Casefile True Crime - Case 102: Britt Lapthorne

Episode Date: December 1, 2018

21-year-old Britt Lapthone developed a passion for travel at a young age, so it came as no surprise to her friends and family when she announced her plans to backpack solo through Europe. In mid-2008, Britt took off in search of adventure, lapping up many unforgettable experiences before eventually arriving in the Croatian town of Dubrovnik.  ---  Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched and written by Milly Raso and Elsha McGill For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-102-britt-lapthorne

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Please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website As Her 21st birthday approached in 2008 Britt Catherine May Lapthorn asked her parents for just one present The biggest travel backpack she could carry Britt was planning a solo backpacking trip through Europe for the middle of the year Taking the time off to explore the world do a little soul-searching and find inspiration for her future career The RMIT University student had been working hard at completing her international business degree

But was looking forward to spending some time away from the books After deferring a semester of her studies Britt was scheduled to fly out of her home city of Melbourne, Victoria in late June 2008 Embarking on a four-month solo backpacking trek that would take her through multiple countries Before returning home to Australia in mid-October It came as absolutely no surprise to those who knew Britt Lapthorn that she had itchy feet and was seeking overseas adventure Her passport read like an explorer's autobiography Each stamp representing a wealth of stories and experiences she had earned around the world

When Britt was eight years old her family lived in China and by age 10 Britt was bartering with locals in Beijing's markets When she was 12 she was navigating the ancient roads of Uzbekistan By her early 20s Britt Lapthorn had stepped foot on almost every continent on the planet Having traveled more in her 20 years than most would in a lifetime She made it her mission to visit a new overseas destination every year Despite her wonderlust and thirst for adventure Britt loved coming back home to Australia She lived with her parents Dale and Elka in the Victorian suburb of Eden Park

A picturesque semi-rural township 45 kilometers north of Melbourne City At the end of each one of her trips Britt would collate all the knick-knacks and photographs she had collected along the way and display them on a pinboard in her bedroom The board was covered with photos of Britt with friends and landmarks and with badges Tickets pins lanyards and key rings Each item no matter how ordinary to others was a treasure Britt cherished When she was home Britt preferred a low-key relaxed lifestyle She relished kicking her shoes off and getting into her comfiest old dressing gown and slippers

Settling in for a night on the couch watching television with her mom The mother and daughter bonded over their passion for music and books and loved indulging their shared sweet tooth together To Britt family was the most important thing. It was the foundation of her life She looked forward to family gatherings where she took great pleasure in setting the dining table with the lapdorn's best crockery glassware and candles Christmas was her favorite holiday and her family celebrated in line with the traditions of her mother's German heritage On Christmas Eve the lapdorns would share a delicious dinner and exchange presents thereafter Dessert was Britt's favorite course. She especially loved rich cheesecakes with berries the more decadent the better

The tomboy throughout her childhood Britt grew up playing with her older brother Darren and his friends She'd ride as a passenger on Darren's pee-wee bike an oversized helmet balanced on her head and a gumboos hanging off her feet As Britt entered adolescence she became more interested in the typical teenage girl fascinations clothes makeup and perfume By the time Britt got her driver's license Her parents hardly saw her as she was always off on her own independent adventures in the family's old Saab car

Despite trusting their daughter wholeheartedly Dale and Elka would lay awake at night until they heard the Saab coming down the driveway Finding peace only when they knew their daughter was home safe Britt was an intelligent friendly and loving young woman and it was her spark for life that charmed her boyfriend Simon Imberger He fully supported his girlfriend's free spirit referring to her as trip thorn after her love for travel As the departure date for Britt's european backpacking adventure approached She spent night after night on her computer researching all the places she wanted to visit Although she had a general idea of her itinerary. She wanted the finer details to be spontaneous and unpredictable

She planned to keep friends and family back home updated through her facebook page Which she used as a travel log and virtual gallery littered with status updates quirky stories and candid photos of her life abroad As such aside from her passport her most valued travel companion was her cannon power shot g9 camera Although they would miss their daughter as she jet set it across the globe Britt's parents were proud of the headstrong independent ambitious woman their little girl had grown up to be Dale and Elka looked forward to reuniting with her daughter in paris to celebrate her 21st birthday the month after her departure Before Britt headed off Dale and Elka presented her with an early birthday present It was the one thing she had been asking them for

An olive and black colored black wolf brand backpack The biggest one she could carry In Late june 2008 equipped with her trusty camera brand new backpack and $5,000 in spending money Britt lapdorn departed melbourne for europe She arrived in dotman to germany An industrial yet cosmopolitan city in the country's northwest where her 25 year old brother darin was living at the time Darin was a professional cyclist who had been recruited by a german team after winning the 2007 australian road race championships

The two lapdorn siblings had always been close Britt followed in her brother's footsteps They both attended kilmore international school in their teens and later were both accepted into rmit university in melbourne to study business The motivation and commitment his younger sister showed towards her studies was something darin greatly admired While his textbooks remained unopened until the evening before an exam Brits were well-worn bent and doggie-ed from constant use She spoke of one day opening a spa business with several other friends But hadn't yet decided what she wanted to do after graduating from university

No matter what career path brit decided to follow Darin had no doubt his sister was going to be incredibly successful By early july brit traveled to paris where she met up with her parents who had journeyed over to celebrate her upcoming 21st birthday The family spent the lead up to brit's birthday experiencing the city of lights Walking the beautiful streets and marvelling over the striking parisian architecture and history brit and delca were left to explore the louvre museum together Walking arm in arm through the grand gallery admiring the famous work of the great artists

Upon observing the Mona Lisa they pinched themselves with excitement brit loved films and was excited to see firsthand the masterpiece featured in the blockbuster movie the da Vinci code The pair were sowing war of the sheer grandeur of the museum that they temporarily got lost in the seemingly endless network of rooms and displays On july 13 the lap thorn celebrated brit's 21st birthday at a restaurant near the arctic triomphe A photograph captured brit and delca in a warm embrace at an alfresco table Their contentedness evident on their smiling faces The experience couldn't have been more perfect They all described it as just happiness

After paris brit escorted her parents to germany where the close knit family of four stayed in darin's small apartment With limited space they all slept on the couch Whilst brit and her mother lay head to toe in a single bed The pair found it rather humorous with elka telling her daughter quote This might sound corny brit, but this feels really special to feel your body next to mine Because it may not happen again By late july dale and elka lap thorn had farewell to their two children Although it was only temporary as they'd be seeing brit again in just a few months time

When she returned home to melbourne on october 15 By august brit's solo backpacking journey had commenced and she made her way east to poland It was easy for the friendly and talkative brit lap thorn to make friends on the road It was in poland where she met a fellow ozzie backpacker named tara reynolds And the two enjoyed the sights together before brit set out for her next destination the check republic hungary and austria followed soon after Throughout her trip brit kept friends and family in the loop of her travels by periodically posting updates on her facebook page Although she had a mobile phone with her her social media site was a much more affordable way to keep in touch on her type budget

brit's facebook profile was littered with vibrant photographs and excited status updates full of exclamation marks As she shared her travel plans and foreign experiences Dozens of photos captured the backpacker all smiles as she sampled new foods Soaked up the views of sprawling cities and partied with new friends she met along the way On september 5 brit made the 300 kilometer journey south from vienna to slovenia Where she kayaked and swam in the pristine blue waters of lake bled in the julian alps It was the highlight of her trip so far brit logged into her facebook account and posted a status update that read

brit is in the best place she's seen in a while On september 9 after lapping up a couple more days in slovenia brit made her way east to the Croatian capital of zagreb A bustling city celebrated for its 18th and 19th century austro-hungarian architecture On september 11 she cut across the border into sarajevo bosnia Where she sent her boyfriend simon imburger a message to let him know she had arrived safely Hey just arrived in sarajevo So tired took so long to get here on a dodgy scary train

But it was really okay Just glad i made it During a long bus ride from sarajevo to the scenic bosnian city of mostar brit met a fellow young female backpacker who shared her sense of adventure A canadian named chris nose worthy The two immediately hit it off and were thrilled to discover they were booked into the same hostel in mostar becoming instant travel buddies Chris and brit explored mostar's medieval streets together

And after sampling some exotic local cuisine brit logged into facebook and posted Drinking yummy coffee and never eating brains again She loved the ancient city its location on the noretva river and its iconic 16th century bridge providing a fairy tale like atmosphere In an online message to a uniferant back home brit described mostar as one of the best places she had ever visited She expressed her wish to stay in mostar for a few more weeks, but had to keep moving as southern italy beckoned her It was whilst in mostar that brit met brad her fellow traveler from her home city of melbourne As the pair exchanged travel stories and upcoming plans brit mentioned that the Croatian coast was her next destination Having made the coastal trip before brad warned brit that his experience hadn't been entirely positive

