In an emotional appeal to the public for information, the sister of one of the two women who were murdered in their inner-Melbourne home 40 years ago has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to an arrest.
Susan Bartlett (27) and Suzanne Armstrong (28) died after being fatally stabbed in their Collingwood, Ontario, home on Easey Street in January 1977. Police claim that after se*xually assaulting and stabbing Armstrong, the attacker also stabbed Bartlett, who had rushed to help her friend after hearing the disturbance.
Three days after the assault, Gregory, Suzanne Armstrong’s 16-month-old son, was found in his crib unharmed. Later, Gayle, Armstrong’s sister, took care of him. Gregory’s cries, according to Gayle, were what made the nearby residents aware of the commotion.
“After two days, Gregory was discovered in his crib at the age of 18 months. They were eventually discovered because of his crying, according to Gayle, who lives next door.
He has recently discovered his own father, has become close to him, and visits them frequently, so he is doing fine. I was his mother.
Police have tested the DNA of several people as part of their investigation, but the killer’s identity is still a mystery. The investigation is still ongoing even though some people have been eliminated as suspects. Armstrong and Bartlett lived in the Easey Street home where the murder occurred in 1977.
According to Detective Inspector Michael Hughes of the Homicide Squad, police are interested in about 130 people, many of whom have already been the subject of investigations. Every person is being ruled out as part of the ongoing investigation, starting with those who are still alive.
Detective Hughes reports that 41 of the 130 people of interest are already deceased. Despite this, he reported that the investigation has advanced significantly with regard to the other people on the list. Since the murders took place 45 years ago, the killer, who is now thought to be in their 60s or 70s, is unlikely to have lived a life free of crime, according to Detective Hughes.
In Victoria or anywhere else, he asserted, “I don’t believe you can commit a crime with this brutality and go unnoticed by police.” “Only the killer has something to hide,” said the speaker. “I think technology will catch up with him, and our persistence, if he’s on that list, will catch up with him.”
Armstrong and Bartlett had a close-knit group of friends in Melbourne, according to the police, and were childhood friends from Benalla. Collingwood, the scene of the murders, was a working-class area where residents felt safe at the time of the incident, according to Detective Hughes.
Melbourne, a laid-back city where it was common for people to leave their doors and windows unlocked at the time, was shaken by the murders, according to Detective Hughes.
Initial investigations revealed no evidence of a break-in at their house.
Two notes were left at the residence prior to the discovery of the two women’s bodies, according to the police.
Anyone who was interviewed at the time of the murders was urged by Inspector Hughes to get in touch with Crime Stoppers. While the second body was left inside the house by the victim’s boyfriend who went to the scene with his brother in search of his girlfriend, the first body was found pinned to the front door by neighbours who had found the woman’s stray dog.
People have relocated, changed addresses, and we have little information on some who may have only been spoken to briefly that evening or within a few days, he said.
The only person who has anything to hide in this case is the offender, so if you’re going to offer your DNA, we’ll do that without a doubt.
Gayle Armstrong claimed that she had been unable to watch the news since the death of her sister because it was “all about people like me.”
When asked what it meant to her that police were still actively involved in the hunt for the murderer, she became emotional.
“It means absolutely everything. It needs to be resolved, and if this reward had been given 39 years ago, the issue would have been resolved and we wouldn’t be going through this right now.
“I hear the miracles that [police] do solve [cases], and I think Suzanne will be next,” she remarked.
“They’ll find this person, they’ll do it. With the DNA, it’s possible to ask family members if it was that person even if they are deceased.
Anyone who can shed light on the case may be granted a defense from prosecution by the director of public prosecutions.
