Casefile True Crime - Case 125: The Angels of Wynarka & Belanglo

Episode Date: September 21, 2019

In mid-July 2015, a motorist was travelling down the Karoonda Highway in South Australia when he pulled over near the small town of Wynarka to urinate. As he made his way into the thick bushland framing the side of the road, he noticed an array of dirty, torn children’s clothing strewn under a patch of trees. In front was an abandoned suitcase. He crouched down to unzip the case and began rummaging through its contents. Inside, he found a small human jawbone. --- Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host Episode researched and written by Alyssa Fletcher, Elsha McGill and Milly Raso Additional edits by Erin Munro  Creative Director: Milly Raso  For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-125-the-angels-of-wynarka-belanglo

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Today's episode contains violence against children that won't be suitable for all listeners. The Corrunda Highway is a 172km long roadway that connects the South Australian Riverside Township of Murray Bridge with Lockston, further north, on the cusp of the state's border with Victoria.

Largely desolate, the highway cuts through expensive agricultural landscapes with several remote houses and small towns dotted along the way, including Warnarka. Situated 105km east of the capital city of Adelaide, Warnarka's main street offers little but a post office, fire station and a public pay phone, plus a football oval and tennis courts nearby. With a population of fewer than 100 people, it's the kind of town where anything out of place is noticed. By mid-March 2015, roadworks along a stretch of the Corrunda Highway two kilometres east

of Warnarka were completed. Shortly afterwards, a large grey suitcase was sighted on the roadside. It appeared as though it had fallen off a passing truck. Unbleached, stained and dirty from having been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time, the Lanza brand suitcase caught the attention of multiple highway travellers, with one stopping to investigate. Upon partially emptying the bag behind a bush and realising it contained soiled children's clothing infested with insects, they disregarded the find and dragged the bag back to the roadside.

On Tuesday July 14, 2015, a motorist travelling down the highway pulled over to relieve himself. As he made his way into the thick bushland framing the side of the road, he noticed an array of dirty and torn children's clothing strewn under a patch of trees. In front was the abandoned suitcase. He crouched down to unzip the case and rummaged through its contents for himself, noticing a small human jawbone. The suitcase contained the heavily decomposed remains of a young child. National news outlets theorised that was missing Australian boy William Tyrell.

In September the year prior, three-year-old William was playing in the yard of his foster grandmother's house in New South Wales when he suddenly vanished. Ongoing search and investigative efforts had failed to turn up any trace of William, and although police had yet to conclude what had happened to him, the general consensus was the boy had been abducted. International media cast a wider net, suggesting the remains in the suitcase were those of missing English girl Madeline McCann. The three-year-old was at the centre of modern history's most reported-on missing person

case after she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal in May 2007. All scenarios and suspects had been considered over the years, including the possibility she was abducted by a pedophile ring and transported overseas. Speculation ended at the conclusion of a post-mortem. The child was an unknown Caucasian female aged between two and four years old, approximately 90 centimetres tall with shoulder-length, fair-coloured hair. Two balls of blue and white striped dishcloth were tucked inside her mouth, which had been sealed with silver duct tape.

There was no injury to the skeletal remains, and in the absence of soft tissue, a cause of death could not be determined, although asphyxiation was presumed. It was believed she had been deceased for upwards of seven years, killed elsewhere before her body was stored in the suitcase within a month, and discarded on the roadside where it remained until discovery. The girl's skull was covered with a disposable nappy, and a purple, down-underbrand bath towel was wrapped around the lower part of her torso. South Australia's Major Crime Investigation Branch established Task Force Mali to oversee

the case, fronted by Detective Superintendent Des Bray. He withheld details of the autopsy from the media, but told ABC News reporters that the child, quote, died of violent death under terrible circumstances. The media dubbed the unknown girl the Angel of Wanaka, and to the roadside where her remains were found was memorialised with flowers, teddy bears, and messages of grief. One read, You deserved better than this. Rest in peace, little angel.

