Mystery of girl in suitcase deepens
TWO horrific murders.
The remains of a mother and daughter found 1200km and five years apart and police across four jurisdictions left baffled.
Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson was 20 when she was last seen driving near Coober Pedy with her two-year-old daughter Khandalyce Kiara Pearce in November, 2008.
How Karlie’s skeletal remains ended up near Dalys Waterhole in the Belanglo State Forest in 2010, discovered by trail bike riders, is a complete mystery to detectives.
Equally mystifying is the discovery of Khandalyce’s remains near a suitcase on the side of the Karoonda Highway near Wynarka in South Australia, three months ago.
‘‘This is one of the most shocking crimes, shocking and unimaginable,’’ Detective Superintendent Des Bray, of South Australia Police, said in Adelaide yesterday.
Information from an anonymous caller led police to photos of Khandalyce wearing a pink dress and with a handmade quilt, identical to those found in the suitcase.
This week investigators matched blood samples from their medical records to DNA profiles, solving part of the mysterious deaths.
Family, including Khandalyce’s father and Karlie’s stepfather and stepbrother, were notified of their deaths yesterday and have been ruled out as suspects.
‘‘Our family is devastated by this news of the deaths of Karlie and Khandalyce and we are trying to deal with the grief,’’ the family said.
Karlie’s mother had reported her missing in September 2009, but withdrew the report six days later after being reassured Karlie was safe but did not want contact.
Karlie, who came from a loving family in Alice Springs, gave birth to Khandalyce in 2006, raising her as a single mother. Sometime between 2006 and 2008 she decided to leave Alice Springs to travel and work around Australia.
Their lives have been a mystery since 2006, NSW Police Homicide Squad Commander Detective Inspector Mick Willing said.
The last confirmed sighting of the two was by a police officer who pulled them over near Coober Pedy in November 2008.
The investigation in to the ‘‘violent and deliberate’’ murders now involves police in SA, NSW, the Northern Territory and ACT.
‘‘I can’t comment on the cause of death for either the mother or the child other than to say they were violent, horrific deaths,’’ Willing said.