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At about 7.10am on Sunday 6 January 1991, the Metropolitan Fire Service attended a house fire at Jackson Street, Parafield Gardens.

The bodies of Meredith (31 years) and her three children, Adam (11 years), Travis (9 years) and Kerry (2 years), were found in the burnt-out shell of the home.

Meredith had been tied to a chair with a towel pushed into her mouth.

The three children were suffocated with plastic bags placed over their heads. They all died before the house was set alight with petrol.

A surviving child had spent the night at a friend’s house.

Stuart Pearce (pictured below) – the father of the children and husband of Mrs Pearce –  has not been located since the murders and remains under suspicion.

A warrant was issued on 22 September 1992 for the arrest of Stuart Pearce. An Interpol red notice is also in existence.

While there have been a number of reported sightings of Mr Pearce in country South Australia, interstate and overseas, none of these have been confirmed.

There is no evidence that Pearce went home when his night shift at a Wingfield BP petrol station finished – just 27 minutes before the fire started.

His Datsun 240K was later found abandoned at the Kilkenny shopping centre.

A rewards up to $1,000,000 remains on offer to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction in this case.

This year we will also be profiling long-term missing persons in the hope that people in the community can share what they know to help to solve these many unexplained disappearances.

Our first missing person case profile for 2021 is on Peter Johnson, who was last seen at Davenport Aboriginal reserve in South Australia in late January 1996. He was supposed to return to Santa Teresa Community near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

He has not contacted family or friends since January 1996 and there have been no reported sightings of him in the many years that have followed.

Peter has a defective right eye and suffers post traumatic epilepsy due to a head injury.

• Missing since: Monday, January 1, 1996
• Last seen: Davenport, SA
• Year of birth: 1952
• Age now: 68 
• Gender: Male 
• Height: 170cm 
• Build: Slim 
• Hair: Black 
• Eyes: Brown 
• Complexion: Dark 
• Distinguishing Features: Defective right eye

If you have information that may assist to locate Peter please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to www.crimestopperssa.com.au

On 31 December 1994, Daniel Sheppard attended New Year’s Eve celebrations with his brother and friends at Lennies Tavern in Glenelg, before catching a tram into the city to continue celebrations at Hindley Street in Adelaide.

In the early hours of New Year’s Day 1995, the 19-year old walked alone to the Adelaide Railway Station and boarded the 4.13 a.m. train to Outer Harbour to go home.

There were about 30 other commuters on the train, including three females he knew from school. On the train Daniel told two of the girls: “I’m partied out … I’m going home to crash.”

Daniel was described as being moderately intoxicated but still in control of his faculties.

At 4.35 a.m. Daniel got off the train at the Port Adelaide Train Station and was last seen on the southern pedestrian ramp walking towards Baynes Place.

The walk home should have taken 10 minutes but Daniel was never seen again. He is suspected to have been murdered.

A reward of up to $200,000 remains on offer to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction in this case and/or the recovery of the victim’s remains.

State Government funding of Crime Stoppers SA is already paying dividends following the discovery of one of South Australia’s largest-ever cannabis crops worth millions of dollars.

In the latest breakthrough, Crime Stoppers SA provided crucial information about a sophisticated drug operation to SAPOL, arming Northern District Detectives with cause to raid a Nemesis Court property at Buckland Park just before 8am on Tuesday 29 December.

Cannabis plants – ranging from small to large in size – were found growing in a number of glasshouses. Others were being developed hydroponically and a significant amount of cannabis was found drying on racks.

Police made eight arrests after people tried to flee the compound.

Detectives expect to uncover more than 10,000 plants during further searches and will remain at the property for numerous days to burn and dispose of the drugs.

“This incredible work by Crime Stoppers and SAPOL has sent millions of dollars’ worth of cannabis up in smoke,” Minister for Police Vincent Tarzia said.

“A tip to Crime Stoppers was critical in supporting SAPOL to stop drugs from hitting our streets and causing harm to South Australians. The scumbags behind this drug operation can kiss their profits goodbye.

“The Marshall Government is the first South Australian Government to directly fund Crime Stoppers and the more than $800,000 indexed over four years from the 2020/21 State Budget is already disrupting major criminal activity.

“This Government, Crime Stoppers and SAPOL will continue to work relentlessly to make South Australia safe, strong and drug free.”

Crime Stoppers SA Chair Sharon Hanlon encouraged all South Australians to call the 1800 333 000 hotline with information on criminal activity.

“This major drug bust demonstrates that when someone shares what they know with Crime Stoppers to be passed to police, it can make a big difference and help disrupt the local drug industry,” Ms Hanlon said.