He had found the locals to be quite unwelcoming and inhospitable and had also heard some horror stories from other travelers about their time there One young woman who ventured to a Croatian island had apparently woken up in a stranger's car With absolutely no recollection of how she had gotten there Brit took brad's warning seriously though she wasn't deterred by them Having traveled constantly throughout her life brit was not unfamiliar with the dangers presented to solo female travelers in foreign lands She told brad about one of her own unnerving experiences During a train ride through the balkans strangers kept coming into her carriage making her feel unsafe Brad could tell brit was a smart switched on traveler and he was confident the girl could hold her own

On september 15 brit ventured out on a hot rainy day trip to Croatia's Dalmatian coast A picturesque narrow shoreline framing the Adriatic Sea After yet another unforgettable day brit posted a status update on facebook, which read Brit had the best day Jumping off cliffs into water swimming under waterfalls and getting soaked in the rain Upon learning from a friend that the Croatian coast was an ideal gateway to southern Italy Brit made the Croatian seaside city of Dubrovnik her next destination Her new friend and travel buddy canadian backpacker chris nosworthy also had the location on her itinerary

As she looked forward to scuba diving in the clear and tranquil waters of the Adriatic Sea The pair decided to travel together and were joined by Dominic Dabrowiewski a polish american backpacker They had met at their hostel in Mostar On the morning of september 16 As brit lapped the one's friends and family logged into their facebook accounts They were greeted with a status update from the traveler revealing her next destination Who read Off to Dubrovnik Croatia

Located on the southern coast of Croatia lies the port city of Dubrovnik A stunning medieval town nicknamed the pearl of the Adriatic The city has earned a status as a UNESCO world heritage listed site for its perfectly preserved renaissance architecture Which includes a centuries old stone wall encircling the Dubrovnik central hub that has withstood foreign empires earthquakes and invaders There are only two entrances into the walled city Leading into a dense maze of cobblestone streets lined with a myriad of shops restaurants and bars Although it's a relatively small quiet city with a population of just over 40 000

Dubrovnik has become Croatia's most visited city The local economy depends heavily on the millions of tourists who visit throughout the year Drawn to the pristine blue waters of the Adriatic sea picturesque old town and surrounding rugged limestone mountains Despite being an expensive place to visit Dubrovnik has become a popular hotspot for backpackers due to its reputation as a safe laid-back destination which provides seafaring access to some of europe's other standout coastal towns Britlapthorn arrived to Dubrovnik accompanied by her travel companions Chris knows worthy and Dominic Dabrovievsky

The trio checked in to the Dubrovnik backpackers club a multi-story hostel perched on a hill in the newer part of the city The small yet vibrant hostel was made up of three guest rooms containing two sets of bunk beds each And included all the quintessential backpacker facilities like a communal kitchen and recreation room with internet access a projector screen and a selection of DVDs The Dubrovnik backpackers club was privately run by the local Perkovich family who lived on site in the ground floor apartment to oversee the hostel's daily operations As Brit and her travel partners checked in, London backpacker Gareth Hopkins arrived at the hostel and struck up a conversation with the group They all hit it off and two hours later the new arrivals headed to the harbourside where they enjoyed a seafood meal together at a restaurant

before embracing Dubrovnik's nightlife The following day, September 17, 2008, Brit, Chris, Dominic and Gareth spent the day exploring Dubrovnik's nightlife exploring Dubrovnik's old quarter, strolling through the narrow streets and hanging out at a cafe in one of the sunlit squares Later that day, Chris knows worthy parted ways with the group to attend a scuba diving course on a nearby island But she and Brit planned to meet up again in a few weeks time to continue their journey together to the Croatian city of Split where Brit had plans to take a transit ferry west to Italy Brit was in good spirits as the two said their goodbyes, excited about their upcoming adventures That evening while hanging out in the hostel, Brit made a quick Facebook post advising everyone back home that she had made it safely to Dubrovnik

That night, the Dubrovnik Backpackers Club was a hive of activity as guests crowded in the small kitchen space to cook and share dinner Guests were from a melting pot of nationalities and ranged in ages from 20 to 30 Mostly solo travelers who intended to stay in Dubrovnik for a short while before departing for their next destination in a day or two's time After dinner, the enthusiastic group had some drinks and hung out in the hostel's recreation room At around midnight, they were no closer to settling down for the night And to their antics drew the attention of the hostel owners who requested they keep the noise to a minimum Still full of energy and wanting to socialize, a suggestion was made for the group to head out on the town They had heard the local hotspot for backpackers was a lively nightclub called Club Fuego

And although it was a wednesday night, the club was operating outside of its usual weekend hours to cater to the busy tourist season The well-established and popular latin themed nightclub had been a backpackers haunt since 2001 Having earned a positive reputation for its professional staff and affordable prices Opened from 11 p.m. Until 6 a.m. The club was the perfect place for late night revelers Britlapthorn agreed to go check it out as did fellow Australians David Barberlay, Jason Levy and Lydia Hambrook And the two men Brit had befriended over the previous days Dominic Dabrowiecki and Gareth Hopkins They were also joined by portuguese backpackers Marina Moreira and Gil Yermo Augusto After getting ready the backpackers boarded a local bus to make the 3.8 kilometer journey to the nightclub

At 12.38 a.m. They arrived at Club Fuego Located near the main entrance of Dabrovnik's old town a stone's throw from the town's historic port section Deon assuming two-story building was marked by a large black sign depicting the figure of a dancing female Her pink dress billowing as she raised her arms in the air A banner painted across the front of the building displayed the words Latino club in bold yellow lettering And mainstream dance music thumped from within Club Fuego's interior was dark with dim lighting throughout except for the bright neon lights flickering over the massive dance floor There were crowds of people everywhere on both levels of the building with around 200 other young clubgoers

Surrounding the five different bars milling around the standing tables and spilling across the dance floor When Brit and her companions entered it wasn't long before they became separated through the crowds The following morning of thursday september 18 2008 A backpacker named Maria who was sharing a dorm room with Britlapthorn at the Dabrovnik backpackers club hostel Worked to find the Australian girls bed neat and unoccupied as though it hadn't been slept in overnight Maria had not attended club Fuego with the rest of the group the night prior and assumed Brit must have had a big night and was still out partying Despite Brit being the only clubgoer unaccounted for nothing about the behavior of the others in the hostel indicated they were concerned about her absence Therefore Maria didn't think there was anything to worry about

When night time descended Britlapthorn had still not reappeared at the hostel and her personal belongings including her olive and black black wolf backpack Remained untouched in her dorm room As the other guests who had attended club Fuego in the early hours of september 18 pulled their recollections together They determined that the last known sighting of Brit was inside the club at approximately 3 30 a.m. None of them had seen Brit leave Given Brit's approachable and talkative nature They considered the unnerving possibility that she might have accepted a lift home from an ill-intentioned local

All ran into danger while walking through the dark unfamiliar streets alone When they tried calling Brit's mobile phone it rang out and went unanswered and eventually it stopped ringing altogether The backpackers determined it was highly unlikely that Brit had moved on to her next travel destination As her Australian passport was securely locked away in the hostel safe Lydia Handbrook, an Australian who had attended club Fuego became increasingly concerned when Brit still had not reappeared the following day of Friday september 19 After a day outside seeing After a day outside seeing Lydia returned to the hostel and noticed that Brit's belongings had been moved about Relieved she assumed her friend had finally returned

However, she soon found out Brit's things had simply been shifted aside whilst the dorm room was being cleaned Brit lap thorns whereabouts remained a mystery By the second night the backpackers discussed their next steps They each had plans to travel onwards from Dubrovnik, but it didn't feel right to just up and leave without knowing Brit was safe They decided to inform the hostel owners of Brit's disappearance Hoping they would know what to do When the Perkovich family were informed that one of their guests had failed to return home two nights in a row They were immediately worried and promised to keep an eye out for Brit

At 2 a.m. Hostel owner Milka Perkovich arose to check if Brit was in her bed, but it was still empty Milka expressed her increasing anxieties about Brit to her 33 year old son Evita He dismissed his mother's concerns telling her We will see in the morning. They're just young crazy kids But the next morning there was still no sign of Brit Chris knows worthy Brit's Canadian travel companion who was scheduled to meet up with Brit in a few weeks time Logged into her email account and was shocked to find an email from mutual travel friend Dominic Dabrovetsky Notifying her that Brit hadn't returned to the hostel after a night out

Dominic's email read She doesn't seem like the kind of girl to just go home with some dude I'm really worried and desperately racking my brains to see if I can remember who she was with But so far no luck Please get back to me Dominic's email triggered immediate alarm bells for Chris She tried calling Brit's mobile phone multiple times, but it was switched off So she proceeded to send private messages to Brit's facebook account

Desperately hoping for a response When her messages remained unanswered a panicked Chris emailed Dominic looking for an update writing Has she still not been found? Man, I hope she's met back up with you guys by this point Dominic replied I'm crossing my fingers that just some weird shit happened and she's okay I'll keep you updated

