Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, June 1997 #15

[vivienbee]

I keep thinking about the Jane Doe / Jennifer Fergate case. Where the single young woman checked into a hotel in Oslo on a false name, seemingly waiting to meet someone. She was without documents or any belongings and has never been identified but was found shot in the head, disguised as a suicide. In 1995.

It's these sorts of crimes where you wonder where someone like RB could have been involved. Maybe dispossessed of all her assets, maybe waiting at a hotel to rendevouz with the man she was hoping to elope with, maybe a man who has all her money and assets, ringing a Belgian number twice that was an incorrect number, giving an incorrect Belgian address. And then found dead and nobody knows who she is.

I don't personally think that the actual RB was involved in JF's case but this is an interesting angle to consider. It could def be a similar situation.

 

[KittensAugustus]

I am now even more certain that this missing person may be related to this mess: 2626DFBEL - Georgette Van Acker

Georgette Van Acker from Bourg-Léopold, was last seen on Monday, 22 March 1999 at Lille train station (France). She may have taken a train to Anvers. (This lady was 64).

Clothing: Beige colored trousers and a pullover or jacket
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Georgette was carrying a suitcase on two wheels

 

[vivienbee]

I always assumed that the container with Marions possession went into storage, I am now thinking the container may have been delivered to RB or stored in his name

I dont think she knew where he lived like JO just dropped him of at the Big Prawn and he would waddle home from there

"waddle home from there" is literally so funny...thank you for the laugh!

I agree, I don't think we can really say with any certainty where Marion's belongings were actually going. It's possible that the container was in fact shipped overseas as it may have been easier to stay off the radar selling the antiques in Europe than Aus. Having said that, RB is sloppy and thinks he's slicker than the law so he probably had few concerns about getting caught fleecing things in his own country of residence.

 

[KiwiNZ]

sorry double post

 

[gymtonic]

Something slightly disturbing from the latest podcast about the lady placed in a hole next to him so narrow you could only stand up and her suffering an agonising death during his time in the Vietnam War with the Australian Army. While clearly he was never in the Vietnam War or in the Australian Army the story of the lady is a little more chilling. Is he recounting something he may have done?

He may have visited the Cu Chi Tunnels out from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and/or War Remnants museum in Vietnam. This is a common tourist activity to do and Vietnam has a French colonial history that would enable his new ”Walter Mitty” story to be, on the surface, plausible to potential scam victim.

Also in his fantasy story he was probably more likely to have suggested that he was part of the Indochine war in the 1940s fighting as a French soldier rather than Australian Army in the Vietnam war. (See the movie Indochine with Catherine Deneuve…as a French language film I bet he saw it!)

 

[gymtonic]

dbm

 

[gymtonic]

dbm triple post (trouble with web site traffic and servers methinks?!)

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Was 'The Terrace' under his/their ownership as well during this time as far as we know? Sorry for asking already answered questions, I dropped out of the loop for a little bit and certain details are now foggy.

No worries. We don’t really know. The inquest made it seem like they were renting and RB and wife claimed the move was because money was tight and they needed something cheaper for a year.

Which still looks bad because it reinforces the idea he was desperate for cash and only getting involved with MB for the money.

I know some people think he may have buried her in the temporary home, I’m not so sure because then what was the car for?

I am more inclined to think Marion somehow discovered where he lived in Ballina. So to avoid her turning up unannounced and running into his wife and kids, and shatter the illusion he was single and available for marriage, he moved them. He only needed a year lease because Marion wouldn’t be in his life by then.

I believe RB already had his hooks in Marion by late 1996 because by December, she’d already told her family she was going overseas. MOO

 

[Deleted member 249471]

My view is RB didn’t really need Marion to return to Aus, and he seems consistent with leaving women stranded. (Unless it had something to do with her name change.)

However, if Marion never returned what was the purpose of a new car for just a few months?

If Marion did return, either with him or to find him and confront him, where did she stay?

I just can’t make sense of it.

 

[Deleted member 249471]

A movie came to mind, about a french serial bigamist and murderer.
Charlie Chaplin and I've never been a fan but I loved this movie when I saw it three or four years ago.
Monsiuer Verdoux. Based on a real story.

In the movie he gives "noble" reasons why he took on this new career, to support his wheelchair bound wife, and their son.
To him it was a business.

On Youtube, the foreign language caps are a bit of a detraction.

This movie is uncanny. Just the first 5 minutes are worth a watch because it describes Marion and other victim’s situation PERFECTLY! It’s a scam as old as time!

 

[gymtonic]

My view is RB didn’t really need Marion to return to Aus, and he seems consistent with leaving women stranded. (Unless it had something to do with her name change.)

However, if Marion never returned what was the purpose of a new car for just a few months?

If Marion did return, either with him or to find him and confront him, where did she stay?

I just can’t make sense of it.

Yes IMO, I have always thought that the MO is more “seek, scam, desert and move“ on to the next scam and that murder doesn’t fit this or the usual crime escalation pattern, but if it were the case would actually be crime pattern in reverse! Not to say that outliers are not possible but I am reserving judgement. Perhaps the car is not connected to this scam but used for setting up the next?

 

[gymtonic]

IMHO and hot tip for searching for other cases: Also look closer to Oz in the expat communities of Francophone Pacific Islands e.g La Nouvelle Calédonie, La Polynésie Française, even Vanuatu? i posted a while back about a company registered to a Fredy David (I think?) in NC that seemed to be connected to advertising. GGB had ties with NC too. Plenty of potential scam victims in these places I would think.

Francophone Canada would also be on my list. There was a Roger Lazone connection there if I remember rightly? It was a while ago, I will have to check my notes…

 

[brjakj]

Ewww there is a pic of RB on TLV FB page. I have no idea how to copy and paste it here but WTF were people seeing in him!

 

[mishy66]

During the course of this thread, some people came around to the idea that RB most definitely took Marion's valuables packed in tea chests to his own home as at the inquest he tried to invent a cover story that they were collected from his garage by Marion and an airline pilot which was the last time he saw her. If I remember correctly. This would imply he was covering up for having had the items. However, it doesn't imply Marion ever really went there or knew where he lived. He would need to make sure Marion didn't know where he lived I assume.

Most of us know this. It was all fabrication on his part to distant himself from any involvement with her flying OS.

She never went to his house. If her stuff is there it's because he took it there.

 

[Flippitypip]

Ewww there is a pic of RB on TLV FB page. I have no idea how to copy and paste it here but WTF were people seeing in him!

I legitimately thought it was a photo of another one of his female victims when I first saw it. WOW!

 

[mishy66]

The Lady Vanishes FB Page....

 

[Flippitypip]

The Lady Vanishes FB Page....

I'm going to throw a wild theory out there. Is it possible that he could have disguised himself as, or impersonated a woman at some point?

Edit: wording and MOO

 

[hoodunnit]

I legitimately thought it was a photo of another one of his female victims when I first saw it. WOW!

Me too! He could definitely have passed for a female. Maybe some of his mysterious overseas movements were under a female alias....

 

[mishy66]

My view is RB didn’t really need Marion to return to Aus, and he seems consistent with leaving women stranded. (Unless it had something to do with her name change.)

However, if Marion never returned what was the purpose of a new car for just a few months?

If Marion did return, either with him or to find him and confront him, where did she stay?

I just can’t make sense of it.

Maybe the car isnt about Marions case..... maybe its to do with another woman he had encountered!?

 

[Nnbee]

It doesn’t look like the same person to me? His lips look so thin in the new photo. Even the eyes look different?