Task Force Mali questioned every resident of Wanaka and learned of an incident in early May that had been a source of intrigue in the small town. One morning, when two Wanaka residents were walking their dogs outside town, they rounded the dusty track along the railway line and sighted a clean-cut man neatly dressed in a suit. He was Caucasian about 60 years old with grey hair and was of average height and build. The man was walking alone down the road with a large, dark-coloured suitcase. Without looking up, he crossed the train tracks into the scrub towards the Karunda Highway.

The dog walkers described feeling an unnerving sixth sense about the suited stranger. He was heading away from town and opted to carry his bulky suitcase as opposed to pulling it along by its handle. This sighting didn't align perfectly with the timeline established, as the first sightings of the suitcase on the roadside occurred in March, with the suited man witnessed more than a month later. Nevertheless, a connection was drawn and police appealed to the public to identify him. Images of the children's clothing found with the remains were released to the media, including

a black dress with sequined tutu, a pink striped dress, silk boxer shorts, Dora the Explorer pajama pants, pink track pants, a cream fur-trimmed coat, and a single pink slipper with a butterfly motif on the toe. There was also a 90 by 90-centimeter patchwork quilt featuring a black border of colourful music notes. Although badly deteriorated, police were able to reconstruct seven of the quilt's 25 octagonal patches. They contained images of butterflies, geckos, dogs, a camel, a pumpkin patch, and stars.

The fabric had been manufactured in New York seven years earlier, but the quilt itself was handmade and machined stitched. Investigators believed the one-off item was crafted by someone close to the child, and may have been used as a teaching tool to help them identify the animals and objects on the patches. The black sequined tutu dress was one of 28 sold exclusively in store by fashion brand cotton on kids throughout South Australia eight years prior. As it was no longer feasible to trace the item back to the victim, investigators believed

the key to identifying the girl hinged on the one-of-a-kind quilt. Superintendent Des Bray told the media, "'Someone loved that little girl and either made her or gave her that quilt. I would appeal for whoever loved her to get in touch with us.'" Attempts to identify the child continued for weeks. Police extended their line of questioning to towns within a 250 square kilometer radius of Wanaka, as officers on horseback canvassed the terrain for 48 kilometers from the side of the discovery.

Attempts provided dashcam footage taken along the Karunda Highway over previous years, revealing the suitcase had been moved and examined multiple times before it was finally reported to police. All 145 children from Australia's missing persons register had been ruled out, opening up the possibility that the victim's birth was unregistered, or that they were indeed from another country. Chief Inspector Greg Hutchins told the media he had never seen a murder like this in his 37 years of service, quote, "'This truly is a little girl lost.

She seems to be lost to society, lost to the system, forgotten by all. And that is incredibly sad.'" As the investigation reached its third month, Superintendent Des Bray announced, It's hard to believe someone hasn't missed her. I thought when we started this job that we would quickly identify who this little girl was. Somewhere out there is a mother, a father, at the very least an extended family, and I'm at a loss as to why someone hasn't reported this little girl.

On Tuesday, October 6, 2015, call number 1267 was placed to the crime stopper's hotline from a woman named Tanya Weber. Tanya lived over 1600 kilometres from Winarka, in the remote Northern Territory town of Alice Springs, and had been following the Angel of Winarka case. She recognised some of the child's clothing, but her concerns peaked when she saw the patchwork quilt, as it bore similarities to one that had been handcrafted by her best friend, Colleen Povey. Several photos of Colleen Povey's granddaughter, two-year-old Candelice Pierce, were supplied

to Task Force Malley. The toddler had pale blonde hair, and in one image she was wearing a pink striped dress similar to one found with the unidentified remains. The toddler showed Candelice in a stroller clutching a Rubik's cube. Tucked behind her was a patchwork quilt with a black border of colourful musical notes, an exact match to the one found with the Angel of Winarka. Tanya Weber explained that Candelice was taken into state seven years earlier by her then-20-year-old mother, Carly Pierce Stevenson.