Concerned guests at the Dabrovnik Backpackers Club rifled through Brit's backpack looking for information to contact her family back in Australia When they couldn't find anything they placed a phone call to the Australian embassy in Croatia and explained the situation An embassy official made numerous calls including to Dabrovnik law enforcement However, local police were hesitant to act as young tourists, especially Australians, were known to party hard in Dabrovnik They suspected Brit was just another boozy backpacker on a bender who'd stumbled back to her hostel eventually nursing a hangover The embassy official urged the Dabrovnik police to launch an inquiry into Brit Lapthorn's disappearance But their request was denied Brit Lapthorn's typically active Facebook feed had gone radio silent

Messages from friends encouraging her to keep them in the loop of her plans when ignored Back in Australia Brit's boyfriend Simon Inburger had not heard from his traveling girlfriend So on September 21 Simon sent Brit a message which read Hey B hope Dubtown's still rocking and to the bugs aren't as big Keep laughing and trip thorn Brit's lack of contact had been noticed by her parents as her regular calls home had also stopped The last time the Lapthorns had spoken to their daughter was a few days prior to her arrival in Dabrovnik when she phoned home to wish her father a happy birthday They had teased her because the phone call was a day late

But Brit had playfully brushed off their friendly taunts saying Mum I've been traveling On September 22 Elka Lapthorn wrote a message on her daughter's Facebook page hoping to prompt a reply typing Hi Brit missing your travel log Meanwhile the Lapthorns were completely unaware that their daughter had disappeared from a Dabrovnik nightclub days earlier It wasn't until September 24 when Brit Lapthorn had been unaccounted for for a week That the local Dabrovnik police were finally willing to formally consider her a missing person and initiate an investigation

They gave the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade permission to inform Brit's family in Australia Distressed parents Dale and Elka Lapthorn were devastated that they hadn't been informed of their daughter's disappearance sooner Dale Lapthorn quote I'm disappointed that the Australian Embassy knew about this on September 19 and it took them until September 24 for us to be notified It's horrific They were also shocked to learn that nothing had been done to find Brit during the first 72 hours of her disappearance Considered the most crucial time frame in solving a missing person case The odds of finding the person safe and well dramatically decreased thereafter

Dale and Elka feared their daughter had met with foul play Brit was spontaneous and adventurous, but also clever and self-aware Far from the flaky naive young traveler Dabrovnik police perceived her to be With Brit's family now involved a missing person report was issued by Victoria police And faxed through to the Australian federal police It featured a picture of Brit Lapthorn Her distinctive blonde bob haircut with a fringe framed her hazel eyes and a trademark beaming smile The report described her as a white 21 year old female

152 centimetres tall weighing 47 kilograms with a light olive complexion and a stud nose piercing Her last known whereabouts were listed as club Fuego in Dabrovnik with her attire described as summer clothing with black leggings The report characterized Brit as well-travelled, worldly, sensible, friendly and talkative Anyone with information was urged to contact Elka Lapthorn or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade In the Dabrovnik Backpackers Club Hostel, Brit's cherished 21st birthday present, her olive and green black wolf backpack Had been placed on a chair in the lobby alongside a vase of red and white roses left by well-wishers The only items noted as missing were her wallet containing a small amount of cash and her beloved cannon power shot G9 camera Items that was believed she took with her to club Fuego

Her bank accounts, passport and other travel documents had not been accessed since her disappearance Tara Reynolds who had met Brit in Poland managed a website with over 15,000 members dedicated to tracing the movements of global travellers Upon learning of Brit's disappearance Upon learning of Brit's disappearance Tara created an online group to help find Brit writing All we can do is spread awareness in the hope that someone somewhere was around on that fateful night and may have seen her We are just hoping for clues and waiting for now I miss Brit terribly especially since all my travel photos are constant reminders of such a horrific thing to happen to such a beautiful soul

It isn't me. I worry about it's her family I pray for her safe return to them We are posting messages in travel forums contacting hostels and doing everything we can on the internet that we can possibly do The outreach for help in finding Brit Lapthorn spread far beyond the stone walls of Dubrovnik's medieval city Once the news that an Australian national was missing in a foreign country made its way down under The Australian media rallied to raise awareness of the mounting search for Brit Dozens of Australian reporters and journalists arrived to Dubrovnik eager to cover the story That was a real-life manifestation of fears straight out of popular Hollywood movies like Hostel and Taken

In Taken the protagonist's daughter is abducted whilst traveling in France for the sole purpose of being sold on to the sex trade Mimicking a very real problem that plagues certain parts of the world The illegal trafficking of persons for sex remains an ongoing issue in many southeastern European countries including Croatia As rumours circled that Brit may have fallen prey to this fate Dale Lapthorn stated Quite honestly, that would be a good outcome because I want my daughter back alive The overwhelming Australian media presence in the otherwise quiet and sleepy coastal city rattled the local population Dubrovnik was well regarded for its low crime rate and serious crimes were considered incredibly rare

Unlike other cities popular with budget backpackers that were often associated with poverty and lawlessness Dubrovnik was a safe and affluent city, protected and insulated within its defiance stone walls The Lapthorns believed Dubrovnik's low risk reputation may have caused Brit to let her guard down and relinquish her usual cautious mindset While also being to blame for the hesitancy of the local police to take her disappearance seriously Darren Lapthorn, quote British street smart and a seasoned traveler, but she came to Dubrovnik really relaxed She was at the point where she might have been a bit more complacent about meeting people and I think someone could have seen that weakness

The Dubrovnik police forces week-long delay in launching an investigation was heavily criticised in the Australian media As was the presumption by local police that Brit was just a foreign party girl who would reappear unharmed at any moment Brit's friends and family were quick to dispute this interpretation of Brit claiming she was far from the person police were painting her to be Those closest to Brit described her as a conservative drinker And although she enjoyed the occasional night out partying and socialising like most people in their 20s Her main focus was on experiencing all the world had to offer Her days abroad were not spent in hungover hazes But on energetic adventures as she covered large distances in short time frames and soaked up as many new experiences as she possibly could

Brit's thirst for travel was not fueled by alcohol and a tendency for reckless behaviour She wanted to learn more about the world, its history and how people from different cultures lived To Dale, his daughter's willingness to visit places like Auschwitz was evidence of her strength of character and maturity Quote She wanted to understand suffering to see and really get a feeling for the places she was going In Bosnia, she said she wanted to understand what happened there When Brit's older brother Darren learned of his sister's disappearance He rushed from Germany to Croatia arriving in Dubrovnik to aid in the search

Upon arrival, he was shocked to discover that local police still weren't taking his sister's case seriously And overall were uncooperative and reluctant to help Police told Darren There has never been crime in Dubrovnik and there can never be crime in Dubrovnik When Darren inquired about the scope of their investigation Police said they had only managed to interview one backpacker who had been a guest at the Dubrovnik Backpackers Club at the same time as Brit The other guests had since moved on to other countries and Dubrovnik police refused to track them down Telling Darren that was outside of their jurisdiction

Darren asked to view the CCTV footage recorded in the proximity of club Fuego at the time Brit was present There were seven security cameras located throughout the two-story nightclub building Including one in the entry foyer and another directly above the dance floor Police informed Darren that observing this footage would be impossible As a mysterious electrical fault had occurred on September 18 rendering all the club's interior cameras defective When Darren pressed the police for proof of this alleged blackout They changed their story and instead claimed a wiring issue had interfered with the performance of the cameras According to police the corrupted footage had been sent to a lab in an attempt to salvage it

But efforts were unsuccessful The vital images had been lost forever Nevertheless the police assured Darren that they had visited club Fuego and spoken to the club's bartenders and staff about Brit Darren later visited club Fuego only to discover that he had been misled As the nightclub staff revealed they hadn't been spoken to by anyone about his sister's disappearance Darren questioned the club employees himself, but given the time that it since lapsed their recollections of the early hours of September 18 were vague Hindering their efforts was the fact that the club's clientele were mostly young foreigners who didn't stay into brothels Which made remembering Brit from the hundreds of indistinguishable, ever-changing patrons incredibly difficult

There were faint recollections of Brit being served at the bar, but no worthwhile information was given that hinted at her whereabouts One thing was certain, if Brit was involved in some kind of altercation or incident the staff would remember As such occurrences were unusual at their establishment Club Fuego management disputed police claims that an electrical fault had rendered their cctv network ineffective Insisting that all seven of their internal security cameras were functioning during the early hours of September 18 They had previously handed all cctv equipment to police Including a hard drive that stored all recorded footage over the time period Brit Lapthorn was present And they had no reason to be able to find out what was going on

They had no reason to believe the footage was defective A club Fuego bouncer recalled seeing someone fitting Brit's description leaving the club in the company of two males and five females This group had two cars between them and held a lengthy discussion as to who would travel in which vehicle It was clear to the bouncer that none of the women wanted to get in a car with the men But he didn't know who ended up travelling with who Mr. Had been within this group Darren believed she might have wound up in the car with the unknown men and that they may have been involved in her disappearance A close friend of Brit Lapthorn's told the Australian press quote

