Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #12

[TootsieFootsie]

There was a plan to set up pop up ID clinics on the North Coast, to try and identify various unidentified remains.
One was at Coffs Harbour but it had to be cancelled due to Covid.

DNA collection to solve NSW cold cases

Relatives of missing people are being urged to go to pop-up clinics on the NSW north coast to provide a swab of their DNA in the hope of solving some cases.

Police say they are hoping to identify some of the 330 unidentified human remains in the state, with almost 200 of them being found on the north coast.

Not sure if anything similar was planned for Queensland.

 

[gymtonic]

I know it's said that it was not possible for Marion to have made the phone call and also boarded a flight, but I think the call between Sally and her mum may have been the 31st July not the 1st August, mainly because I don't think a mother would wait a further 24hrs from the first call to confirm their child wasn't caught up in the disaster, my timeline leaves me with 6 extra hours, with the assumption the flight took 30hrs London to Brisbane.

Sally got home on the 31st, so I would assume mid day or late and the message was on the answer phone.

Have I missed something is there anything to sway the phone call to the 1st of August not the 31 of July, other than Sally's recollection

View attachment 340869

One thing to factor in is that news was not reported instantaneously in those days. The Threadbo landslide occurred at 11.40pm on 30 July, and did not even make the OZ newspapers until later 31 July and 1 August. It is unlikely that the UK press would have printed or even reported on BBC News for MB to have read/ heard about it to make a phone call by 8 or 9 am Oz time on 31 July. For that reason I am inclined to go with SL's recollection of it being 1 August.

 

[KiwiNZ]

One thing to factor in is that news was not reported instantaneously in those days. The Threadbo landslide occurred at 11.40pm on 30 July, and did not even make the OZ newspapers until later 31 July and 1 August. It is unlikely that the UK press would have printed or even reported on BBC News for MB to have read/ heard about it to make a phone call by 8 or 9 am Oz time on 31 July. For that reason I am inclined to go with SL's recollection of it being 1 August.

Sally said she got home on the 31st from her trip and there was already a message on the answer phone with Marion concerned for her safety so she must have heard about it (that's how I understood it from the podcast but correct me if I am wrong), then she phoned back, according to Sally the next day, I am just suggesting it could have been that evening when she phoned back.

She may have found out about it if she had had a phone conversation with someone in Aus ( friend or foe ) on the morning of the 31st , prior to calling Sally and leaving a message.

 

[BonnieB]

I know it's said that it was not possible for Marion to have made the phone call and also boarded a flight, but I think the call between Sally and her mum may have been the 31st July not the 1st August, mainly because I don't think a mother would wait a further 24hrs from the first call to confirm their child wasn't caught up in the disaster, my timeline leaves me with 6 extra hours, with the assumption the flight took 30hrs London to Brisbane.

Sally got home on the 31st, so I would assume mid day or late and the message was on the answer phone.

Have I missed something is there anything to sway the phone call to the 1st of August not the 31 of July, other than Sally's recollection

View attachment 340869

IMO the first call, left on the answering machine was made from Tunbridge Wells UK. The second call, when Marion spoke to Sally, was made during the stopover on her flight back to Australia. Marion, in keeping with the secrecy of her return, told Sally a few little "white lies" to hide her unexpected return and cover, what she thought would be about a week of being out of communication.

 

[KiwiNZ]

IMO the first call, left on the answering machine was made from Tunbridge Wells UK. The second call, when Marion spoke to Sally, was made during the stopover on her flight back to Australia. Marion, in keeping with the secrecy of her return, told Sally a few little "white lies" to hide her unexpected return and cover, what she thought would be about a week of being out of communication.

yes that could work as well, 13hr from London to Hong Kong - with a layover - she could make a evening phone call to Sally on the 1st board the flight at 1am (Aus) on the 2nd and land in Aus at 10am

If my maths is correct lol

 

[mishy66]

Anyone know where / suburb in Melbourne DeH lived?

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Hate to be the one asking this, but have there ever been Jane Does ruled out against Marion? i couldn’t find any, but that can be because i live in another country (some AUS websites don’t work here).
Thanks in advance!!