Take-named mouse for her short stature and petite features, Carly became pregnant at age 18 and gave birth to Candelice, known affectionately as Candles, on June 19, 2006. Carly took on motherhood seriously. She was fully supported and assisted by her family, however, a disagreement with her mother soon prompted Carly to seek independence and work elsewhere. In November 2008, Carly abruptly announced that she and Candelice were moving to Adelaide. She packed their belongings into her 1996 Holden Commodore station wagon and left. After a brief stop in the town of Port Augusta to visit Carly's grandmother, the pair continued

onwards to Adelaide and spent a day at Marion Shopping Centre with an old friend. Shortly a week into their trip, Carly called family friend Tanya Weber in tears, saying she had made a mistake and wanted to come home. Tanya offered to pay for her flight or arranged to have someone pick her up, but Carly declined. By the end of their conversation, she seemed to have calmed down and was back to her happy self. Tanya tried contacting Carly numerous times after that, but she never answered. Over the coming months, family and friends progressively heard less from Carly and calls

stopped entirely after a year. Her Facebook page also appeared abandoned. On September 4, 2009, Colleen reported her daughter and granddaughter missing. Parents confirmed Carly was using her bank account regularly, with the most recent transaction occurring days earlier at an ATM in South Australia. Police made some phone calls and were informed that Carly was planning to move north to Queensland with a new boyfriend. Certain Carly and Candelise were fine.

The police nevertheless agreed to keep their file open until someone directly saw or spoke with the pair. According to reports, Colleen contacted the police again six days later, explaining she had received a phone call from Carly. Sounding strange and speaking in a whisper, Carly refused to disclose where she and Candelise were living, but reassured her mother that everything was fine. She also expressed a desire not to be contacted again. This report was disputed by Carly's family, who later stated it was the police who claimed

to have spoken with Carly on the phone and following her comments announced they would be closing the investigation into her disappearance. Five days later, Colleen received a text message from her daughter requesting money and she transferred her $500. Over the following years, family and friends received sporadic text messages from Carly needing money for various reasons, from travel expenses to buying Candelise a birthday present. Her mother obliged every request in the hopes the two would eventually return to Alice Springs. In February 2012, Colleen passed away from breast cancer at the age of 44.

Shortly before her death, she asked, Are Carly and Candelise here yet? But, her wish to be reunited with her daughter and granddaughter before she died went unfulfilled. In 2013, Carly's cousin wrote and published a Facebook post for Carly, which read, To my beautiful cousin, I know you're somewhere out there and I just want you to know I won't stop looking for you. If you see this, or if anyone has seen this girl, please let me know. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you both. I just want to know you're both safe.

Candelise's medical records were sparse. Her last doctor visit occurred when she was 18 months old to receive immunizations. There were no further records after that, nor had she been registered with education authorities or childcare facilities anywhere throughout Australia. As per standard procedure, when Candelise was born, several drops of blood were drawn from her heel for routine screening. The sample had been stored and was compared to DNA from the remains in the suitcase, revealing a match.

The Angel of Wanaka was two-year-old Candelise Pierce. Before any announcement was made to the public, a search for Candelise's mother, Carly, was initiated. Five years earlier in New South Wales, on the afternoon of Sunday, August 29, 2010, a group of trail bike riders were navigating through the heavily wooded area of Daly's Waterhole in the Blango State Forest. As they sped around a bend, one of the riders overshot the corner and entered a small clearing, where he spotted what appeared to be a large leg bone.

The group investigated further, finding a ribcage, spine, pelvis and a human skull, along with various items of clothing. Police arrived and sealed the area off as a crime scene. It appeared as though the body had initially been buried, but was later upturned by the roots of a nearby fallen tree. The discovery immediately stirred memories of the backpacker murders 18 years earlier, covered in episode 109 of Case Fire. Between 1989 and 1992, seven backpackers were abducted while hitchhiking from Sydney and

violently killed in Belanglo. Local road worker Ivan Malat was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of James Gibson, Deborah Everest, Simone Schmidel, Gabor Neugebauer, Anya Habsheed, Joanne Walters and Caroline Clark. Yet many believed he was responsible for other unsolved disappearances and murders. A lingering dread permeated over Belanglo ever since the killings, with suspicions that more of Malat's victims lay undiscovered in the forest. The skeletal remains at Daley's Waterhole shared notable similarities to Malat's crime

