Media Releases

It has now been 20 years since Franco Murat was attacked while asleep in his home.

It was about 10pm on August 16, 1999, when three people entered his home on Prospect Rd, covered his head with fabric, assaulted him, demanded property then set him alight.

The 60-year old retired chef received burns to the upper torso, head and face including airway damage.

When police and ambulance officers arrived on scene he was able to speak about what happened, saying that while he did not see the faces of his attackers, two men and one woman were involved.

Mr Murat’s silver-coloured Magna sedan was stolen from his driveway that night and located, completely burnt out, in a laneway about a kilometre away.

Sadly, he died from his injuries on 3 September 1999.

A reward of up to $200,000 is on offer to anyone who provides information leading to a conviction in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

On Tuesday 14 May 2002, Quyen Tu Au, aged 31 years, was reported as a missing person by the Major Fraud Section due to concerns as to his welfare.

Mr Au was an Australian citizen who was born in Vietnam.

It is believed that Au has been murdered, but his body has never been found.

Au was linked with the fraudulent use of a debit card, which was ultimately used to steal $6.326 million from a bank account held by the Bank of East Asia.

Security video recorded by a Port Adelaide bank’s ATM at 12:21pm on August 15, 2000, shows the last known images of Au as he withdrew $6000 using a stolen bank debit card

At about 12.54 p.m. the same date Mr Au contacted a friend using his mobile telephone. This is the last known contact that Mr Au had with any family or friends.

At the time of his disappearance, Mr Au was being sought by police in relation to his suspected involvement in the theft of up to $400,000 in cash from automatic teller machines.

The debit card used was stolen in Brisbane on May 19, 2000, from a Hong Kong student.

Because of a computer processing error, the stolen card was able to be used to make unlimited withdrawals from NAB ATMs.

The first unauthorised transaction was on July 28, 2000, and in total Au was recorded on security cameras 41 times conducting 465 transactions. The last of those was on August 15 when he made 12 transactions, the last at 12:35pm.

After August 15, three other people were recorded on ATM security cameras using the card to withdraw money from the account. On October 19, 2000, NAB became aware of the unauthorised transactions and the stolen card was retained by an ATM at the Tea Tree Plaza Shopping Centre.

In November 2000, police searched 16 Adelaide properties and found about $4.07 million in cash under the floorboards of the main bedroom of a property in Kitchener Street at Kilburn.

Four people were arrested and charged with offences relating to the use of the stolen card, but Au was never found.

Police know that until 5th August 2000, Au was residing at Rosewater Lodge in Rosewater, but information supplied anonymously via Crime Stoppers suggests that he had also stayed at the Kitchener Street address where the cash was found.

A reward of up to $200,000 is on offer to anyone who either provides information leading to the recovery of his remains or information leading to a conviction in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

Knowing that anyone who goes to the trouble of getting an illegal gun will more than likely use it encouraged 40 contacts to Crime Stoppers during June – resulting in 10 firearms taken off the streets and out of the hands of criminals for the month.

Community concerns about drugs also remained strong, with 145 drug-related contacts leading to a number of great results, including seizure of 106 cannabis plants, Fantasy, and meth-amphetamine.

People provided information on a number of unsolved crimes, including a fatal road crash at Glengowrie, the stabbing of a nurse at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, the theft of a vintage Holden Monaro from Angle Vale and several violent city assaults.

The 23 apprehensions during June as a result of information received by Crime Stoppers included 16 men and 7 women for a range of serious offences, including trafficking of a controlled drug, firearm offences, and serious assaults.

Our unsolved weekly crime segments on 9News Adelaide asked for help to identify a woman wanted for an aggravated assault and theft on a bus, called for information on 3 x drive-by shootings on a house at Ferryden Park, and asked for information on a man who allegedly assaulted a train guard at Elizabeth.

We also asked for information on the unsolved 1997 disappearance and presumed murder of Gail King.

Watch these and other weekly crime segments on our YouTube channel.

