Was Lyn Dawson taken by Ivan Milat? Brother of accused wife murderer makes stunning claim about notorious backpacker serial killer

  • Chris Dawson's brother has said Lyn Dawson may have been killed by serial killer
  • Earlier this month, Dawson was charged with the murder of his wife Lyn in 1982 
  • But Peter Dawson believes notorious serial killer Ivan Milat was instead involved  
  • He says Milat was known to target hitchhikers and Ms Dawson 'couldn't drive' 
  • Chris Dawson is being held in prison and is awaiting a bail hearing on Friday

By Laura Hedges For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 05:40 EST, 12 December 2018 | Updated: 06:39 EST, 12 December 2018

The brother of a man who charged with the murder of his ex-wife over 30 years ago, believes she may have been killed by a notorious serial killer.

Lyn Dawson disappeared on January 8, 1982 and earlier this month her ex-husband Chris Dawson, 70, was charged with her murder.

But Mr Dawson's brother Peter has now come up with a theory linking Ms Dawson's death to notorious backpacker serial killer Ivan Milat.

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Lyn Dawson (pictured) disappeared on January 8, 1982 and earlier this month her ex-husband Chris Dawson, 70, was charged with her murder

Lyn Dawson (pictured) disappeared on January 8, 1982 and earlier this month her ex-husband Chris Dawson, 70, was charged with her murder

'Milat… is alleged to have killed several woman around the same time and in an area Lyn was seen,' he told 7 news.

He added that Milat's victims were often hitchhikers, noting that Ms Dawson couldn't drive.

Ms Dawson's body was never found. 

Milat was convicted of murdering seven women aged 19 to 22 in New South Wales between 1989 and 1993.

He was imprisoned in July 1996 and is serving seven life sentences at the maximum security Goulburn Correctional Centre, as well as 18 years without parole.

But Mr Dawson's brother Peter has now come up with a theory linking Ms Dawson's death to notorious backpacker serial killer Ivan Milat (pictured)

But Mr Dawson's brother Peter has now come up with a theory linking Ms Dawson's death to notorious backpacker serial killer Ivan Milat (pictured)

Former PE teacher Chris Dawson was arrested on December 6 this year and is being held at Silverwater prison awaiting a bail hearing on Friday

Former PE teacher Chris Dawson was arrested on December 6 this year and is being held at Silverwater prison awaiting a bail hearing on Friday

Former assistant commissioner Clive Small, however, says the connection between Milat and Ms Dawson 'doesn't fit.

Mr Small led the Milat investigation and noted that he 'kept souvenirs' of the women from his victims and there were none from Ms Dawson.

Peter Dawson (pictured) said Milat was known for picking up hitchhikers and Ms Dawson 'couldn't drive'

Peter Dawson (pictured) said Milat was known for picking up hitchhikers and Ms Dawson 'couldn't drive'

He also said the other women were all picked up in a different area to that where Ms Dawson disappeared from.

Former PE teacher Chris Dawson was arrested on December 6 and is being held at Silverwater prison awaiting a bail hearing on Friday.  

The Dawson's had been in the midst of marriage counselling in 1982 due to an affair Mr Dawson was having with one of his students, Joanne Curtis. 

Ms Dawson went missing on January 9, 1982, but it took six weeks before Mr Dawson reported her missing, and in that time he had asked Ms Curtis to move in with him. 

Ms Curtis and Mr Dawson got married in around 1985 and she became 'like a mother' to the two children - Shanelle and Sherryn - Lyn and Chris had had together. 

In 1990, Ms Curtis and Mr Dawson split up and she urged police to investigate Mr Dawson's garden for a body.

Police eventually found a pink cardigan belonging to Ms Dawson, buried in the garden, and two coroners found Ms Dawson to have been murdered by a 'known person'. 

The Dawson's had been in the midst of marriage counselling in 1982 due to an affair Mr Dawson was having with one of his students, Joanne Curtis

The Dawson's had been in the midst of marriage counselling in 1982 due to an affair Mr Dawson was having with one of his students, Joanne Curtis

WHAT HAPPENED TO MISSING MOTHER-OF-TWO LYN DAWSON?

1970: Lynette Joy Simms marries footballer Christopher Michael Dawson. They are both 21 and later have two daughters, first Shanelle and then Sherryn

1980: Mr Dawson, who retired from playing rugby league to become a PE teacher, starts affair with 16-year-old pupil Joanne Curtis at Cromer High School on Sydney's northern beaches

1981: Mr Dawson persuades Mrs Dawson to let Joanne move in to their home to get away from her violent stepfather and finish her Higher School Certificate

December 1981: Mr Dawson and his young lover run away together to Queensland but Ms Curtis changes her mind and they return to Sydney

January 8, 1982: Mrs and Mrs Dawson go to marriage counselling. Mrs Dawson's mother speaks to her daughter, who is not a big drinker, on the telephone and thinks she sounds 'sozzled'.

January 9, 1982: Mr Dawson says he dropped his wife at a Mona Vale bus stop so she could go shopping at Chatswood. Mrs Dawson fails to turn up to meet her mother, husband and children at Northbridge Baths. Mr Dawson says his wife rang him and said she needed some time to herself

January 10 or 11, 1982: Mr Dawson picks up Joanne from South West Rocks on the mid north coast of NSW and she moves into his home. He reports his wife missing six weeks later.

1983-85: Mr Dawson divorces his missing wife and marries Joanne. The newlyweds move to Queensland where Joanne has the couple's daughter Kristen

1990: Mr Dawson and Joanne split up. She moves back to Sydney and urges police to search his old garden for a body

2000: Mrs Dawson's pink cardigan is found during a police dig on the family's former property at Bayview

2001 and 2003: Two coroners find that Mrs Dawson was murdered by a 'known person' - Chris Dawson - but he is not charged with any offence

2006: An episode of the British TV series Antiques Roadshow is filmed in Padstow, Cornwall. Mr Dawson later claims a woman seen in the background of the episode could be his missing wife

2018: Police prepare another brief for the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. The Australian launches its podcast, The Teacher's Pet, about the case

December 5, 2018: Queensland Police arrest Chris Dawson at the home of his twin brother. He is expected to be extradited to NSW and charged with Lyn's murder.

 

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Brother of man charged with murdering Lyn Dawson says may been killed by serial killer Ivan Milat

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