scenes, prompting speculation that the trail bike riders had stumbled across another one of the serial killer's victims. Malat was known for making little effort to conceal his victims' remains, often leaving them alongside boulders or logs and haphazardly covering them in a light layer of forest debris. Yet, his known victims were discovered in a remote area of dense forest to the north. The newly uncovered remains were further south, in a more accessible area close to well-worn tracks. Investigators were hesitant to prematurely draw links to Malat and refused to even mention

his name to reporters. Alluding to the increasing conjecture, Superintendent Evan Quarmy remarked, We definitely will not be jumping to conclusions. There are many lines of investigation to explore. We are chasing facts. We are not chasing assumptions. Where those facts lead us is where our investigation will continue. The remains were those of an unknown female aged between 13 and 25 years, approximately

150 to 160 cm tall, with shoulder-length hair. She had sustained blunt force trauma to her torso, with fractures to multiple ribs on both sides of the chest. Although the exact cause of her death could not be determined, her injury strongly correlated with the application of compressive force by way of stomping or kneeling. The remains had been in the forest from anywhere between 6 months to 10 years, a time frame that ruled Ivan Malat out as a possible perpetrator, as he had been arrested in 1994. As police examined missing person files across Australia, a DNA profile was extracted from

the victim's tibia bone and uploaded to the National Criminal Investigation Database. This allowed the sample to be cross-checked against others collected from crime scenes, convicted offenders, suspects, and missing persons, yet there was no match. As her teeth showed signs of dentistry carried out in Australia, detectives made inquiries with dentists local to the Southern Highlands region, but to no avail. Focus shifted to a badly decomposed t-shirt found near the remains. The white size 10 shirt featured a motif of a rose, heart, and angel wings, with the word angelic written above in pink text.

It was produced by fashion brand Chain Reaction and sold in retail stores throughout Australia in 2003. An artistic impression of the t-shirt was released to the public, with the motif inspiring the media to name the unidentified woman, the Angel of Belangelo. A facial anthropologist examined the skull to create an approximate image of what the Angel of Belangelo may have looked like at the time of her death. The image was circulated in the media and sent to law enforcement agencies overseas, but no one recognized her.

In November 2012, more than two years after the discovery, Western Australian law enforcement announced that they had received information that the woman may have been a European backpacker who worked for a vineyard in the Margaret River region. As the victim's death didn't align with Ivan Malat's killing spree, police considered the possibility that they were dealing with a copycat or someone hoping to cover up their own crime by pinning it on the serial killer. Other theories included that the Angel of Belangelo had been murdered by her domestic partner, had fallen under society's radar, been isolated with limited social connections, placed in

institutions, or engaged in sex work. Criminal psychologists believed the perpetrator was likely studying news reports to keep up to date with the investigation, with the crime constantly on their mind. But with no clear leads or major breakthroughs, the case went cold for five years. In 2015, following the discovery of Candelice Pierce's remains in the suitcase in South Australia, a sample of the two-year-old's DNA was sent to the Forensic and Analytical Science Service Centre in New South Wales. The whereabouts of her mother were still unknown, and police aimed to rule out the

possibility that Carly may also be deceased by cross-checking Candelice's DNA with the collection of unidentified remains stored at the facility. Testing revealed that Candelice shared a familial match to the remains uncovered in Belangelo Forest in 2010. The pair were mother and daughter. The angel of Belangelo was 20-year-old Carly Pierce-Stevensson. Following the announcement that the angels of Winarka and Belangelo were two-year-old Candelice Pierce and her mother Carly Pierce-Stevensson, a statement from the pair's family expressed

their devastation while thanking those involved in finally returning them home. A tribute for Carly by her stepfather Scott Povey and her brother Luke was later featured in the publication Northern Territory News at Red. Carly and Candles. The sun doesn't shine as bright as it did, but the night is now lit with a few more stars. No more looking to see if that girl is you as we saw someone else in a crowd. No more waiting to hear. No more waiting to see you show up smiling again as usual.

