Murder of Jaidyn Leskie
| Jaidyn Leskie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Jaidyn Raymond Leskie 30 April 1996 Newborough, Victoria, Australia |
| Died |
15 June 1997 (aged 1) Newborough |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | Child abuse |
Jaidyn Raymond Leskie (30 April 1996 – 15 June 1997) was the Australian child of Bilynda Williams and Brett Leskie, kidnapped and murdered in 1997. Despite leads, and the arrest and trial of a prime suspect, Leskie's murder remains unsolved. Although the decision was made in 2002 not to hold an inquest into the toddler's death, the case remained in the news for several more years and an inquest was held in 2006 implicating the mother's boyfriend, Greg Domaszewicz, who at the time of the kidnapping was babysitting the boy at his house at Newborough.
The circumstances of Leskie's disappearance and death were never clear, and were complicated by a pig's head being thrown at the house and other vandalism on the evening of the toddler's disappearance, an alleged prank about the boy's fate and the body not being discovered until January 1998. Leskie is believed to have died of head injuries.[1] After a missing person's search, believed to have been the largest since the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt in 1967,[2] Jaidyn's body was found on 1 January 1998 at Blue Rock Dam, 18 km north of Moe.[3] His body had been preserved by the cold waters of the lake through winter and the clothing he was wearing was subject to a DNA test in an effort to solve the crime.[4]
Greg Domaszewicz was charged with murder but was found not guilty in December 1998.[1] A controversial 2006 inquest,[5] which Domaszewicz's lawyer claimed to have been media driven,[6] found that he had contributed to the toddler's death and had likely disposed of the boy's body.[7] The inability to move forward with what some believe to be new evidence due to the double jeopardy laws in place in Victoria have led Leskie's mother to join a coalition asking for reform of these laws.[8] Almost ten years after Leskie's death, a kit on helping parents choose adequate babysitters was released in his memory.[9]
References
- 1 2 Gary Tippet (13 June 2002). "Jaidyn Leskie, the Final, Tragic Chapter". The Age. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ↑ Piercce, Peter (1999). The Country of Lost Children: An Australian Anxiety. Cambridge University Press. p. 189. ISBN 0-521-59499-5.
- ↑ Stuart Rintoul (5 October 2006). "Riddle of a Sad Little Death". The Australian. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ↑ Stephen Cauchi (22 November 2003). "Leskie Bib Puts Science in the Dock". The Age. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ↑ Gleeson, Michael (2007). The Jaidyn Leskie Murder. Australia: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-7322-8087-7.
- ↑ "Leskie Inquest Media Driven, Says Lawyer". The Age. 6 September 2005. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ↑ "Jaidyn Dumped in Dam: Coroner". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 October 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ↑ Liam Houlihan (16 March 2008). "Jaidyn Leskie's Mother Calls for Law Reform". Sunday Herald Sun. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ↑ Kellee Nolan (11 May 2007). "Jaidyn Leskie Case Prompts Babysitter Kit". News.com.au. Retrieved 2008-03-19.