In the PROSECUTORS recap podcast of the case, they mention this specifically as one of the opportunities missed by how long it took the police to take the case seriously. Like many of us here, the two prosecutors who review the case believe it was Marion who took the money out and then met her demise soon afterward. In Australia.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

double post

 

[BonnieB]

In the PROSECUTORS recap podcast of the case, they mention this specifically as one of the opportunities missed by how long it took the police to take the case seriously. Like many of us here, the two prosecutors who review the case believe it was Marion who took the money out and then met her demise soon afterward. In Australia.

After weighing up all possibilities, pros & cons, I believe Marion met her end between 4th-8th Sept. JMO and perhaps we'll never know for sure.

 

[Meligator]

yes that could work as well, 13hr from London to Hong Kong - with a layover - she could make a evening phone call to Sally on the 1st board the flight at 1am (Aus) on the 2nd and land in Aus at 10am

If my maths is correct lol

Which would also explain why she wouldn’t let Sally call her back at the pay phone number.

 

[Meligator]

The thing I don’t understand is that even if police determined Marion was “found” in 1997, it’s not like that rules out her ever going missing at a later point. So when Sally interacts with police years later, and police can’t find her, doesn’t that suggest she’s really missing. Police had her Florabella name.

 

[KiwiNZ]

Anyone know where / suburb in Melbourne DeH lived?

I took down all of the places DDH said they lived but she only stated Melbourne and wasn't pushed for a suburb, darn.

 

[Carovb5]

Save the date: Grande Braderie de Lille 2015

I wanted to put some old photos up of the Lille markets but I think you get the picture. A dealers paradise. Lille!

Luxembourg = Banking - tax free haven/ hidden accounts.

Just want to add that although Lille & Luxembourg are close, they’re different countries (France & Luxemburg)

 

[Itsapuzzle]

Can anyone read what this says where the signature is? "Unable to" something. It's obvious both cards are written by the same person, probably DDH, but can't read that last word.

 

[hoodunnit]

Can anyone read what this says where the signature is? "Unable to" something. It's obvious both cards are written by the same person, probably DDH, but can't read that last word.

It looks to be "unable to sign" and then signed by Mrs DeH because son is only 1 year old.

 

[Itsapuzzle]

It looks to be "unable to sign" and then signed by Mrs DeH because son is only 1 year old.

Ah ha, brilliant hoodunnit, I get it, looks like I had my DH's mixed up ... lol, thought it was RB, and was wondering if the word was "read", "write", "sign" or something else, and why - thank you ...

 

[Satchie]

The thing I don’t understand is that even if police determined Marion was “found” in 1997, it’s not like that rules out her ever going missing at a later point. So when Sally interacts with police years later, and police can’t find her, doesn’t that suggest she’s really missing. Police had her Florabella name.

IIRC, they did reopen the investigation in 2009 in NSW, and that's when they discovered the information about her change of name, secret return to Aus, etc. but they were unable to locate her. The detective formed the opinion that she was not missing, she had chosen to start a new life.

JMO

 

[Satchie]

After weighing up all possibilities, pros & cons, I believe Marion met her end between 4th-8th Sept. JMO and perhaps we'll never know for sure.

However, in the inquest it was reported she withdrew the $80,00 from the Ashmore bank on Oct. 15th. I haven't been following, is it your theory this wasn't her?

Interestingly, Owen's birthday was Oct. 18th. That was the key date that Sally, and IMO police, would take seriously, not contacting her son on his birthday. So the evidence - however inadequate it seems today - from the bank that only 3 days earlier she had been alive and insisting that she didn't want her children to know where she was, would certainly seem to answer her children's questions.

I must say, it would be very unpleasant to have to pass this news on to any woman's children. I don't know whether, at that point, Sally believed she was involved with a man. There was certainly no evidence that she was anything but single and completely independent. IMO it would be easy, in those circumstances, for authorities to see her as the victimizer, not the victim.

JMO

 

[Meligator]

And where did he keep all the money after he closed the security envelope?

 

[1965school]

I've never heard of any, apart from the Ballina one.

I've never heard of any, apart from the Ballina one.

There was the body found late last year near Tamworth. I haven’t been able to find our any more details