Other June 2019 results included:

• 945 intelligence reports were raised and 911 actions issued to police for investigation;
• Nearly 2,500 contacts were received via our hotline and website
• Seizure of 10 firearms and an array of other weapons seized, including ammunition, tasers, fireworks, bayonets and knuckledusters;
• Nearly 8000 people visited the Crime Stoppers SA website, resulting in 25,179 page views;

If you have any information about criminal activity or an unsolved crime, then call our free hotline on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestopperssa.com.au

Rewards are available and you can remain anonymous.

This week is National Missing Persons Week, and Crime Stoppers is proud to support this worthy initiative and help raise awareness.

Over 38,000 missing persons reports are submitted to police every year in Australia.

Over 98% of people reported missing are located, and almost all of those found are found alive and well.

The reasons why someone goes missing can include anxiety and depression, misadventure, homelessness, dementia, domestic violence, becoming a victim of crime, and drug/alcohol abuse.

At this point there are 2,600 long-term missing people (those who have been missing for more than 3 months).

Anyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or educational background, may become a missing person; however, adults are more likely to be listed as long-term missing persons.

They are more than a statistic – they are fathers and daughters; students, academics and more – all with loved ones left behind with more questions than answers.

Anytime you have concerns for the safety and welfare of someone and their whereabouts are unknown you can report them missing to your local police.

You DO NOT have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing.

Going missing is not a crime. If you have been reported as a missing person and make contact with police, your privacy will be maintained.

Visit https://missingpersons.gov.au to find out more.

If you have any information on missing persons call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestoppers.com.au.

As the disappearance and presumed murder of teenager Karen Williams now reaches its 29-year milestone, her killer remains free to roam the community.

On 3 August 1990 Karen spent time with friends at the Opal Inn at Coober Pedy before attending a private party at nearby Sergio’s Restaurant in the early hours of the morning on Saturday 4 August 1990. Between 5am and 6am Karen and three friends left the restaurant on foot.

They were collected by a young male and driven to the corner of Medway Drv and Lehman Pl. Her friends left the vehicle and the man drove several hundred metres along nearby Dawes St.

A short time later Karen and the man were seen in a vehicle at the Caltex Service Station, Coober Pedy. They left the service station and drove south along Hutchinson Street before turning left onto the Stuart Highway.

Karen has not been seen since.

In 2013, a 42-year old man former resident of Coober Pedy was arrested and charged with her murder. He was allegedly the last person to see Karen alive. In August 2016, he was acquitted by a Supreme Court judge.

A reward of up to $1,000,000 remains on offer to anyone who provides information leading to the recovery of her remains or a conviction in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

It’s now been 30 years since the disappearance and presumed murder of Renata Wolanin and her loved ones are still no closer to knowing where her body has been buried.

During the early hours of 2 August 1989, Renata Wolanin walked out of her Verdale Road home at Linden Park almost two years after marrying David Wehner, a former US Army military policeman.

The 41-year old has not been seen since. Her husband reportedly told police that around 10.30pm they had a conversation about curtains and other renovations.

Wehner said he watched cricket, went to bed in the early hours of the morning and woke between 5am and 6am the next morning to find that Renata was not there.

Later that day, when Renata had not returned, Wehner began making inquiries with friends and neighbours, only to be told no one had seen her.

Renata had only just started a new job and did not arrive for work on the morning of August 2. She did not attend scheduled meetings that day and she made no calls to work colleagues.

While Wehner made contact with police at Norwood about 3.30pm on August 2, it was not until the next day he made a formal missing persons report.

Police have conducted extensive searches in the foothills close to Linden Park and Waterfall Gully, as well as excavating sections of the backyard of the couple’s home that she owned.

Wehner secured a $50,000 payout in 1992 from Renata’s estate, and he remained a person of interest until his death a number of years later.

A coronial inquest in 1990 heard evidence that Renata often had bruises on her face and that Wehner was involved with another woman.

A reward of up to $200,000 is on offer to anyone who provides information leading to the recovery of her remains.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestopperssa.com.au