In Western Australia, three young women disappeared
after nights out in the same affluent Perth suburb. Two were later found
murdered. The third, Sarah
Spiers, vanished without leaving behind a confirmed crime
scene, a body, or the answers her family desperately needed.
For more than two decades, the Claremont serial killings
became one of Australia's most closely watched and expensive criminal
investigations. Police examined thousands of leads, interviewed large numbers
of potential suspects, and pursued a man they eventually discovered had nothing
to do with the murders.
The person responsible was still out there.
The breakthrough came from an unexpected source:
microscopic biological material preserved beneath a victim's fingernails.
Evidence collected years earlier, when forensic technology could not fully
analyze it, would eventually help investigators connect several apparently
unrelated crimes.
A forgotten garment, an old fingerprint record, and a
discarded soft-drink bottle would also become important pieces of the
investigation.
In December 2016, police finally arrested Bradley Robert Edwards.
Four years later, a judge found him guilty of murdering two of the women.
But the legal outcome contained a painful
complication. Although Edwards was convicted of murdering Jane Rimmer and Sara
Glennon, he was acquitted of murdering Sarah Spiers. Her disappearance remains
one of Western Australia's most haunting unsolved mysteries.
The case revealed just how powerful modern DNA evidence can
become when old exhibits are preserved and examined again. It also demonstrated
that even a major criminal investigation can reach a point where some questions
remain unanswered.
The Claremont disappearances that
changed Perth
In the mid-1990s, Perth had a reputation for relaxed
living and a comparatively peaceful lifestyle. Claremont, an affluent suburb
west of the city centre, was known for its attractive streets, fashionable
shops, restaurants, and busy nightlife.
On weekends, young people travelled to the area's
pubs and clubs to meet friends, celebrate birthdays, and enjoy the evening.
Three popular venues became central to the investigation: Club Bay View, the
Continental Hotel—usually called the Conti—and the Ocean Beach Hotel.
When the venues closed, crowds spilled onto the
streets. People waited for taxis, walked towards bus stops, or used public pay
phones to arrange a lift. Smartphones and rideshare services did not exist.
Someone who became separated from friends could find themselves alone while
trying to get home.
It was in this setting that three young women
disappeared during the first months of 1996.
Their cases initially appeared to be separate
missing-person investigations. But the similarities would soon force detectives
to consider a terrifying possibility: someone might be targeting women leaving
the Claremont entertainment district.
Sarah Spiers: The three-minute
mystery
Eighteen-year-old Sarah Anne Spiers worked as a legal
secretary and lived with her older sister in Perth. She was remembered by those
close to her as friendly and warm, with much of her life still ahead of her.
On January 26, 1996, Sarah went out with friends to
Club Bay View to celebrate Australia Day. During the early hours of January 27,
she left the venue alone and began arranging transport home.
At approximately 2:06 a.m., she used a public
telephone on Stirling Highway to call Swan Taxis. A cab was dispatched.
The driver arrived at about 2:09 a.m.
Sarah was gone.
The driver searched the immediate area, expecting the
passenger to approach. When she failed to appear, he eventually left. The brief
interval between the telephone booking and the taxi's arrival became one of the
most troubling details in the investigation.
Witnesses later recalled seeing Sarah near the pay
phone and an unfamiliar light-coloured vehicle in the area. Some accounts
suggested that a driver had spoken to her shortly before she disappeared.
However, nobody could identify the person or provide a registration number that
conclusively established the vehicle's identity.
There was no confirmed account of a struggle, no
identified suspect, and no physical evidence that immediately explained what
had happened.
When Sarah failed to return home, her family
contacted authorities. Police launched searches, interviewed potential
witnesses, and appealed for information.
But no trace of Sarah was found.
Her disappearance remained unresolved even after the
investigation developed into one of Australia's most significant homicide
inquiries. Unlike the other two victims, Sarah's remains have never been
recovered.
That absence would later become crucial when the case
reached court.
Jane Rimmer: The discovery that
turned a missing-person case into murder
Jane Helen Rimmer was 23 and worked in child care. On
March 8, 1996, she spent the evening with friends at the Continental Hotel in
Claremont.
As the night ended, Jane became separated from her
group. Her friends left believing she had made arrangements to get home. At
12:04 a.m. on March 9, surveillance footage recorded her walking alone along
Stirling Highway. She was wearing a black top, a denim skirt, and black shoes.
