65-year-old arrested for 1994 rape, murder of young mother in Australia
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Samantha Louise Mizzi, a 24-year-old woman from Castlemaine, a town in west central Victoria, Australia, was found naked and dying on a street in 1994. Her discovery occurred at approximately 11:00pm on 29 March 1994, in the bushes behind an office car park on a street in St Kilda.
Fellow sex workers heard her weakly moaning in pain on the corner of Brighton Road and Blanch Street, where they found her nude and severely beaten, and quickly contacted emergency services.
Mizzi was known to police, and had some prostitution and drug charges on her record. She worked part-time as a sex worker, and often made trips to the city to support her kids. The victim was a mother of two- a son, Steve, 6, and a daughter, Tanille, 4. They were staying with a friend in the Castlemaine area at the time of their mother’s murder.
Mizzi was transported to Alfred Hospital, where she died around ten hours later, at approximately 10:30am. Autopsy later revealed that she had been struck in the head with a blunt instrument, and had sustained severe head injuries. She had also been sexually assaulted.
She was last seen around 10pm the night before, clad in dark colored, loose trousers, a purple T shirt, and a white bodysuit - all of which were never recovered.
The inspector on the case at the time, inspector McLeod-Dryden, admitted that there had been a string of murders and assaults against sex workers in the area, but said he did not believe they were connected.
A month prior, on February 1, 26-year-old Michelle Copping's naked body was found.
Detective on the case at the time, Senior sergeant Rod Wilson, said Copping had internal injuries consistent with being ran over, as well as head injuries and evidence of strangulation. He described Copping as a mother, and part time sex worker with a minor drug habit, similar to the profile of Mizzi, although it was never determined if the cases were linked.
Unfortunately, around this time, there were many notable crimes in the area, with similarities to the cases of Mizzi and Copping. The murder of Amanda Byrnes, for example, another sex worker who was dragged into a vehicle, beaten to death, and dumped in the St Kilda area in April 1991.
On April 3, 1994, The Sydney Morning Herald published a list compiled by the Eros Foundation, who called on the only female cabinet minister at the time, Dr Carmen Lawrence, Minister for Human Services, to bring in a prostitution law reform in the form of national decriminalization to stop murders and crimes against sex workers.
The proposal was later denied, ruling out the legalization of street prostitution. In Australia, sex work was regulated under the Sex Work Act of 1994. Meaning a sex worker could only conduct business in licensed establishments or through licensed escort agencies.
The list mentioned Samantha Mizzi and Michell Coping's death, as well as the case of another 35-year-old St Kilda sex worker, who was dragged into a car by two men, and kept her captive for two hours while they sexually assaulted her. The incident happened just days after Mizzi's body was found.
More than 30 years later, a 67-year-old man has been arrested in Ararat and charged with the murder and rape of Samantha Mizzi.
DNA and genetic genealogy was the main factor in locating the suspect in the case.
Although his name has not officially been announced, local outlets, such as The Australian, have identified the suspect as allegedly being a Mr. Colin George McKane.
The man, who stood in court last week, sported a fire rescue T-Shirt and long grey beard. Mizzi's children, Steven and Tanille, attended the hearing and sat in the front row.
Although no details of the case were revealed during the hearing, The Canberra Times reported that the suspect was standing accused of raping Mizzi on March 29, 1994, and murdering her on March 30, 1994.
The outlet also reports that the suspect allegedly has prior convictions regarding several additional sex offenses, and that in 1998, he was dubbed as "a serious danger to the community" by the judge, after he stood in court for the crimes against a 10-year-old girl that included kidnapping and molestation.
After the hearing, Steven said that he and his sister were grateful that the suspect was in custody, and said they needed time to process everything that had happened.
"It sends a very powerful message, if someone can be convicted after 31 years. It's a big deterrence. We're still processing so I don't really have the right words," Tanille said.
Steven added: "We've got a long journey ahead. No one's safe from a crime of this nature."
The suspects next court appearance is scheduled for December 18, 2025.
Victoria police have urged anyone with information regarding the case to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au