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The Bowraville Murders were a series of serial killings that took place in Bowraville, New South Wales, over a period of 5 months from September 1990 – February 2001.

There were 3 victims in the series of killings. The first person to disappear was 16 year old Colleen Walker, who was reported missing 13th September 1990. The second to disappear was Colleen Walker's cousin, Evelyn Greenup, on 4th October 1990. The third victim was 16 year old Clinton Speedy-Duroux on February 1, 1991.

Despite two trials and a coroner's inquest, nobody has ever been found guilty of the murders.

=The Murders= The three killings took place in the rural timber town of Bowraville on New South Wales' Mid North Coast region. There were several similarities between the disappearances that led police to believe that they were committed by the same killer:
 * The murders all took place within the short timeframe of 5 months.
 * All three victims were Aboriginal.
 * Autopsies of the two bodies that were found indicate both suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
 * All three victims disappeared after parties in the Aboriginal community in Bowraville, in an area known as “The Mission”.

Victim 1 - Colleen Walker
The first victim, Colleen Walker, was last seen alive at a party in the area of Bowraville known as “The Mission”, in the Aboriginal Community, on September 13 1990. The last positive sighting of Colleen was walking away from a group of people at the party. She was reported missing to the police the following day by her family. Despite the family being sure that something terrible had happened, the Missing Persons report was not taken seriously by police; no search parties were formed and no formal police action was taken.

To date Collen Walker's body has never been found, although her weighted down clothes were later found by a fisherman in the Nambucca River.

Victim 2 - Evelyn Greenup
Two and a half weeks after the disappearance of Colleen Walker, 4 year old Evelyn Greenup disappeared after a party at “The Mission”, on 4 October 1990. She was last seen by her mother as she was put to bed some time during the night. The next morning she was gone from her bed. Evelyn's skeletal remains were found six months later in bushland near the side of the road, about five kilometers from Bowraville. An autopsy could not conclusively determine the cause of death, but noted that a skull injury was “consistent with a forceful penetration by a sharp instrument”.

Victim 3 - Clinton Speedy-Duroux
Approximately three months after the disappearance of Evelyn Greenup, 16 year old Clinton Speedy-Duroux went missing after a party at the Mission. He was last seen leaving the party on the way to some certain house to sleep.

Clinton Speedy-Duroux's remains were found about two weeks later by farmers who were collecting wood.

=Investigation and Prosecution= To date, two trials and one coroner's inquest has failed to find somebody guilty of any of the murders.

Arrest of Thomas Jay Hart
On 8 April 1991, a local Bowraville labourer, 25 year old Thomas Jay Hart, was arrested for the murder of Clinton Speedy. Hart was well known in the Aboriginal community in Bowraville, and often attended the parties at The Mission.

On October 16, 1991, while on bail awaiting trial, Hart was arrested and charged with the murder of Evelyn Greenup. Despite a strong circumstantial case, Hart was acquitted of Speedy's murder by a supreme court on 18 February 1994, on the third anniversary of the discovery of his body.

After the acquittal on the Speedy case, prosecutors decided not to proceed with the trial against Speedy for the Evelyn Greenup murder.

Evelyn Greenup trial
In 1997, the former New South Wales Police Commissioner Peter Ryan set up Task Force Ancud, to continue the investigation into the unsolved murders. In February 2004, an inquest was held into the murders, and as a result Thomas Jay Hart was charged again for the murder of Evelyn Greenup.

The trial was conducted in February 2006. The prosecution provided strong evidence including two supposed confessions made by Hart. Despite the evidence and confessions, Hart was aquitted on March 3 2006.

=After effects= The murders, and the fact that to date noone has been convicted of the crimes, is still a source of pain and bitterness in the Aboriginal community in Bowraville.

After the acquittal of Hart in 2006, the Police Commissioner raised the reward to $250,000 for information leading to the conviction of the persons responsible for the murders. The previous reward was $100,000 and it was only for Colleen Walker.