Advertisement

Chilling twist that could reveal hiding place of suspect in 'darkest' cold case

New information has emerged that may finally shed light on one of Victoria's darkest and most enduring cold cases.

Elmer Crawford hasn't been seen since the brutal murders of his pregnant wife and three children in 1970.

Now, one man believes he discovered the suspected killer hiding in the Western Australian outback.

Elmer Crawford's wife and three children were brutally murdered in 1970. Source: 7 News
Elmer Crawford's wife and three children were brutally murdered in 1970. Source: 7 News

From the day they died, police have only had one suspect for the gruesome murders of 35-year-old Theresa Crawford and her three young children: their husband and father, Elmer.

"I would think the answer to it all lies in Elmer Crawford," Detective Sergeant Harry Morrison said back in July 1970.

Police named Elmer Crawford as their only suspect in 1970. Source: 7 News
Police named Elmer Crawford as their only suspect in 1970. Source: 7 News

As they slept in their Glenroy home, the mother and her children were electrocuted and bashed, their bodies piled into the back seat of the family car and tipped over the cliff at Loch Ard Gorge, near the 12 Apostles in the Port Campbell National Park.

Elmer Crawford vanished the following day.

The family car was pushed off the cliff at Loch Ard Gorge. Source: 7 News
The family car was pushed off the cliff at Loch Ard Gorge. Source: 7 News

It's a loose end that continues to rankle with retired detective Adrian Donehue, who helped recover the Crawfords' bodies.

"We were very satisfied that he was the person we were looking for," Mr Donehue said.

Retired detective Adrian Donehue would love the case to be solved. Source: 7 News
Retired detective Adrian Donehue would love the case to be solved. Source: 7 News

Now there is a new twist in this old case, after several people reported sightings of Crawford in Western Australia.

Two Victorian detectives recently travelled to the remote Pilbara region following another tip-off on Elmer's whereabouts.

They left empty-handed, but a former truck driver is convinced he once stumbled across the killer.

"We started asking questions; it turns out he said he was from Melbourne," truckie "Nugget" Wright said.

Truckie 'Nugget' Wright believes he met Elmer Crawford in the WA outback. Source: 7 News
Truckie 'Nugget' Wright believes he met Elmer Crawford in the WA outback. Source: 7 News

"Anyway I said, 'Where is your missus?' He told me she was long gone.

"Said, 'What year did you come up here', and he said 1970.

"I asked 'Why did you leave Melbourne', and he said 'I had to leave in a hurry, I did something terrible', and that's when the penny dropped.

"I said, 'You aren't that bloke the Victorian coppers were up here looking for a couple of weeks ago?'

'Nugget' Wright claims the man said,
'Nugget' Wright claims the man said,

That's when, according to Nugget, "His whole body language changed."

The truck driver said the man's "head dropped, his shoulders shrunk, and he had that attitude, 'oh s***, I've told this bloke too much.'"

The man says he's never been interviewed by police.

Adrian Donehue is just one person who would love to see the case solved.

If Elmer Crawford is still alive, he would be in his late 80s. Source: 7 News
If Elmer Crawford is still alive, he would be in his late 80s. Source: 7 News

"It's definitely solvable, if you get the right information," he said.

"We've got everything else - all we need is a body."

If Elmer Crawford is still alive, he would now be in his late 80s and possibly in nursing care, almost half a century after his family's lives were cut short.

Victorian police say the case remains open.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.