S4 | Episode Two (Re-Release) | DNA
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What happened to Alana Cecil on the night of the Djerriwarrh Bonfire Festival?
On the last episode of Guilt.
She tended to hang around with, because of the maturity, hang around with older adolescents. So, yeah, and I think that got her into trouble down the track, no doubt. She said, if I'm not coming home, Mum, I'll let you or Dad know. That was her words to me. She said to me, oh mum, gave me a kiss goodbye and said, I'm not coming home. I'll let you or dad know. I got the knock on the door at 8 o'clock in the morning. Police standing there, I knew straight away. I just knew. And I knew the policeman, like as a, knew his wife and that. Yeah, 8 o'clock. I saw him standing there, I said, I knew. Didn't think he was here for anything else. I just knew something bad.
The family of a Melton teenager who died six years ago are for the first time appealing for further information about the girl's death before the release of a coroner's finding later this month.
But she was just so happy, so bubbly, smiling all the time. Like, she was just so much fun to be around. She was just beautiful.
If I could go back now knowing what I know now, they'd be dead. Yeah, I'd be in jail. And she got stolen away from me. And to those culprits who did it, I want to catch them. I want to get them. And they know who they are. And I won't ever give up.
From Brevity Studios, I'm Ryan Wolfe. And this is Guilt. Guilt.
I swear by my God that evidence I shall give to the court. That's right. Thank you. You may take a seat if you wish. If you'd rather stand, do so. I think I left on one.
Detective Senior Constable, you've been involved in this matter. You were the attending member, is that correct? Yes.
And you conducted an inquiry as to the natural cause of the death of Alana Cecil. Yes. On the last occasion that the matter came to court, you've taken some or made further investigations. Are you able to detail that to the court today? The last time I went to court, there was a fellow in Tasmania who had indicated via telephone that he may have some information which may bring light onto who may have been with Elana on the night. I sent a report over to Tasmania and got a statement back. The statement really didn't take the matter much further. He was unable to sort of say whether Elana was with the group or whatever, but it has some details of a car that was there. And at an ATM, I made inquiries with the bank and found out that ATM where he saw the car was actually closed at that time in the morning.
So I was only able to find out who was in that car. Follow that up. There was also... Cecil indicated to me that it was some Tasmanians who had been living in a caravan park and looked for loaners associated with. And so I requested to try and... Not a simple... To try and get... It was the name of the person. He'd brought this information forward but was sort of really deceased. His half-sister was actually very close friends of the deceased. So just for elimination purposes, DNA was requested. He had some difficulty in obtaining DNA from interstate with legislation. We managed to get around that and they've both been excluded. And it's just been, of course, I've just been following back and I've turned some more DNA of other people just for exclusion purposes at this stage.
But there's been nothing more come to light to identify who was with the loaner on the night just prior to...
That is the voice of Senior Detective Geoffrey Highthorne in the Coroner's Court of Victoria, Melbourne, on August 12, 2002. Presiding over this hearing is Coroner Byrne, who is being assisted in questioning by Senior Constable Fitzgerald. After not one, not two, but three adjourned inquests over a period of six years since Alana's death, this mention hearing is the first time the facts of Alana's case have been heard in court. In this evidence, you'll hear mention of DNA. It took almost two full years before swabs taken from Alana's body were analysed. And on September 11, 1998, it was discovered that there was semen present on and inside Alana's body from not one, but two unidentified men.
You've been liaising constantly with Nigel Hall from the Victorian Forensic Science Centre, is that correct?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened to Alana Cecil on the night of the Djerriwarrh Bonfire Festival?
0:00–14:16
2
How did the police first discover Alana’s body and what evidence was found at the scene?
14:16–25:49
3
What did the 1998 DNA analysis reveal about the unidentified semen profiles?
25:49–29:40
4
Why did the Coroner’s Court consider this the first open‑court hearing for Alana’s case?
29:40–33:30
5
What was Alana’s mindset and daily life in the week before her death?
33:30–38:10
6
How do family members describe Alana’s personality and the night she left for Sunshine?
38:10–46:12
7
What unanswered questions remain about who was with Alana and the unidentified DNA donors?
46:12–49:21
8
How does the host plan to move the investigation forward and involve listeners?
49:21–51:57
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from GUILT
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