It was the last confirmed sighting of her alive.
When Jane did not return, police began retracing her
movements and speaking with people who had been at the hotel. But the
investigation initially produced few answers.
Then, on May 3, a motorist discovered a young woman's
body concealed beneath branches and scrub near Woolcoot Road, close to Wellard,
around 40 kilometres south of Claremont.
The woman was identified as Jane.
The discovery transformed the investigation. Police
were no longer searching only for a missing person. They were investigating a
murder.
An autopsy determined that Jane had died from
compression of the neck. Injuries and bruising on her arms and hands were
consistent with a struggle. Her body had been left in an isolated location,
away from the nightlife district where she had last been seen.
Detectives began examining whether Jane's murder
could be connected to Sarah's disappearance. The timing, location, and
circumstances raised serious questions.
But before investigators could establish a definitive
connection, another woman vanished.
Sara Glennon: A second murder
deepens the mystery
Sara Mary Glennon was 27 and had recently qualified
as a lawyer. On March 30, 1996, she spent the evening with friends in Claremont,
including time at the Continental Hotel.
After midnight, Sara became separated from her
companions. She was last seen walking alone along Stirling Highway towards the
bus stops.
Witnesses later described seeing a woman matching her
appearance near a bus stop and a light-coloured vehicle in the area. As with
the earlier disappearances, however, no reliable identification of the driver
emerged.
Sara failed to return home.
On April 3, just four days after she disappeared, a
member of the public discovered a woman's body concealed in scrub near
Pipidinny Road, close to Eglington, approximately 45 kilometres north of
Claremont.
It was Sara.
The similarities with Jane's murder were deeply
disturbing. Sara had suffered fatal neck compression, and injuries to her hands
and forearms were consistent with defensive wounds. Her body had been removed
from the area where she was last seen and concealed in vegetation.
Three young women had now disappeared after spending
time in Claremont within a little more than two months. Two had been found
murdered. The third remained missing.
Police publicly acknowledged that they believed a
serial offender could be responsible.
Task Force Macro: One of
Australia's largest murder investigations
The scale of the investigation grew rapidly. Western
Australian police established Task
Force Macro, bringing together detectives, forensic
specialists, intelligence officers, analysts, and other personnel.
At its peak, the operation involved more than 100
police and support staff. Investigators reviewed witness statements,
reconstructed the victims' final movements, examined potential crime scenes,
and pursued information from the public.
A reward was offered for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the person responsible. Thousands of tips and
potential leads were examined over the years.
Detectives interviewed nightclub patrons, employees,
security staff, taxi drivers, residents, and people who had been in the area on
the relevant nights. They examined vehicles, employment records, and other
information that might help identify someone who had been moving through
Claremont after closing time.
One theory attracted particular attention: perhaps
the offender was a taxi driver.
The idea seemed plausible because the women had
disappeared while trying to get home. A driver could have approached someone
waiting alone and offered transport without immediately attracting suspicion.
Police therefore undertook extensive screening of
taxi drivers, including interviews and the collection of fingerprints and DNA
samples from many people. Investigators also examined work rosters and vehicle
information to establish who might have been in the area.
The theory did not produce the answer.
The inquiry expanded to include known violent
offenders, people linked to other unsolved attacks, and individuals whose
movements or vehicles appeared relevant. Investigators repeatedly revisited old
evidence as forensic methods improved.
The case became a defining investigation for Western
Australia. Yet year after year, the person responsible remained unidentified.
The wrong suspect: Years of
scrutiny without proof
As the investigation continued, detectives focused
heavily on a Perth public servant named Lance
Williams.
During an undercover operation in 1997, female police
officers were deployed around Claremont's nightlife district. The aim was to
observe whether a suspected offender might approach women who were alone after
the venues closed.
Investigators reportedly observed Williams driving
repeatedly around the area and offering one undercover officer a lift. His
behaviour attracted attention, but it did not prove that he had committed a
crime.
Police continued examining his movements, background,
associates, and vehicles. Forensic comparisons also became part of the inquiry.
However, the evidence did not establish a connection
between Williams and the three women. No convincing DNA match linked him to the
murders, and investigators did not produce a reliable physical or witness
connection that proved he was responsible.
