The Truro Murders – (Part One)

Truro, a small town of about 400 people located about 80kms north-east of Adelaide, and only minutes out of Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley became the focus of the largest police probe in South Australian History.

 
While out searching for mushrooms near swamp road, Truro on the 25 of April 1978, Bill and Valda Thomas came across a bone which they thought belonged to a cow.
Valda, concerned the bone may have belonged to something other than a cow, convinced Bill to drive back out to Swamp Road and have another look. The Couple found the bone again, and after clearing away some sand, discovered the bone had a shoe attached. Inside the shoe was the remains of a foot, including the skin and painted toenails.

 
The police were notified, and they searched the immediate area, finding clothing, blood stains and more bones and personal belongings.
The bones were identified as to belonging to Veronica Knight an 18 year old girl who had gone missing in Adelaide near Christmas of 1976.

The police investigation didn’t last long because of the lack of evidence of foul play. It was decided that Ms Knight may have gotten lost and perished from dehydration. The case was left opened as no more leads had been found.

 
Later in 1978, another young woman’s body was found near Murray Bridge. The find of skeletal remains was hard to identify, but it soon became evident that they belonged to a young lady, 20 years old, named Maria Dickinson. She had been shot through the head.


Maria had gone missing 8 months previously to the grisly find.
Almost exactly one year after the discovery of Ms Knight, on April 15th 1979, a group of bushwalkers came across bones partially buried in the sand only a kilometre or so from the burial area of Ms Knight. These bones belonged to 16-year-old Sylvia Pittman
Police had made a connection with girls being reported missing in a two to three month period and knew they were dealing with a serial murderer.

 
A profile was made of the killer; a local Adelaide man, a sex offender, a repeat offender, and possibly someone who had recently served time in an Adelaide Gaol. 
The investigation quietly continued until the media caught wind of it and began to report on it locally. It became a case of national interest, with newspapers offering rewards of $10,000 to catch the killer, and the Government offering $30,000


Next Week: The Truro Murders (Part 2): The Victims: Veronica and Tania
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