Twist in case of woman strangled with a dog leash almost 40 years ago
Police have released new details of a person they are yet to speak to over the murder of a woman on Brisbane’s Bayside almost 40 years ago.
Deborah Smykalla, then 22, was strangled to death in her home 37 years ago and her family is desperate for justice.
But decades on, detectives believe a former housemate of Ms Smykalla’s, known only by the nickname Bluey, could hold vital information.
That person has never been identified or spoken to by police, but officers remain hopeful someone can help track them down.
Ms Smykalla was found dead at her home on Howlett Road in Capalaba, about 20 kilometres south east of Brisbane, on September 6, 1981.
It’s believed she was strangled with a dog lead before her attacker tried to set the house on fire.
In the first two weeks after her death, detectives interviewed hundreds of people and there have been several persons of interest.
Every day since, Ms Smykalla’s sister Elke Hall has wondered who killed her sister and why.
“There’s this constant niggle all the time,” Ms Hall said.
“She apparently was ironing and someone has come up behind her and ended her life.
“They did think at the time that she knew the person, because there wasn’t a break in.
“I thought it would have been fairly straightforward but obviously it has turned up more challenges than anybody was expecting.”
Decades on, Ms Smykalla’s murder and the motive remains a mystery, with a lack of forensic evidence and witnesses.
Now Ms Hall has started a Facebook page sharing stories of her sister’s life and death in the hope those who hold vital clues will finally come forward.