I'll find it very unconvincing that Brit would have got into a car with somebody she didn't know If that's the case, there must have been some pressure Darren contacted his parents in Australia Frustrated and upset by the indifference of Dubrovnik law enforcement in helping find his sister The Lapthorns felt Dubrovnik police were being dismissive of their concerns and were treating their family with contempt Sharing his son's disappointment, they all Lapthorn told the Australian media Darren was extremely depressed after yesterday Seeing the police doing absolutely nothing

Obviously telling lies, lies, lies And just hoping it would go away In a Facebook post, Elka Lapthorn pleaded The police are doing nothing We are beyond grief They have been given so much information and are doing nothing with it Please, don't be so angry Please all locals in Dubrovnik help us

Help us Help us The criticism leveled against Dubrovnik authorities by Brit's loved ones was reported throughout the Croatian media Rather than prompting them to accelerate their investigation Dubrovnik police became tight lipped and refused to publicly divulge any more information in relation to the Brit Lapthorn case This left the Lapthorn family completely in the dark about how the search for their daughter was going or whether the investigation was proceeding at all Dubrovnik deputy police chief Ivan Kulkrika defended the police response to Brit's disappearance saying

We are only human beings, but we are treating this case like it would be treated anywhere in the world I understand the worry of the family and I understand their criticism And I understand that it will force us to do more quality work But we really are doing the best job we can right now I can't tell you everything we have done, but this has not been a slow investigation Deputy police chief Kulkrika indicated he personally believed that Brit was still alive and would be found safe In 2008 there hadn't been a single murder reported in Dubrovnik or its surrounds Which the deputy attested to the fact that Dubrovnik was

quote The safest and most secure county in all of Croatia It wasn't just Croatian authorities who came under fire during the investigation into Brit Lapthorn's disappearance A visibly emotional Dale Lapthorn told Australian media that he and his wife had been contacted by the Australian federal police And asked to be mindful of Australia's relationship with Croatia when speaking publicly about their missing daughter The distressed couple were confounded when the AFP gave them a list of rules and undertakings to follow To ensure they wouldn't create tension between the two countries Dale Lapthorn quote

I just got furious. We screamed at them on the phone We said you are public servants of Australia We are Australian citizens and we are not going to allow you to sacrifice my daughter's life for the sake of relations The outcry prompted a response from Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd Prime minister Rudd empathised with the Lapthorns and other families who have had a loved one go missing overseas quote We take every case seriously because it could be our kids any day At any one time there are a million Australians offshore

Our job is to do whatever we can to help families who find themselves in these horrible circumstances We will leave no stone unturned through the federal police Through our diplomats through consular officials Through our political contact with the government to do whatever we can do to assist in this really hard and difficult matter In Dubrovnik Darin Lapthorn was still seeking out any clue that might lead him to his sister He spent his days trawling the city streets plastering up missing person posters written in both English and Croatian along the way He logged on to Brits facebook account contacting the friends she had recently added or accepted to see what information they could provide Desperate for answers Darin visited a local clairvoyant seeking guidance as the where to focus his search

The clairvoyant revealed their mystic vision that Brits case would be solved when investigators located two men aged 21 to 31 years old The disappearance of Brit Lapthorn swept mythical dogma throughout Dubrovnik as the lack of information about her whereabouts led concerned residents to seek answers from higher powers Superstitious locals spoke darkly of the Croatian belief in the energy carried by Borah winds Dry, cool, northern gusts that sweep over the Vela bit mountain range out to the Adriatic Sea When Borah comes in, it drives debris further north and clears up the sky providing uninterrupted panoramic views from the mountains all the way to Italy Locals believed that when this change in weather finally occurred the mystery of Brit Lapthorn's disappearance would be solved Back in Australia, porch lights in Melbourne's Outer Suburban Streets were kept on as an expression of solidarity for Brit Lapthorn's safe return From the Lapthorn family home in Eden Park, her parents were doing their best to remain positive

Elka Lapthorn, quote Every morning I wake up and I feel there is still a glimmer of hope that Brit is still alive and that's what's keeping us going But the Lapthorn's hope was severely put to the test as time passed and still there were no answers as to what happened to their daughter They compiled a reward of 100,000 euros and offered to sell their house to boost the sum hoping it would compile the amount of money that Brit Lapthorn would be able to afford To boost the sum hoping it would compel someone to come forward with information that would lead to Brit Frustrated by the lack of progress in finding his missing daughter Dale Lapthorn boarded a flight to Croatia to conduct an investigation of his own joined by Brits boyfriend Simon

On october 3 the power arrived to Dubrovnik with Dale vowing not to leave the city without his daughter Refusing to give up hope that Brit might still be alive quote I would like to think she's probably being held against her will I just couldn't imagine Other than for Darren and Brit. There's no purpose in living dare our everything Upon his arrival to Dubrovnik Dale was confronted by dramatic scenes as police helicopters flew over the surrounding mountains

And officers with tracker dogs trawled outlying rural fields Police tape was strung up around key areas related to Brits disappearance Whilst forensic investigators searched that Dubrovnik backpackers club hostel It was far from the idle investigation Darren had anticipated and his spirits were lifted upon realizing police were taking efforts to find his daughter seriously However The actions of police were viewed with skepticism As some found it suspicious that law enforcement had suddenly ramped up their search efforts to coincide with Dale Lapthorn's presence in town

The Brovnik officials were unwilling to explain why this intensive search hadn't occurred much earlier With local reporters suggesting police had finally succumbed to the pressure arising from the Australian media and Aussie citizens Critics believed the grand efforts displayed by Dubrovnik law enforcement were all for show And they hadn't really escalated the investigation into Brit Lapthorn's disappearance at all Dubrovnik police vehemently defended what they ensured was now a full-scale investigation into Brit Lapthorn's disappearance Adamant they were doing all they could to aid with the search Although admitting they had no leads in the case Dubrovnik deputy police chief Ivan Kukrika stood firm in his belief that Brit would be found alive

Certain they were investigating a disappearance not a murder He once again justified the slow pace of the investigation stating This is not a crime movie where you quickly arrive at an answer The police are doing everything they can These sorts of problems cannot be solved in a day or two as people may expect but systematically As their appeal for information cast a wide international net

Dubrovnik police issued a phone number for anyone anywhere to come forward with details that could lead to Brits whereabouts Relieved Dubrovnik police were finally taking their daughter's disappearance seriously The Lapthorn still harboured resentment that the effort hadn't been made sooner Darren Lapthorn quote If Brit is still alive, she might be on her last breath. So everything possible should be sped up It was evident that Dubrovnik law enforcement were way out of their depth deputy police chief Ivan Kukrika didn't even have a computer in his office And was frustrated to discover that most tip-offs were imparted to the media instead of the authorities

Even the locals didn't seem to be taking the police work seriously trudging through areas cordoned off by crime scene tape With no suspects or useful leads Deputy police chief Kukrika narrowed his focus on the group of international backpackers Brit had ventured to club Fuego with on the night she vanished He was curious to find out why the group had seemingly left the club without their friend And also found it suspicious that many of them had departed Dubrovnik within days of Brits disappearance The deputy requested help in locating the seven backpackers from global police organization Interpol

But the failures of Dubrovnik police were highlighted once more when it was revealed that many of the backpackers had already provided their accounts of the night via the press or social media Frustrated by the lack of contact from authorities The individuals took it upon themselves to publicly share any relevant information they had in the hopes it would lead to Brit Reports from Brits fellow clubgoers were hindered by patchy recollections As many admitted to consuming large amounts of alcohol throughout the night in question The group spent most of the night scattered separately throughout the venue Bumping into one another every so often

And it was through these interactions that a fairly uniform series of events was collated The group shared a collective sentiment that Britlapthorn was in good spirits during her time at club Fuego On the ground floor of the nightclub, British backpacker Gareth Hopkins looked across the room and witnessed Britlapthorn chatting happily with a group of people he didn't recognize Portuguese backpacker Marina Moreira also saw Brit talking to a group of strangers who she described as mostly tall men At one point during the night, Marina saw Brit enter what looked like a staff only door near the club's main bar area Only to re-emerge a few minutes later Polish-American backpacker Dominik Dabrowiecki who had accompanied Brit on the journey from Mostar to Dubrovnik

Crossed paths with Brit several times throughout the night Usually on the dance floor where the two acknowledged each other with a quick hello Dominik said I could tell she was drunk, but she looked happy I did not see her dancing with anyone in particular and when I saw her talking to people it was with people from our hostel At approximately 2 a.m Several witnesses saw Brit drop a glass on the dance floor causing it to shatter Club Fuego employees confronted Brit over the breakage and requested that she leave the premises

