WA Police `promising leads’ report on Claremont serial killings
March 20, 2015 6:04pm
Claremont killings ‘promising progress’
WA POLICE said they remained positive the Claremont serial killings will be solved.
Police were responding to a report in the Subiaco Post newspaper that Special Crime Squad detectives were making important progress and following some promising leads.
The newspaper reported that detectives now believe the three victims – Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon – were subject to a blitz attack and didn’t get into a vehicle voluntarily.
All three women went missing from the Claremont entertainment precinct in 1996 and 1997. The marathon hunt for their killer is Australia’s most expensive crime investigation and has been the subject to multiple reviews.
According to the Post report, the focus has moved away from taxis and detectives are looking very closely at other non-fatal crimes that may have been carried out by the perpetrator, before Sarah Spiers went missing, including break-ins and attempted abductions.
The Special Crime Squad, which took over the files several years ago, has extensively reviewed the case, using new technology and investigative techniques.
According to the Post report, detectives have made numerous trips to the UK to liaise with forensic scientists there, including DNA expert Dr Jonathan Whitaker. Dr Whitaker has reportedly visited Perth to work on the case. He is a pioneer of LCN (Low Copy Number), the most sensitive DNA testing yet developed.
WA Police wouldn’t respond to any of the points in the report, but issued a statement this afternoon.
“Police have always remained positive that the crimes will be solved,” it said. “The advent of new technology, investigative techniques and the potential for new evidence all enhance that
possibility. Resolving all such matters for victims’ families is a priority for WA Police.”
