The disappearance and suspected murder of Harry Houston

Posted on 30/10/2020

Whyalla resident Harry Houston has been missing since 30 October 2009 and is presumed to have been murdered.

Mr Houston regularly wore a Geelong Football Club baseball cap and would attend the Monarch Pharmacy in the Westlands Shopping Centre each morning.

While detectives know Mr Houston collected his methadone at 9am on 30 October 2009, the next sighting of him was two hours later at 11am when he saw his son.

At midday he visited a female friend at Whyalla and was in good spirits, having won $800 on the pokies the previous day.

He left her house about 12.30pm and vanished.

At 1pm, his distinctive red Toyota 4Runner was seen sitting in the driveway of the home occupied by the man suspected of murdering him – who later told police that Mr Houston sold him the vehicle.

The vehicle remained there until it was seized by police on Sunday 1 November 2009.

Mr Houston had been planning a road trip with his son to Darwin to celebrate a relative’s birthday before he disappeared.

Detectives believe it is most likely Mr Houston’s body was dumped in scrub within a short distance of Whyalla because there was only a 30-minute window between the last sighting of him and the sighting of his car at the suspect’s home.

Police believe the prime suspect in this case also holds the key to solving the cold case disappearance and suspect murder of Pennington woman Karen Morton in 2002.

Neither missing person knew the other but both were closely associated with the suspect.

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

 

---

---

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