Brit did leave but some 10 minutes later She was seen inside the nightclub again either having been let back or snuck back in At this point she ran into Gareth Hopkins and asked him quote Where are the Croatians followed by something else he couldn't hear over the loud music in the club Gareth wasn't sure who Brit was talking about but noticed she was slurring her words The Dubrovnik backpackers club crew slowly filtered out of club Fuego in dribs and drapes and made their way back to the hostel Some reported asking Brit if she wanted to share a cab, but she wasn't ready to leave yet. So they departed without her The following morning the hazy revelers arose with foggy recollections of the night

When the realisation dawned that Brit hadn't returned to the hostel They quickly pieced together what memories they retained to try and work out where she may have wound up It was soon determined that the last anyone saw of Britlapthorn was in club Fuego at approximately 3 30 a.m on the morning of Thursday, September 18, 2008 With some reports stating there were three unknown males crowded around her at the time Although it wasn't immediately noticed during initial searches of Britlapthorn's belongings Brit's mobile phone was later found in her dorm room at the Dubrovnik backpackers club Indicating she had left it behind the night she went out

An inspection of her phone records revealed a call had been made at 2 57 a.m On September 18, just half an hour before she was last sighted at club Fuego The call was placed to a mobile phone belonging to a Vitsa Perkovich The 33 year old living manager of the Dubrovnik backpackers club who operated the hostel with his parents This phone call immediately cast suspicions on a Vitsa Perkovich Who had left the country in the days after Brit disappeared on what he insisted was a work related trip Whilst abroad Dubrovnik police contacted Perkovich and requested he return to the city so they could speak to him in relation to Britlapthorn Perkovich claimed he barely knew Brit having only met her briefly in the hostel's recreation room at around 10 30 p.m on September 17

The two had a brief conversation about Australia as Perkovich hoped to travel there one day After this interaction Perkovich retired to bed and later arose to complain to his mother that the reality group of backpackers were making too much noise and keeping him awake As Perkovich lacked the confidence to confront them his mother spoke to the guests and asked them to quiet down This prompted several of the guests including Britlapthorn to make the trip to club Fuego Several hours later the 2 57 a.m. Call came through from Brit's mobile phone Perkovich claimed he was asleep at the time and his mobile phone was on silent so he was unaware of the call and it went unanswered Although he could often know explanation as to why Brit was trying to contact him He explained that his mobile phone number was used as the main business line for the Dubrovnik backpackers club

A number all guests were given upon checking in and told to ring should they need help with bookings inquiries or emergencies Adding another layer to the mystery was the lack of explanation as to how exactly Brit's mobile phone wound up at the hostel The lap thorns believed with utmost certainty that Brit would not go out without her mobile phone If she had accidentally left the device at the hostel before she left the club Fuego It begged the question as to who made the 2 57 a.m. Call to a vitsa Perkovich and why? If Brit did have her phone with her at the nightclub There was no explanation as to why it was used to make a call to a vitsa Perkovich half an hour before she was last seen Nor how the phone ended up back in her dorm

Deputy police chief Ivan Kukrika confirmed that the phone call made from Brit's mobile on the evening of her disappearance was of great interest But insisted the key to the mystery lay with the backpacker. She was with the club Fuego As such after 36 hours of questioning Evitsa Perkovich was released from custody with police officially ruling He was no longer being viewed as a suspect in the case Upon his release Evitsa Perkovich told a Croatian newspaper that none of the other guests who had attended club Fuego with Brit lap thorn Were at all worried when she didn't return from the club

quote They thought she was that kind of person He claimed to have spoken to staff at other hostels Brit had stayed in during her travels And he said they described the 21 year old as a very kind polite person, but with a reckless side Upon learning of Evitsa's comments Elka lap thorn was heartbroken and warned Evitsa to be careful quote Every mother knows their little girl. I know my little girl and she's not that kind of girl I think he's being very clever in trying to put the blame on Brit

Tara Reynolds who had traveled with Brit in Poland said I'm very angry and upset for Perkovich to say such things In one breath. He says he doesn't know her and in another makes these assumptions about her It makes me suspicious very suspicious Evitsa was not the only member of the Perkovich family that exhibited suspicious behavior during the Brit lap thorn investigation As the search for Brit continued the lap thorns received an anonymous phone call in their Dubrovnik hotel from a local Who claimed to have seen Evitsa Perkovich's mother Milka at the post office on the day of Brit's disappearance

Milka Perkovich was attempting to mail a passport to Australia But left after being advised passports could not be sent through the post The caller alleged the passport belonged to Brit lap thorn This information although seemingly compelling could not be verified and the lap thorns never heard from the caller again The official investigation conducted by Dubrovnik law enforcement into Brit lap thorns disappearance lasted just 10 days And resulted in a brief two page report detailing their limited findings One new piece of information came from a Croatian witness who claimed to have seen Brit lap thorn laughing and dancing with an English speaking man at Club Fuego throughout the night of her disappearance It was unclear if this was someone unknown to Brit or one of her companions from the Dubrovnik Backpackers Club Hostel

It was the chief of the Dubrovnik police force Ivan Kresik who fronted the media at a press conference after the release of the report Although the report provided no answers as to what could have happened to Brit lap thorn Kresik was confident that the Dubrovnik police would still locate the young Australian alive Quote We are not searching for a body. We are searching for a girl It is now a matter of time until we find an answer to the mystery But I am sure that we will answer all the questions as to what happened and I will do everything as a human being and as a policeman I still hope she is alive That is a hope

a real one Monday October 6 2008 marked 72 hours since Dale Lap Thorn arrived to the city of Dubrovnik It had been a hellish 18 days for the father a physically and emotionally exhausting experience Hended by deficient police work and complex diplomacy Despite all the obstacles thrown his way Dale was fuelled by unwavering determination to bring his daughter home Just a few hundred meters east from the entrance of Club Fuego is Dubrovnik's west harbour Situated in a spectacular stretch of shoreline known as Bononovo Bay The scenic bay is sheltered by a soaring 40 meter cliff face which frames the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea

The beach below is accessible via a steep set of stairs with metal ladders affixed to concrete platforms That allow swimmers to exit the water after launching off from one of the many dive spots The area is surrounded by holiday homes and five-star resorts popular with tourists and locals alike Who gather to sunbathe play cards or cook barbecues while admiring the picturesque coastal views The serene deep waters of the bay host a variety of marine life making it an ideal location for boating and fishing As 11 o'clock approached on the morning of October 6 Local fishermen boating off a cove near Bononovo Bay caught sight of something floating on the surface of the sea Upon realising what they had come across they immediately contacted Dubrovnik law enforcement

Water police arrived to the location where they found the partial remains of a human body in an advanced state of decomposition The remains were so severely damaged Authorities were unable to determine whether they were those of a male or a female Making an immediate identification impossible Dubrovnik police withheld news of the discovery from the public But it didn't take long for word of the body found near Bononovo Bay to lead to the press Dale and Darren Lappthorn were still deep in their search for Brit when the news of the body ran out of control They were immediately struck with overwhelming emotion assuming the body had to be hers

To make the situation even more traumatising for the family They heard about the grim breakthrough via the media instead of being personally informed by officials Although the body had yet to be identified Dale Lappthorn made the difficult call to his wife in Australia Informing her their daughter may have finally been found Elka Lappthorn quote I don't know whether it was relief I sort of felt a calmness there because I said to Dale and Darren. I'm sure it's Brit We just have to be prepared for that

However, Dubrovnik police were quick to deny the body was that of the Australian backpacker As Brit had only been missing for 18 days and the state of the human remains found on Bononovo Bay Indicated the body had been in the water for months Deputy police chief Ivan Kulkrika held a press conference where he stated We can almost for sure tell that the body is not Brit's body He explained the remains were more likely those of an illegal immigrant from Albania or Montenegro Who had been dumped or fallen over the side of a boat some time ago Kulkrika's statements reignited hopes Brit Lappthorn could still be found alive

Back home her mother told the press Every day it's getting worse and worse and I wonder what else we are going to hear Why hasn't Brit been found for heaven's sake? For Dale Lappthorn the discovery of the body almost brought an end to the painful mystery of what happened to his daughter Quote it is just extraordinary it is your worst nightmare in many ways With this body we almost had some closure, you know some closure I can at least say I'm going home with Brit

But now we are back to square one As the search for Brit Lappthorn continued her father wrote a letter to the public titled Please help me find my Brit which was published by Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph In a Dale Rowe My daughter Brit Lappthorn is missing There are no highs for our family right now it's just lows to extreme lows I feel shattered, I feel exhausted, I feel broken And I wonder if I will be able to go on the next day

In this situation I just have to keep on driving Our family have got to do everything we can to find Brit My son Darren and I ask how can we go home without her? The answer is we cannot We are still discovering bit by bit what happened the night she disappeared There are so many conflicting reports that make it difficult to get a true picture Yet this case should be so simple Hostel, nightclub, the distance between, a populated place, lots of traffic