By 2008, DNA testing had excluded him. Earlier
hair-comparison evidence was also insufficient to identify him as the offender.
The suspicion that had dominated an important part of
the investigation had led detectives in the wrong direction.
The real killer had not been identified. But evidence
from several older investigations was waiting to be reconsidered.
The forgotten evidence from 1988
One of the most important exhibits in the eventual
investigation came from a frightening incident in Huntingdale in May 1988.
A family awoke to discover that an intruder had
entered their home during the night. A 17-year-old girl had been confronted in
her bedroom. The incident was interrupted when other members of the household
began stirring, forcing the intruder to flee.
He left behind a white silk kimono.
Forensic officers examined the garment and recovered
fingerprint impressions. The kimono was retained as evidence, but investigators
could not identify the person responsible at the time.
The significance of the garment was not fully
understood. DNA profiling was still developing, and the ability to recover
useful genetic information from tiny amounts of biological material was far more
limited than it would become.
The fingerprints also failed to produce an immediate
identification.
The kimono was stored.
It would remain an important piece of evidence for
years, although nobody yet knew that it might eventually help solve the Claremont
murders.
Two further attacks create a trail
of evidence
Another incident occurred in June 1990, when Wendy
Davis visited her husband at Hollywood Hospital.
As she got out of her car, a man approached and asked
for directions to a public restroom. When she turned to respond, he grabbed her
and attempted to force her back into her vehicle.
The attacker had brought plastic cable ties. Wendy
fought back, and the disturbance attracted attention. He fled before completing
the abduction.
The man was later identified as Bradley Robert
Edwards. He pleaded guilty to attempting to abduct Davis and received a
suspended sentence with probation.
At the time, the attempted abduction was not publicly
connected to the Claremont murders, which had not yet occurred.
Then, in 1995, a 17-year-old girl survived a sexual
assault after accepting a lift from a man who claimed he could help her get
home. Instead, he took her to the grounds of Karrakatta Cemetery, where he
assaulted her and abandoned her in nearby bushes.
The survivor received medical attention, and forensic
personnel collected biological samples. Laboratory examination produced a DNA
profile from the unknown attacker.
That profile gave investigators something especially
valuable: a scientific identifier that could be compared with evidence from
other cases.
But the offender still had no name attached to the
profile.
The Huntingdale break-in, the attempted abduction of
Wendy Davis, and the 1995 sexual assault were not yet understood as parts of a
wider pattern. Their evidence remained in separate investigative files.
The forensic breakthrough beneath
Sara Glennon's fingernails
In 2008, forensic scientists returned to evidence
collected during the investigation into Sara Glennon's murder.
When Sara's body was examined in 1996, pathologists
had documented injuries to her hands and arms. Investigators had collected
material from beneath her fingernails, following the possibility that she had
scratched or otherwise made physical contact with her attacker during the
struggle.
At the time, the samples were too limited for
investigators to obtain the kind of useful DNA profile that later technology
could make possible.
Advances in forensic
DNA testing changed that.
Using more sensitive techniques, scientists were able
to recover a male DNA profile from the material beneath Sara's fingernails. The
discovery was a major development: investigators now had genetic evidence that
could be compared against profiles from other unsolved crimes.
The profile matched the DNA recovered from the 1995
sexual assault at Karrakatta Cemetery.
That connection was significant. It suggested that
the same man was responsible for the assault and had been involved in Sara's
murder.
Investigators then revisited the old Huntingdale
evidence.
Improved testing of the white silk kimono recovered
biological material that matched the same DNA profile. The three investigations
were now linked by forensic evidence.
The material beneath Sara's fingernails, the DNA from
the 1995 assault, and the evidence recovered from the kimono all pointed to the
same male contributor.
The next question was no longer whether the incidents
might be connected. It was: who was the man behind them?
Fingerprints reveal the name
behind the DNA
Detectives returned to the fingerprint impressions
recovered from the kimono in 1988.
When the prints were first examined, investigators
had not been able to identify their owner. But police records and
fingerprint-search capabilities had expanded over the years.
A renewed comparison produced a match.
The fingerprints belonged to Bradley Robert Edwards.
His name was already familiar to investigators
because he had pleaded guilty to the attempted abduction of Wendy Davis in
1990. The discovery connected an old home-invasion investigation with the DNA
evidence from the later sexual assault and the Claremont case.
