Victoria Cafasso was stabbed to death in broad daylight on a scenic beach on Tasmania’s east coast in 1995 and the case remains unsolved. She had been staying with family in Tasmania for barely a week when she was stabbed 17 times in broad daylight, with some fifty people nearby, on Beaumaris Beach. Victoria had deferred her law studies in Italy and had travelled to the seaside town to stay with her cousin, arriving in Tasmania on October 6.
Beaumaris is a seaside township on the east coast of Tasmania, lying between Scamander (1.5km south) and St Helens (6km north). The town consists of one motel and approximately 150 homes/shacks with a population of approximately 350 persons made up of retirees, employed and unemployed persons. Due to its location, the population rises significantly over the summer and holiday periods. The beach itself is a popular attraction for local residents and visitors and on the day of the deceased’s death, it would appear from the Police evidence that in excess of fifty (50) people visited the actual beach between 8.30am and the time the deceased’s body was discovered by Margaret McIntyre.
The Tasman Highway runs north/south through the town and parallel to the beach and is the main coastal route. The town comprises five separate areas with all but eight houses located on the inland side of the highway. Beaumaris Beach stretches for 4 km, including the 2 km length of the town. The beach lies 75 metres to the east of the highway and is predominantly shielded from view by a coastal reserve strip of low dunes and light scrub. The northern and southern ends of Beaumaris Beach are defined by rocky points which prevent easy access further along the coast. Inland of Beaumaris exists extensive pine plantations, forested areas and a network of gravel roads that stretch to the Midland Highway.
Victoria Anna Elizabeth Cafasso was born on the 8th day of June 1975 in Surrey, England and at the time of her death was aged 20 years. She held a British passport and spoke fluent Italian, English, and French. She was well-travelled, having travelled several times with her mother and previously acting as a tour guide. She was well educated and attended University in Italy where she studied Law. She deferred that course in July 1995, against her father’s wishes and travelled to England to stay with her grandparents which was a common event to consider her options. She enrolled in a language course at Portsmouth University due to start in August 1996 and she expressed a desire to travel to Australia and stay with her cousin, Simon Howard DeSalis. This was to be the largest journey she had undertaken alone and she had only met De Salis on two (2) previous occasions.
Victoria rang DeSalis from England and made arrangements to travel to Tasmania from England via Hong Kong and Melbourne arriving in Launceston at 1.50pm on Friday the 6th day of October 1995. She was met by De Salis and a visiting friend of his, Peter Holder of Sydney and conveyed to De Salis’s residence at “Larby’s Cottage” Charles Street, Beaumaris.
Whilst being driven to the cottage from the airport, DeSalis had decided to go surfing and for this purpose had gone to Shelleys Point, being at the southern end of Beaumaris Beach. It was at this time that Victoria had her first contact with other residents of Tasmania, being Hilda Jackson, Mark Jackson and Mario Agius. This contact occurred on the lookout constructed on Shelleys Point which provided a full view of Beaumaris Beach and what was subsequently to be the ‘‘Crime Scene’’.
Between the time of her arrival in Tasmania until the 11th of October 1995, Victoria had remained with De Salis at Beaumaris and had very limited contact with other person(s) except for a social event they attended, being a small private birthday party for a Mandy-Lou Larby on Monday the 9th of October, the owner of De Salis’s residence. There were two other occasions only where she could have had contact with other person(s) and that was two (2) short walks on Monday the 9th and Tuesday the 10th. There is evidence that on the 9th of October, the deceased visited the residence of Hilda Jackson and remained there for approximately half an hour.
The day of her murder
It was at about 8.10am on Wednesday, the 11th of October 1995, that Victoria informed De Salis that she was going for a walk to the beach and asked to borrow a small carry bag. From other evidence, it would appear that the deceased left the cottage at about 9am and commenced walking in the direction of the beach
According to the coroner, she was wearing a blue and white floral two piece bikini. White sand shoes, a watch, bangle, ring or necklace were located in an area of disturbed sand some 55 metres from the deceased’s body.
It is believed that Victoria entered Beaumaris Beach via a footway opposite the Surfside Hotel situated on the Tasman Highway at Beaumaris. She was then allegedly seen sunbaking by an Iris Smith some 700 metes south of where she had entered the beach. These sightings were reportedly about 9.55am and again about 10.10am. These people were performing such activities as fishing, walking, a young child bathing at the water’s edge and being supervised by his mother just to name a few.
At about 1.30pm on Wednesday, the 11th of October 1995, Ms McIntyre (now deceased) was walking her dog north on Beaumaris Beach near Freshwater Creek when she discovered the deceased’s body at the water’s edge and being lapped over by the tidal action of the sea. Ms McIntyre went to a nearby house, where she spoke to Russell Harwood and Geoffrey Adams where she raised the alarm. These two men accompanied her back to the beach, where Harwood and Adams approached the deceased’s body, and upon identifying it as a human, Ms McIntyre and Harwood left the beach to contact the Police. From this time until the arrival of Sergeant Galloway, Senior Constable Pedder and Constable Ferguson at approximately 1.37pm, Mr Adams remained with the body.
After an autopsy and review:
- There were 17 “stab” wounds to the body, all except one which was on the right side of the body in the area of the shoulder/chest/neck;
- there were a large number of injuries to the head, neck, arms, legs and torso, including “slashes”, “lacerations”, abrasions and bruises;
Despite the presence of in excess of fifty (50) people visiting the beach on that day, and the presence of workers in the immediate vicinity, no cries were heard at all. It is also surprising that an area such as Beaumaris which has frequent visitors and people walking along the highway, no one heard any cries of distress. No offender(s), weapon or eye witnesses to the attack was ever located.
Inadequacies of the investigation
- The non-attendance at the scene by the State Forensic Pathologist;
- Delay in attendance of all specialist ‘Crime Scene’ examiners – Tasmania Police and Forensic Science Service Tasmania (FSST);
- establishment of inadequate cordons of the ‘Crime Scene’ – that is, non-closure of the entire beach itself;
- contamination of the scene by the introduction of foreign objects (eg. the tarpaulin used to cover the body);
- the scene not being recorded on video;
- oversight of all potential sources of evidence/exclusion of suspects (eg. foot impressions);
- only casting one (1) suspect footprint at the scene;
- lack of communication between local police and CIB officers; (eg. moving of body and photographs);
- omission to cast the foot of the deceased; and
- the co-ordination of the ‘Crime Scene’ examination to ensure that a thorough examination occurred having regard to the impending loss of the scene through natural forces (tidal and wind action).
Since this death, the Tasmania Police Service has addressed the issue of management of a ‘Crime Scene’ through the enhancement of Major ‘Crime Scene’ protocols and the establishment of the Integrated Crime Management Strategy (ICMS) which allows for training and increased forensic awareness for metropolitan based members.
There is a $500,000 reward for information about her murder.