It begs the question why is this so difficult to solve? She hasn't just vanished off the face of the earth that's just not Brit She hasn't done a runner there was no reason to She loved life, she loved being home, she loved her friends Brit's story has touched the hearts of many people Anyone who loves their family can relate to it They relate to the fear of losing a loved one A child

I am very thankful for the huge level of public support I have only one goal and that's to find my daughter I will use every tool possible to do that I will not say I should have Nor will I say I could have Despite the confidence of Dubrovnik police that the body found floating in the waters near Bononovo Bay was not Brit Lapthorn Her family provided them with blood tests, dental records and DNA samples

in order to rule out the possibility that it could be their daughter Four days later, an analysis conducted by Croatian forensics determined the Lapthorn's worst fears to be true It had been 22 days since their daughter mysteriously vanished from Plub Fuego in the early hours of September 18 But finally, Brit Lapthorn had been found After taking time to address his overwhelming grief They all lapthorn fronted the media

Quote I came to Dubrovnik to bring Brit home We did not achieve our main objective, which was to bring her home alive But we have the consolation that we are taking her home We go home with Brit on her last journey with us That is better than no closure at all It's a very shallow closure and one we will never get over And one we will never get over

But we have something We have failed But we have not totally failed Forensic experts deemed it lucky that Brit's body had been discovered at all given there was very little tissue remaining to keep it afloat Only approximately 40% of Brit's remains were recovered with several organs and limbs missing as well as most of her teeth and hair Deputy Chief of Police Ivan Kulkrika fronted the press, stating

I have to admit that I had, based on the state the body was in, really thought that it was not Brit This left Croatian authorities to believe the Australian must have been in the water for the duration of her disappearance an assumption which only raised more perplexing questions for the lapthorns Even if Brit had been floating in the water for the whole 18 days she was missing the timing didn't correspond with the severe extent of decay and destruction sustained to her body The fact that no one saw Brit's body during that time was even more baffling to her family

given that Bononobo Bay was a high traffic area popular with swimmers and boaters and overlooked by an observation area visited by hundreds of tourists daily These considerations further substantiated Dale lapthorn's suspicions that foul play was involved in Brit's death Quote Brit did not jump off a cliff, cut her legs off on the way down and do something else to decompose herself As an explanation for the rapid decomposition of Brit's body

Dale developed the theory that Brit may have been killed and dumped at sea to perpetrate as weighing her body down by storing rocks in her clothing Her remains may have only recently arisen to the surface after the rocks became dislodged Dale's theory wasn't without precedent an incident three years earlier in 2005 bore striking similarities to the Brit Lapthorn case when a badly decomposed body was found floating in the waters of Croatia's Istrian peninsula Local police were adamant the body had been in the water for at least eight months

ruling out the possibility it was 30-year-old British tourist Peter Rushton who had gone missing from a nightclub in the Croatian town of Poric five weeks earlier However, the remains were later identified to be those of Peter Rushton Decomposition was accelerated due to the fact his badly beaten body had been put in a sack filled with fishing weights before being thrown overboard Two Croatian men were later charged with his murder Upon the discovery of Brit Lapthorn's body rumors ran rife over the circumstances leading to her death Some believed Brit had stumbled through the dark towards the West Harbour

and accidentally fallen from the coastal cliffs Others suspected she may have participated in a late night swim before accidentally drowning in the surf Others shared the sentiments of the Lapthorn family and were convinced the backpacker had met with foul play To determine Brit's cause of death experts aimed to clarify key factors including the location where she had entered the sea But this was soon deemed impossible as the area of water where Brit's body was found was characterised by strong winds and powerful currents

meaning the exact entry point could not be identified To establish whether Brit fell from a height or entered the water at sea level experts studied her skeletal remains However, as the coastline framing Bononovo Bay featured steep jagged cliffs, deep seashells and rocky outcrops the cause of bone fractures could be from a multitude of possible sources Breakages would appear the same regardless of whether Brit fell from a cliff was thrown in or the current dragged her body into the cliff face The rapid decomposition of Brit's remains only added more complexities

to the yet to be determined cause of death The Brovnik police told Dale Lapthorn the reason his daughter's body was so badly decomposed was because, quote, the water was warm But the temperature of Bononovo Bay's water in late September and early October could vary anywhere between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius significantly colder than the ocean's mid-year temperatures which peaked at 28 degrees Prolonged water base to decomposition can cause hair and skin to come away from the body but experts were at a loss to explain how most of Brit's teeth were missing

including the more resilient molars Although not an impossible result of decomposition, the loss of her molar teeth was highly unusual The possibility that marine life played a part also seemed unlikely Croatian waters are home to a variety of marine life but very few would be capable of removing human limbs Sharks had been known to swim through the Adriatic Sea but their presence was extremely rare A cursory search of the Bononovo Bay area only uncovered one of Brit's personal belongings

The shirt she had been wearing on the night of her disappearance which was found floating in the sea a short distance away from her body The other items Brit had on her including her wallet, cannon power shot G9 camera and the remainder of her clothing including her leggings and shoes were not found The possibility that Brit drowned couldn't be ruled out but it couldn't be confirmed either as her lungs were never recovered It was a topic of debate as Brit's body was found unclothed which is unusual for drowning victims Rumors she could have gone skinny-dipping were refuted by those closest to Brit

who described her as conservative and given the remainder of her clothing was not located at the water's edge it seemed unlikely Yet some suggested her clothing may have been blown away by the strong Bora winds The cliffs above Bononovo Bay were a local suicide spot but Brit had no history of suicidal thoughts or self-harming tendencies On the contrary she was consistently described as happy and secure with many positive elements in her life

including her travels, studies, friends, family and a boyfriend One of the last postcards Brit sent to her parents in Australia noted she wasn't ready to go home yet as she was having so much fun Longing for answers the Lapthorn family anxiously awaited the results of an autopsy certain it would put an end to the speculation and reveal the indisputable truth of what happened to Brit It took a week for Dubrovnik forensic officials to complete the post-mortem examination of Brit Lapthorn's body

The accompanying report immediately drew outrage from the Lapthorn family, the Australian media and members of the public At just two pages long the autopsy report was noticeably underwritten and contained an obvious lack of insight It described the damage sustained to Brit's body but made no attempt to explain how such damage had occurred The report blamed the lack of detailed information on the poor state the body was in but provided no explanation as to why the remains had deteriorated so rapidly

In one final blow the report indicated that no further comprehensive scientific testing had been undertaken and simply ruled Brit Lapthorn's cause of death as unknown A disappointed Dale Lapthorn slammed the autopsy report as childish stating quote A grade 12 student could do a better job than this Up until this point the Dubrovnik law enforcement's perceived incompetence had been attributed to their lack of experience in dealing with the case of this nature But now their indifference in determining what happened to Brit Lapthorn was being viewed as intentional Australians believed the Dubrovnik police were going to great lengths to sweep the

case under the rug to ensure their city's positive reputation would not be damaged by word of a foreign tourist being murdered on their streets After the release of the Croatian autopsy report it was announced that the Brit Lapthorn's body would be re-examined in Australia by a Victorian coroner The Lapthorns found solace in this decision with Dale telling the media quote If it concurs with what has been investigated in Croatia fine and good I accept that I asked the Croatian people not to see this as an insult or anything It's just a family right to be able to have a second opinion and for us to rest peacefully

in that the correct assessment was done Before returning to Australia Dale and Darren Lapthorn boated in Bonobo Bay scouring the rocky bays and inlets near the location Brit's body was found When asked what they were looking for Dale said he didn't want to sound gruesome but they were worried something had been missed like a leg or an arm Despite their efforts no further remains were recovered At dawn on October 17 Dale and Darren Lapthorn together with Brit's boyfriend Simon sailed out into the cool morning mist of Bonobo Bay where they laid a wreath and

scattered white rose petals upon the water where Brit's body was found Mansard Roof a song by indie rock band Vampire Weekend was played from Brit's iPod The upbeat song bringing the essence of her vibrant spirit to the somber occasion Promising to remember Brit as the vivacious young woman she was Dale Lapthorn stated The pain we cannot bear is all those things that she wanted to do and will never get the chance The following day October 18 marked a month to the day since Brit Lapthorn went missing That night more than 1000 people gathered at Flagstaff Gardens in Brit's home city of Melbourne, Australia to hold a candlelight vigil in her honour and pay their respects to her family