Police now had a suspect whose fingerprints and DNA
were linked to several important exhibits.
Investigators still needed to verify the connection
using a fresh reference sample.
They began covert surveillance of Edwards and sought
an opportunity to obtain DNA without alerting him to the investigation.
Eventually, Edwards discarded a bottle of Sprite.
Police recovered it and sent it for forensic examination. Scientists obtained a
DNA profile from the bottle and compared it with the profiles recovered from
the earlier exhibits.
The results matched.
The DNA from the bottle was consistent with the
profile recovered beneath Sara Glennon's fingernails, the 1995 assault
evidence, and the biological material from the Huntingdale kimono.
After years of uncertainty, investigators had
identified a man whose forensic evidence connected him to a series of serious
crimes.
On December 22, 2016, police arrested Bradley Robert
Edwards at his home in Karrinyup, Perth.
The arrest marked a dramatic turning point in the Claremont serial killer
investigation. But an arrest was not a conviction. Prosecutors
still had to establish Edwards' responsibility for the murders in court.
The evidence that prosecutors
presented
The prosecution's case relied on more than one
forensic discovery.
The DNA recovered beneath Sara Glennon's fingernails
was central. Prosecutors argued that it was consistent with direct physical
contact during the violent struggle in which she was killed.
The matching DNA from the 1995 sexual assault and the
Huntingdale kimono helped connect Edwards to other offences. The fingerprint
evidence from the kimono independently identified him as the person associated
with the earlier break-in.
Investigators also examined fibers recovered from
Jane Rimmer and Sara Glennon. Some blue fibers were found to be consistent with
material associated with Telstra work uniforms issued during the relevant
period. Edwards worked for Telstra.
Other fibers were compared with materials associated
with his Holden Commodore. The prosecution argued that these findings supported
the theory that the victims had come into contact with his vehicle.
Fiber comparisons can be useful in forensic
investigations, but they must be interpreted carefully. Similarity does not
automatically establish that a particular fiber came from one specific garment
or vehicle. The prosecution therefore presented the findings as part of a wider
body of evidence rather than as independent proof of identity.
Witness accounts also formed part of the case. People
recalled seeing vehicles and individuals around Claremont during the relevant
periods. The survivor of the 1995 assault gave evidence about her attacker,
while other witnesses described circumstances that prosecutors said were
consistent with their reconstruction of the crimes.
The prosecution's argument was that the separate
strands reinforced one another: DNA
evidence, fingerprints, fibers, vehicle-related findings,
witness testimony, and the history of earlier attacks.
The defence challenged the interpretation and
reliability of the evidence, particularly the very small DNA sample recovered
beneath Sara's fingernails.
The Claremont trial: Could the DNA
evidence be trusted?
The trial began in the Supreme Court of Western
Australia on November 27, 2019.
Because the case had received extensive media
attention over many years, the court ordered that it be heard by a judge alone
rather than a jury. Justice Steven Hall was responsible for considering the
evidence and deciding whether the prosecution had proved its case beyond
reasonable doubt.
More than 200 witnesses gave evidence during the
proceedings. They included detectives, forensic scientists, pathologists,
fingerprint specialists, fiber experts, and people who had seen the victims
during their final nights.
The defence focused heavily on the DNA recovered
beneath Sara Glennon's fingernails. Lawyers questioned whether the sample was
sufficiently reliable and raised the possibility of contamination or secondary
transfer.
Secondary transfer refers to the possibility that
biological material could be passed indirectly from one person or surface to
another. The defence argued that the court needed to consider whether such an
explanation could account for the DNA finding.
Prosecutors responded with evidence about how the
fingernail samples had been collected, packaged, stored, and tested. Scientists
described the laboratory procedures and safeguards used to reduce the risk of
contamination.
The court also considered the other forensic evidence
and the wider circumstances of the case. The question was not simply whether
Edwards' DNA had been detected, but whether the totality of the evidence
established his guilt for each murder charged.
After months of testimony and legal argument, Justice
Hall delivered his judgment on September 24, 2020.
Two murder convictions—and one
devastating acquittal
Bradley Robert Edwards was found guilty of murdering Jane Rimmer and Sara Glennon.
The judge concluded that the prosecution had proved
those charges beyond reasonable doubt. The forensic findings and other evidence
formed a substantial case against Edwards.
