Found Deceased Australia, Jane Thurgood-Dove, Niddrie, Victoria, 1997

[TootsieFootsie]

Grieving mum‘s heartbreaking plea


The elderly parents of murdered Melbourne woman Jane Thurgood-Dove have made a devastating plea for assistance with the unsolved and brutal murder of their daughter – so they “can go to their graves” with closure.

In November 1997, Mrs Thurgood-Dove was confronted in the driveway of her Niddrie home and shot repeatedly in the head while her three young children cowered inside her car.

The case is one of five to be uploaded by Victoria Police in the launch of a new online hub to encourage public assistance to solve cold case murders.

Every case featured in the ‘Cold Case Hub’ will include background on the investigation, a photograph of the victim and a personal appeal from the investigator to the public for information.

 

[evilwise]

I read several articles in The Age on the subject. She was ambushed after picking her kids up from primary school by a pot bellied man in his 40s being driven in a stolen car by a thin faced man, one of two stolen cars recovered in the neighborhood. The car's battery had been replaced with a distinct reconditioned one. They ditched and burned the car just a couple blocks away where it was soon photographed by an unknown photographer who had an elderly friend give the photo to the press. Door to door canvassing of the area by police did not reveal the photographers identity and they never came forward.

One of the perpetrators was said to be a regular at a local coffee shop where he had "borrowed" a gun from a local criminal who refused to accept it back with $1000 cash and accused him of having used it to murder Jane.

The widely distributed theory by police was that Jane was mistaken for the wife of a small-time hustler living in the neighborhood who had previously been the target of a foiled murder-for-hire plot.

The story saw near constant coverage for three years until an in-depth profile of the parents was published in which they mention that an unnamed police officer in the neighborhood had a romantic obsession with Jane, after which the case appears to have been allowed to go cold.

This is a case that at one time had a $100,000 reward attached and despite indications of five or more people's involvement, witnesses presumably were too afraid (or too dead) to claim it. Find attached a poorly scanned photo-composite of the trigger man (bottom) and driver (top).

 

[Laura456]

I read several articles in The Age on the subject. She was ambushed after picking her kids up from primary school by a pot bellied man in his 40s being driven in a stolen car by a thin faced man, one of two stolen cars recovered in the neighborhood. The car's battery had been replaced with a distinct reconditioned one. They ditched and burned the car just a couple blocks away where it was soon photographed by an unknown photographer who had an elderly friend give the photo to the press. Door to door canvassing of the area by police did not reveal the photographers identity and they never came forward.

One of the perpetrators was said to be a regular at a local coffee shop where he had "borrowed" a gun from a local criminal who refused to accept it back with $1000 cash and accused him of having used it to murder Jane.

The widely distributed theory by police was that Jane was mistaken for the wife of a small-time hustler living in the neighborhood who had previously been the target of a foiled murder-for-hire plot.

The story saw near constant coverage for three years until an in-depth profile of the parents was published in which they mention that an unnamed police officer in the neighborhood had a romantic obsession with Jane, after which the case appears to have been allowed to go cold.

This is a case that at one time had a $100,000 reward attached and despite indications of five or more people's involvement, witnesses presumably were too afraid (or too dead) to claim it. Find attached a poorly scanned photo-composite of the trigger man (bottom) and driver (top).

View attachment 298164

I hope they receive closure

 

[Gibbo214]

Did Jane have a husband? Or ex husband?

 

[evilwise]

Did Jane have a husband? Or ex husband?

Yes she was a family woman. Her husband was at work when she was killed but he was still the immediate first suspect of course. He passed a polygraph and was 100% cooperative with investigators. Worth noting is that the largest article on the subject, where I got the info about the husband's polygraph, is also the only place where the obsessed cop neighbor is mentioned and that mention is that he also agreed to a polygraph and failed it miserably. He isn't named but it seems he would be the best place to start looking, assuming he's still alive and possible to find.

 

[kadman]

The officer was eliminated as a suspect by homicide detectives. Two named suspects have since died. She was possible mistaken as another women who lived nearby, but I'd like to know if there was ever any further issue for that other woman. This case has always bothered me.