Brit's friends, relatives, classmates and strangers sat on picnic blankets watching in silence as the sun set in the springtime sky As night fell the parklands were illuminated by hundreds of flickering candles Elka Lapthorn told the crowd of mourners quote I think people especially backpackers should get on with their adventures and experiences but just look after each other a bit more I think Brit possibly was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person and it just should not have happened not to Brit not to anyone else The next day the entire Lapthorn family were reunited after a challenging and painful period apart A formal memorial service titled a ceremony of love for Brit was held in South Moraine

with over 600 mourners in attendance wearing ribbons of Brit's favourite colour purple The programs were covered with purple stars and featured a picture of Brit her contagious smile and enthusiastic thumbs up perfectly encapsulating her lively personality Stories of Brit's idyllic childhood and adolescence were retold by loved ones including the time at age five she attempted to leave home but only made it as far as halfway down her driveway Another story revealed that Brit's first ever mobile phone bill totaled more than $1,200 much to the horror of her father At age 15 the industrious Brit sought out her first job in a local charcoal chicken takeaway food shop Each tale was told with humour and warmth and

accompanied by a photo montage reflecting the full and adventurous life Brit created for herself After the ceremony, 21 purple balloons were released, each one symbolising a year of Brit's life They all lapthorn thanked the crowd for their ongoing support during this unspeakable tragedy and implored everyone to appreciate the preciousness of life and value their family A private burial was postponed as Brit's family awaited the results of a second autopsy The second post-mortem of Brit Lapthorn's body was conducted by David Ranson, an associate professor from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine This examination incorporated a series of tests that the initial autopsy had failed to conduct including a toxicological

analysis that revealed no alcohol or any other common drugs or poisons were present in Brit's system The small amount of body tissue that remained was thoroughly examined and no bruises, abrasions, lacerations or incisions were identified Based on the damage to her skeletal remains it was determined that the trauma sustained to Brit's long bones was consistent with wave and tidal action against rocky surfaces Rib fractures were also present, although it couldn't be determined whether these occurred whilst Brit was alive or post-mortem Damage to other parts of the skeletal structure was attributed to scavenging marine life According to Professor Ranson, the absence of trauma to Brit's skull and upper limbs

suggested that she might have entered the water at sea level The significant decomposition of Brit's body, coupled with the absence of crucial remains, led to Professor Ranson concluding that neither a time of death or a cause of death could be unequivocally ascertained Although his post-mortem report was significantly more thorough than the first, Ranson ultimately agreed with the results of the Croatian autopsy and ruled the cause of Britlapthorn's death as unknown On October 29, 2008, the police chief in charge of the Britlapthorn investigation, Ivan Kresik, was fired According to a police spokesperson,

Kresik's termination was part of a new direction for the county's police, designed to curb police inaction The prolonged failings of the Dubrovnik police had been highlighted since the heavily publicized Britlapthorn investigation, with the police spokesperson telling the media, quote We weren't satisfied with the speed of police reaction in the case of Britlapthorn, although the fact remains that she would not have been saved with a faster police reaction Somebody has to take responsibility for the fact that there was a five to six day delay before a serious investigation and quality action was undertaken by leading police

These internal changes led to a total turnaround in the Dubrovnik police force's conduct regarding the Britlapthorn investigation By November 2008, Dale Lapthorn told the press he felt the languishing investigation was now being fast tracked and believed police efforts had improved outstandingly Key witnesses and the group of backpackers who had been at Club Fuego with Brit on the night of her disappearance had been tracked down and questioned at length Concise credible reports were distributed to the Lapthorns on a weekly basis, keeping the family in the loop of any new developments

In a much anticipated move, Dubrovnik police divers finally entered the waters of Bononova Bay to conduct an extensive underwater search for Brit's missing belongings, including her wallet, camera and clothing A police spokesperson claimed the dive mission had been planned long ago but blamed the delay on unfavorable weather conditions Nevertheless, the dive was long overdue for the Lapthorn family, who hoped above all else that Brit's camera would be found, believing it held vital clues as to what happened to her the night she went missing

However, the divers emerged from the waters of Bononova Bay empty-handed In late December 2008, Dubrovnik police granted the Lapthorn's full access to CCTV footage captured in the vicinity of Club Fuego over the night Brit had attended Although the footage from the club's seven internal security cameras had allegedly been lost due to an electrical fault, an adjacent war memorial was overseen by four high-tech cameras, one of which faced Club Fuego's entrance This camera should have provided clear footage of all persons entering and exiting the venue, but upon being retrieved from the council, it was discovered that this key camera was also

dysfunctional between the critical dates of September 17 and 18 The only viable existing footage of Club Fuego was obtained from a council-owned street camera located 50 meters down the road. It didn't provide a direct view of the club's entrance, but did pick up the darkened silhouettes of the few people moving about in the area The grainy footage showed a one-way palm-lined road with Club Fuego on the left and a large block of apartments on the opposite side Dubrovnik police determined that the footage captured nothing of importance Whilst tirelessly reviewing this footage, the Lactorns noted an occurrence at 4.46 am on

September 18, when a dark blue van emerged from a side street and came to a stop at the front entrance of Club Fuego. A person exited the club and quickly climbed into the van before it sped off out of shot. Due to the low quality of the dark footage, it was impossible to make out the finer details of the vehicle or identify those inside. But given that Brit was last sighted in the club approximately an hour before the van arrived, the Lactorns considered the unnerving possibility that the figure getting into the vehicle could have been their daughter Their theory was substantiated by a post on an internet forum that had appeared in September, just days after Brit went missing, warning Club Fuego patrons to be on high alert,

as two unknown men had been acting menacingly and praying on party goers in the area In a bid to lure young foreign women into their vehicle, the suspicious men claimed to be police officers. The forum post read, quote, a blue van stops, two special police get out, they show their ID and then try and put you in the van. On behalf of Australia's Channel 7 current affairs program Sunday night, veteran investigative reporter Ross Coulthard began independent investigations into the Brit Lapthorn case. Coulthard's inquiries led him to Dubrovnik, where he uncovered an ominous pattern of ingrained criminal activity hidden deep behind the esteemed city's walls. In 2007, an Australian tourist was enjoying a night out

at Club Fuego when she accepted a ride from two local men driving a dark blue van. When the woman realized she was being driven out of the city and away from her destination, she questioned where they were going, but the men remained silent. Sensing she was in danger, the woman leapt from the moving vehicle and ran down the hillside with the men chasing close behind. Upon reaching a main road, she was rescued by a security guard and taken to hospital, where her ordeal was formally reported to Dubrovnik authorities. In September 2008, an Australian tourist left Club Fuego at around 2am and began the short walk to the harbour where her cruise ship was docked for the night. Suddenly, a dark blue van

carrying several men accelerated towards her. A passenger hanging out the open side door attempted to pull the woman into the vehicle, but she escaped, taking refuge in an isolated area away from the road. Seemingly out of nowhere, a group of 5-7 armed men emerged and crowded around her, chanting, police, police. She immediately recognized one of the men as the passenger in the blue van who had tried to snatch her moments earlier. The woman's friends rushed to help, causing the group of men to scatter. This incident occurred just five days before Britlapthorn vanished, and it was reported to both the Australian Federal Police and Dubrovnik officials.

In the following month of October 2008, an American tourist was approached by two local men inside Club Fuego who flashed what appeared to be a police badge. They told the woman she was under arrest and demanded she leave with them immediately. When she refused, the pair proceeded to beat up her male companion. Other nightclub patrons intervened, and the attackers fled the club in the company of several other men. This occurred just 10 days after Britlapthorn's disappearance. In another incident, a solo female tourist disembarked a bus at 3am in Dubrovnik's western port area, a short walk from Club Fuego. She was talking on her mobile phone when a group of men circled her, flashing a badge and claiming to be police officers.

The group of men fled when a local stepped in to assist the woman. The women targeted shared similar characteristics. They were all female, young, blonde, slim, and foreign, all features matching those of Britlapthorn. Although minor details of their ordeals varied, they were all confronted in or near Club Fuego by at least two local men claiming to be police officers. The perpetrators used a distinctive dark blue van, the same type of vehicle caught on CCTV footage pulling up to Club Fuego around the time Britlapthorn vanished. Dubrovnik law enforcement initially denied knowledge of these alleged abductions, but were forced to backtrack and accept awareness when Ross Coulthart presented them with official

reports compiled after two of the incidents. One was a report sent to Dubrovnik law enforcement by the Australian federal police after they were contacted by a survivor. The other was a medical report collected from the hospital one of the other survivors attended after her ordeal, detailing the circumstances of her visit. Despite these reports indicating the perpetrators were masquerading as police officers, no action had been taken to identify or apprehend the suspects. In early February 2009, Ross Coulthart's incriminating findings into the Britlapthorn case were broadcasted on Channel 7's Sunday Night program. Identicated images of the two main perpetrators were created based on descriptions provided by survivors. One was tall, with short,

dusty blonde hair, a pale complexion, small face, narrow nose and large ears. The second was shorter and had a square shaped face with cropped dark hair, heavy eyebrows, dark eyes and a tanned complexion. Sunday Night's deeming expose quickly garnered the curiosity of the Australian media and public. Open to the possibility Britlapthorn had been a victim of a well-established criminal gang posing as the Dubrovnik police. The identity kits of the two alleged ringleaders were widely circulated and in a confounding revelation, it was quickly discovered that the suspect's sketches closely resembled two active Dubrovnik police officers. Croatian authorities were quick to hold a press conference addressing the accusations,

but instead of their usual hard-lined denial approach, they accepted the identity kits matched the appearance of two members of Dubrovnik's local police. This revelation opened many questions, but the spokesperson didn't dwell on the validity of the claims, instead assuring reporters that the unnamed officers in question were exemplary members of law enforcement. Croatian publication National revealed the identities of the two police officers at the centre of the allegations, with other news sources quickly following suit. Ivica Rudinovich and a dragon Palomeda were both married fathers who worked alongside one another in Dubrovnik's narcotic squad, harboring varying reputations within the force.

