Claremont Serial Killer Mystery Breakthrough: Bradley Edwards Arrested In Kewdale For Two Counts Of Murder
The Claremont serial killer mystery, which sparked intense public speculation and a long-running police investigation since the late 90’s, has finally made a major breakthrough after 20 years.
As reported by The Guardian, 48-year-old Bradley Robert Edwards of Perth has been charged with two counts of murder over the killings of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon. Rimmer and Glennon were two of the three women reported missing between January 1996 and March 1997. The investigation in regards to the disappearance of the third woman, 18-year-old Sarah Spiers, is still “ongoing,” though it’s suspected that she had been killed by Edwards as well.
[Image by Paul Kane/Getty Images]
The Claremont serial murder case is striking in such a way that the killings were committed under almost similar circumstances.
All three women were last spotted enjoying a night out with friends at a drinking hole in Claremont and then walking towards the Stirling Highway on their way home. The bodies of Rimmer and Glennon were found in bushland within months.
Edwards was also charged of abducting and raping a 17-year-old woman in a nearby cemetery in 1995 and of breaking into a house in 1988 and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman.
Police commissioner Karl O’Callahan said that Edwards’ arrest was the result of the “biggest and most complex investigation in WA history.” The investigation, tagged “Taskforce Macro,” started 20 years ago following Rimmer’s disappearance.
A man has been charged with two counts of murder in the historic Claremont serial killer investigation https://t.co/BNysdyOlis
— ABC News (@abcnews) December 23, 2016
O’Callahan said in January this year that they are confident that the investigations into the Claremont serial murder mystery will be solved soon.
A 48 year old #Kewdale man charged over #Claremont serial killings. https://t.co/52gpBUO4zv #JaneRimmer #CiaraGlennon #WA #SerialKiller pic.twitter.com/wtNwOIJyrg
— Steve Edgington MLA (@SteveEdgoMLA) December 23, 2016
Claremont Serial Murder First Victim: Sarah Spiers
The 18-year-old Sarah Spiers, a legal secretary, is believed to be Edwards’ first victim.
Sarah was last seen in the early hours of the morning after a night out in Claremont. Unlike the other two women, her body has never been found, but the police suspect that she’s been killed as well.
Spiers’ parents, Don and Carol, said they are still suffering even after 20 years.
“Time has not healed our loss,” they said. “Words are inadequate to describe our personal loss and heartbreak.
“It’s hard not to wonder what Sarah’s life and ours could have been, had she not been taken from us.”
“She was so full of life and had a great love of family.”
Claremont Serial Murder Second Victim: Jane Rimmer
The 23-year-old Jane Rimmer, a childcare worker, was reportedly abducted in the early hours of June 9, 1996, after enjoying a night out with friends in Claremont.
Rimmer was last seen leaving Claremont’s Continental Hotel just after midnight, and then waiting outside Club Bay View after refusing a lift from friends with whom she spent the night.
Her parents, who described Jane as “bubbly,” expected their daughter to arrive at their Wembley home for lunch.
Her remains were discovered in a bushland in Wellard on August 3, 1996.
Claremont Serial Murder Third Victim: Ciara Glennon
Ciara Glennon, a 27-year-old lawyer, was reportedly abducted after enjoying a night out in Claremont on March 14, 1997.
She was last seen outside a computer shop near the Continental Hotel just after midnight on Saturday. Reports say she was trying to hail a cab on her way home to her parents in Mosman Park. She was described by her friends as “sensible and outgoing.”
Her body was discovered in bushland in Eglinton on April 3, 1997.
The Marco Investigation
The long-running investigation into the Claremont serial murders harnessed a lot of resources, not to mention that more than 3,000 people had been tagged as possible suspects during the inquiries.
The “Macro investigation” involved thousands of investigative decisions before the police made a major breakthrough.
After a 20-year investigation, the police ruled that Bradley Edwards had acted alone, Perth Now reports.
Edwards is now under police custody and is set to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on January 11.
[Featured Image by Paul Kane/Getty Images]
