want to know more about this possible witness/POI.
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What concerns me the most is the thought that Leela is still with Kadwell and Chantelle is no longer with them.
If I recall correctly, this attempt did not end well.Hopefully, this person on twitter has passed this "further information" onto the WA Police or the WA Coroner, rather than the media.
https://twitter.com/ShannLow/status/673027996899393536
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Yes its true so much info . this iz exciting to see ! I need a few hours to read all petedavo tweeets , to even catch up on this mass of evidence that could find out more about the nannup 4 mystery disappearance.So much new information:
*The bad smell and the shirt found 3 months later
*The identity of the two Canadian backpackers
*Woman who bought the dogs and her visit to Nannup house on on July 14 (firms up timeline)
*The aggressive phone call
So much we here we could never verify or even knew. I'm a bit stunned.
Thanks for all the tweets and media links!
Ayahuasca?Yes its true so much info . this iz exciting to see ! I need a few hours to read all petedavo tweeets , to even catch up on this mass of evidence that could find out more about the nannup 4 mystery disappearance.
Wonder if that Psychotic drug gary felton Kadwell was growing factors in
?
Or do you mean his involvement in the cadaver dog episode with Hayley Dodd?If I recall correctly, this attempt did not end well.