Whilst the dragon Palomeda was a long-serving officer with a clean record, Ivica Rudinovich's reputation was marred by an undisclosed disciplinary procedure that resulted in a severe demotion from the coveted special police force to beat Kopp. The integrity of Rudinovich was considered dubious, as it was rumoured the officer had intentionally lied during an investigation in order to clear colleagues of assault charges made against them. During each of the alleged abduction attempts, Ivica Rudinovich and a dragon Palomeda were rusted on patrol duty together. Dressed in plain clothes, the pair surveyed Dubrovnik's night spots as part of narcotic reduction efforts. They didn't deny confronting foreign

women in and around Club Fuego whilst on duty, but maintained any interactions were purely part of their undercover drug operations. Meanwhile, a search to locate the crucial dark blue van revealed there was one vehicle registered in Dubrovnik to fit the description, a Volkswagen Charan multi-purpose vehicle used by the Dubrovnik police force. Zlatko Sikola had recently replaced Ivan Kresik as Dubrovnik's police chief and was working tirelessly to make positive progress on the mishandled Britlapthorn investigation. If there was any truth to the allegations that fellow police officers were involved in the abduction and assault of foreign women, Sikola knew he'd struggled to get to the bottom of the

matter. The reputation of the Dubrovnik police force was tainted by lingering rumors of corruption and cover-ups, with residents perceiving their city as a place where organised crime thrived. Accusations that terminated police chief Ivan Kresik had either underestimated, ignored, or tacitly tolerated. Dedicated to restoring the reputation of the Dubrovnik police force and eradicating any disgraced officers, police chief Sikola made a brash and shocking move, relieving 70% of command personnel from duty. Despite the tenacious efforts employed by police chief Sikola to clear Dubrovnik's tarnished police force and renew the investigation into Britlapthorn's unresolved death, years

passed with virtually no fresh information coming to light. Seven years after Britlapthorn's body was found in Bononovo Bay, hopes of finding a resolution to the mystery were renewed when Victorian state coroner Ian Gray was tasked with holding a coronial inquest into the 21-year-old's death. All available evidence, leads, reports, and witness statements relating to the Britlapthorn investigation were compiled and scrutinised during the inquest, and in April 2015 Ian Gray presented his findings in the Victorian Coroner's Court. Coroner Gray concluded the following facts. Between midnight and 12.30 a.m. on September 18, 2008, Britlapthorn arrived by bus the club Fuego with a group of backpackers after consuming an unverified quantity of alcohol. There,

Brit continued to consume alcohol and became heavily intoxicated. She was last seen in the club between 3 and 3.30 a.m. Her remains were located 18 days later in Bononovo Bay on October 6, 2008. No further facts could be unequivocally as it paint. Dubrovnik police claimed their investigations into the young Australian's death involved over 500 interviews with potential witnesses, polygraph examinations, execution of multiple search warrants, and retrieval of data from mobile phone towers during the critical time period between September 17 and 18, 2008. The Australian federal police had since conducted an inquiry into Dubrovnik law enforcement's handling of the case, and found police were,

quote, professional and determined in their efforts. The coroner acknowledged that while there were several deficiencies in the initial treatment of Brit's disappearance, Dubrovnik police had since exhausted all available avenues during their ongoing investigations. The possibility that Brit had fallen victim to the same gang of local men who had attempted to abduct several other young female travelers during their time in Dubrovnik was disputed by coroner Gray, who determined, quote, there was no evidence or information found indicating the attacks on the women were linked to each other or to Brit's death. However, the coroner was able to resolve one lingering theory, quote. Based on evidence, there is no reason or basis to

conclude that Brit at any time acted with the intention of ending her own life, by therefore conclude that her death was due to either accident or foul play. When it came to the exact cause of Brit's death, coroner Gray officially ruled. The evidence does not support a finding as to when or how Brit's death occurred. I therefore formally find that the cause or causes of Brit Lapthorn's death remain unassetained. Dale Lapthorn addressed the court on behalf of his family, thanking them for their efforts in attempting to establish the truth about what happened to his daughter. Although the Lapthorn family would continue to seek answers, Dale admitted they had come to terms with the fact they may never know for sure how Brit lost her life. One positive

Dale took from the overwhelming tragedy was that Brit's death had created a legacy that compelled other young backpackers to be more cautious when traveling overseas. The realization that his daughter's case prompted dramatic changes in the leadership and practices of Dubrovnik's problematic law enforcement was also a source of comfort for Dale, quote. I don't like saying this, but maybe she didn't die in vain. Outside court, Brit's older brother Darren told the media it had been a tough seven years and stated, although we may never really find out what happened to Brit, I know I still live in the hope that one day, as long as I live, I'll find out an answer. One day, someone will need to

clear their conscience. There was a sentiment shared by his mother, Elka, quote. Whoever did this to our daughter, they have to live with their guilt. I hope it tortures them like we're tortured every day. But in the end, nothing we do will bring our daughter back to us. Our feeling is, we've just had to learn to live with it. Upon the conclusion of the coroner's inquest, Dubrovnik law enforcement have since conceded it was highly unlikely that Brit Lapthorne took her own life, or voluntarily entered the waters of Bononovo Bay prior to her death. Although the case is still considered an ongoing criminal investigation, Croatian authorities surmise Brit's death was the result of misadventure.

It's a conclusion the Lapthorne's have always disagreed with, certain Brit was murdered. Many aspects of the case remain unexplained or unresolved, including the identity of the person seen on CCTV footage getting into the blue van outside Club Fuego, the purpose of the 2.57 AM call made from Brit's mobile phone the morning of her disappearance, the whereabouts of her wallet and Canon PowerShot G9 camera, and what caused the considerable damage sustained to Brit's recovered remains. Although suspicion has been cast on a range of people over the years, including the backpackers who attended Club Fuego with Brit, the manager of the Dubrovnik Backpackers Club hostel Avica Perkovich, and the Dubrovnik police officers accused of attempting

to abduct female tourists. There are no formal suspects in the case. Media coverage of the case has since waned, but the general consensus from the Australian press and public supports the theory that Brit was abducted and killed. Dale Lapthorne, quote, As to whether we will ever find out what happened to Brit, I'm not sure. But we gave it everything. What we did is, we gave it our best shot. She was our daughter. We loved her. We still do. What more can I say? We tried. To cope with the pain of their daughter's unresolved death, Dale and Delka Lapthorne focus on the many happy memories they have of Brit.

For a long time afterwards, her bedroom was kept just as it was when she departed for her big solo European adventure. And sometimes, Dale would sit in Brit's old subcar, listening to her favorite CDs. He holds on to the small reminders he has of his daughter, including the final text message she sent to him just days before her disappearance, which simply read, Happy Birthday, Dad. Thousands of photographs chronicling Brit's travels across the world are safely stored on a hard drive, which her family look at often, grateful there are so many. The photo Dale holds most dear is the last image he took of his daughter in Paris on her 21st birthday, a memory he will always remember with overwhelming fondness.

Years after Brit's death, Dale retraced his daughter's final journey by embarking on his own solo backpacking trip through Europe. For the grieving father, the profound experience delivered a sense of comfort as though Brit was alongside him every step of the way. He boarded the same trains, visited the same landmarks, and ate at the same restaurants Brit had, relishing the landscapes she had once described as the best places she had ever seen. Elka Lapthorne has not bit her daughter goodbye, but instead, off feet is in, a German expression meaning, until we see each other again. Despite the high-profile nature of the Brit Lapthorne case, the Brovnik has successfully maintained its reputation as a safe travel destination. An endless flow of tourists continue

to visit the medieval city each year, further popularized for being one of the main filming locations for the fictional city of King's Landing in the HBO television series Game of Thrones. Club Fuego's reputation was irreparably tarnished following accusations the thriving night spot was a hotbed for sleazy criminal activity. Eventually, the nightclub underwent a complete rebranding and successfully re-established itself as a popular tourist hangout, which remains in operation today. Back in late September 2008, the owner of Club Fuego, Vinko Cosmire, observed the Australian media swarming outside his premises. Their intimidating presence deterring the club's usual revelers and leaving it uncharacteristically empty. Cosmire lifted himself off his bar stall

and invited the reporters into his establishment, telling them, You from Australia have taught us a good lesson. You lose one Australian and you care. You send people to find her. You press the police to really do something. It is a good example for us, Australians caring. When we suffered the war, nobody tried to see what happened, to look for people we could learn. you