“Drug dealers are often hiding in plain sight – and we encourage people to step up and share what they know with Crime Stoppers without needing to say who they are or get involved.

“Every second call or online report to Crime Stoppers continues to be about drugs in the community, which demonstrates the public’s concern about the damage that drug dealers and manufacturers cause.”

Earlier this month, Crime Stoppers SA partnered with Torrens Transit to boost public transport safety.

More than 800 buses across South Australia’s extensive public transport network will be branded with highly visible Crime Stoppers SA logos and contact details to help stamp out anti-social behaviour.

Crime Stoppers SA has supported SAPOL since 1996 and provides information that has so far helped solve more than 34,000 crimes.

If you have information about an unsolved crime or suspicious behaviour, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au

PIC CREDIT – SA Police

Juan Morgan was 15 years old when he went missing in 1992.

Police identified him as missing in 1999 when investigating the disappearances of David McWilliams, Leo Daly and Robert Pendergast.

With Juan identified as missing, enquiries were made with relatives who confirmed he had not been seen since 1992.

It is believed sometime soon after 25 February 1992 Juan was taken to an unknown location, possibly in the eastern region of country South Australia where he was shot, killed and his body buried.

It is believed Juan’s murder was motivated due to him stealing a car from a criminal associate and damaging property.

There are at least two suspects for Juan’s murder that are known to police. At least one of the suspects is also believed to be involved in the disappearances and suspected murders of Leo Daly, David McWilliams and Robert Pendergast.

The key suspect in the suspected murders was the ringleader of a group of men involved in a variety of crimes, including car theft and rebirthing, drug-dealing and importation, stolen goods property-related offences and standover tactics throughout the 1990s.

As part of the long-running investigation, several stolen cars, firearms, drugs and other stolen items have been seized.

There is insufficient information at this stage to charge any person with Juan’s murder or those of the other three victims.

A reward of up to $1,000,000 is on offer for information that leads to a successful conviction or recovery of the victim’s remains.

At about 8am on Sunday 29 December 1991 the body of Peter Fazzari was found stabbed to death in the Cadell Training Centre.

The 56-year old was serving a life sentence for murdering his brother with a shotgun in 1979 but had served his non-parole period and was due for release the next day.

A Coronial Inquest finding from 5 February 2002 handed down by the then State Coroner Wayne Chivell found that Mr Fazzari was attacked in his cell while he was asleep.

During the attack he received a number of stab wounds to the head. A search of the cell block failed to recover a weapon.

In 2005 further lines of inquiry were provided to Major Crime Detectives that resulted in a search conducted at the Cadell Training Centre for the weapon. The search failed to recover the weapon.

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 29 December 1982, Jeffrey May was found on the concrete floor below the tramway bridge over the Sturt Creek at Glengowrie.

Investigations revealed that the 19-year old and his friends were set upon by a group of persons and Mr May was assaulted on the tramway bridge while trying to escape.

As a result of the assault he fell to the concrete creek bed below and sustained critical injuries.

Jeffery left behind a partner and a young daughter, with another daughter born whilst he was on life support fighting for his life.

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

While police are certain Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Camplin has been murdered, mystery surrounds almost every aspect of the case – including why he was killed, where he was killed and the whereabouts of his body.

Kenny was reported missing by his brother on 30 December 2013 his movements in the days leading up to his suspected murder had provided no clues in the baffling case.

His last known contact occurred at 1.26am on 27 December 2013 when the Paralowie man sent an SMS to a friend. Then 42 minutes later his mobile telephone was disconnected from its network.

It has never come back on and also remains missing.

On Christmas Day, Kenny travelled to the Barossa Valley to visit a friend at Lyndoch. He returned to his Elder Ct home the next morning and made several calls to friends.

At 12.25am on 27 December, CCTV captured him going through a nearby McDonald’s drive-through. It is believed he went home from there because the receipt from his purchase was found at his home.

After several days of trying to contact him, his brother and a close friend attended his home. They found the back door of the home unlocked of the normally security-conscious 44-year old and his dog in the back yard near death due to dehydration and starvation.

His bank account has not been accessed and there have been no sightings, leading police to be suspect that something has happened to him in the 42-minute window between that last text message at 1.26am about collecting a car part and the 2.18am disconnection.

While no firm motive has been found, investigations have discovered that he was caught up in a number of disputes, some of which were over girlfriends, as well as a Workcover dispute. It is unclear as to whether these had any bearing on his disappearance.

Further complicating the investigation is the fact that Kenny was a known low-level drug dealer and user. At least two of his associates have lied and obstructed the investigation, creating suspicion as to their motives for doing so.

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

Watch a previous press conference by SA Police on this suspected murder at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul4HOnV3mF4