But the result was different in the case of Sarah
Spiers.
Edwards was found not guilty of her murder.
The decision was an important reminder of a
fundamental principle of criminal law: a court must distinguish between
suspicion and proof. Even when investigators believe a person may be
responsible, a conviction can only follow if the evidence meets the required legal
standard.
Sarah's remains had never been found. There was no
recovered body, no confirmed murder scene, and no comparable forensic evidence
directly connecting Edwards to her disappearance.
The judge did not determine that Sarah had not been
murdered. Nor did the verdict establish that Edwards could not have been
involved. It meant that the prosecution had not proved his responsibility for
her death beyond reasonable doubt.
For the families of Jane and Sara, the convictions
represented a long-awaited judicial outcome. For Sarah's family, the judgment
left the central question unanswered.
Where had Sarah gone?
Edwards' death left another
question unresolved
On December 20, 2023, Bradley Robert Edwards died in
prison at the age of 54 after battling cancer.
His death meant that investigators could no longer
question him in the hope of obtaining a direct explanation about Sarah Spiers.
He had been convicted of murdering Jane Rimmer and Sara Glennon, but the court
had not found him guilty of Sarah's murder.
Her remains have still not been located.
The absence of an answer has left her family with a
painful uncertainty that began in January 1996. The passage of time has not
removed the need to know what happened during those few minutes after Sarah
booked her taxi.
The investigation also prompted scrutiny of other
unsolved disappearances in Western Australia. Investigators examined whether
Edwards might be connected to cases involving women such as Julie Cutler, Lisa
Brown, and Sarah McMahon.
However, similarities between cases are not proof of
a connection. No established evidence has demonstrated that Edwards was
responsible for those disappearances, and they should not be presented as
solved crimes.
What the Claremont case revealed
about modern forensic science
The Claremont investigation became a powerful example
of how advances in
forensic science can change the direction of a cold case.
Evidence that once seemed too small or too old to be
useful was preserved. Years later, improved laboratory techniques allowed
scientists to recover DNA information that had not been accessible when the
exhibits were first collected.
The most striking example was the material beneath
Sara Glennon's fingernails. It helped connect her murder to a separate sexual
assault and to the old Huntingdale break-in. Fingerprint evidence from the
kimono then helped investigators identify Edwards.
The case also showed why forensic evidence must be
interpreted in context. A DNA match can be highly significant, but
investigators and courts must still examine how a sample was collected, whether
contamination is possible, and what the evidence actually proves. Fiber
comparisons and witness accounts also have limits and must not be treated as
conclusive in isolation.
The investigation took decades, involved enormous
resources, and subjected many people to scrutiny. It also demonstrated the
consequences of pursuing an incorrect suspect and the importance of repeatedly
reassessing evidence as scientific methods improve.
Forensic technology helped bring two murders to a
legal conclusion. It could not, however, locate Sarah Spiers or answer every
question surrounding her disappearance.
The Claremont mystery is not
entirely over
The story of the Claremont murders is often told as a
case solved by DNA. That description is true in an important sense, but it is
incomplete.
The evidence helped identify Bradley Robert Edwards
and supported his convictions for the murders of Jane Rimmer and Sara Glennon.
Yet the first woman to disappear, Sarah Spiers, remains missing.
Her family has never received the certainty that the
discovery of her remains might bring. There is no confirmed location to visit,
no complete account of her final hours, and no definitive explanation of what
happened after the taxi arrived and she was no longer there.
The case also leaves a broader question for
investigators: could further advances in forensic
technology, new witness information, or a previously overlooked
exhibit reveal something that has remained hidden?
No one can promise that another breakthrough will
come. But the preservation of evidence and the continued examination of
unresolved questions remain important.
Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer, and Sara Glennon were more
than names in a famous criminal investigation. They were young women with
families, friends, plans, and futures that were taken from them.
The forensic discovery that helped expose a killer
was extraordinary. The convictions were significant. But for one family, the
most important question is still unanswered.
What happened to Sarah Spiers—and
where is she now?
Editorial note: This is a rewritten account of a real criminal investigation. The court convicted Bradley Robert Edwards of the murders of Jane Rimmer and Sara Glennon, but acquitted him of the murder of Sarah Spiers. Do not describe all three murders as legally solved or imply that the acquittal established what happened to Sarah.
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