No more laughter, giggles and pranks. No more late nights just talking with the music playing. Our hearts have a thousand cuts and we will remain your strength. Give Candles a hug, sweetie. Love always, Dad and Luke. Superintendent Des Bray requested the public's assistance in finding the missing pieces of the puzzle, appealing to landlords, motel workers or caravan park owners who may have accommodated Carly and Candles prior to their deaths.

Quote, This is one of the most shocking crimes imaginable and has torn apart and devastated a loving family. Those responsible for this crime are truly evil and remain amongst us in the community and must be held accountable for what they have done. Inquiries were made into how the pair met violent hands 1200km apart. It had since been brought to the attention of investigators that when Carly and Candles departed Alice Springs on Monday, November 10, 2008, they were not alone. They were accompanied by Carly's 34-year-old boyfriend Daniel Haldum.

According to the book The Lost Girls by Ava Benny Morrison, Carly's mother, Carly had a bad feeling about Haldum and was unsure why her daughter would be interested in someone almost twice her age. Carly offered to look after Candles so the couple could make their journey to Adelaide alone, but Carly refused and the trio left the next day. Later that month, Haldum, Carly and Candles arrived to the outer suburb of Charnwood in the Australian capital of Canberra. There, the trio stayed with Haldum's cousin Christine for several weeks.

During that time, tension brewed between Carly and Haldum. At roughly 2.30 am on Monday, December 15, 2008, the couple left to go for a drive, leaving Candles in the care of Christine. After that day at around noon, Haldum returned alone with a scratch on his face. He said there had been a fight and Carly had asked to be dropped off at a bus stop. Christine was suspicious and asked how Carly could leave without her daughter. Haldum replied, sometimes she does that. Two days later, Haldum traded Carly's car for an older model Haldun statesman.

On Friday, December 19, he placed Candles into the statesman, telling his cousin he was taking the toddler to her grandmother's house in South Australia. When Colleen Povey reported Carly and Candles missing almost a year later, Northern Territory Police contacted Haldum in South Australia. He explained that he and Carly were no longer together and she was now seeing someone from Queensland. He offered to pass on her new contact number and asked the police to call him back later that afternoon.

However, further attempts to reach him were unsuccessful. On June 24, 2010, a woman in a wheelchair entered a bank in Adelaide's Northern suburbs claiming to be Carly. She requested Carly's contact details be updated to an address in South Australia. That same month, Carly's identity was hijacked again when the same woman attended one of her compulsory Centrelink interviews in the North Adelaide suburb of Salisbury. She produced Candles' birth certificate in order to receive $8,000 in family tax benefits and rent assistance.

Within Carly's network of friends and associates was a wheelchair-bound woman named Hazel Passmore who resided in Adelaide. She was a former girlfriend of Daniel Haldum. The pair commenced the relationship around 2005, with Haldum becoming stepfather to Hazel's three children, Lauren, Willow and Ryan. In mid-2007, the family relocated to Alice Springs and launched a car-detailing business dealing drugs on the side. There, they met and befriended Carly and Candleese.

On Monday, September 15, 2008, Haldum, Hazel and their three children set out on a 16-hour drive to Adelaide. Haldum was yawning and struggling to stay alert, but he ignored Hazel's requests to pull over and rest. Suddenly, two kangaroos leapt out in front of the car. Haldum swerved, which caused the car to spin out of control and flip five times on its side. They emerged from the wreckage relatively unscathed, but Hazel's legs, torso and some

internal organs were crushed. Two-year-old Lauren sustained minor injuries, however, nine-year-old Willow and seven-year-old Ryan were thrown from the vehicle and died instantly. Toxicology tests confirmed the presence of amphetamines in Haldum's system, which he claimed he had taken days earlier. Hazel's left leg was amputated, leaving her permanently wheelchair-bound. As she recovered in hospital, Haldum paid her a visit accompanied by Carly and Candleese. Describing Haldum and Carly as, quote, really chummy, Hazel was certain the two were having

an affair and ended her relationship with Haldum. Following the funeral for Hazel's two children on November 14, Haldum fled to Canberra with Carly and Candleese, believing police would press charges against him for the crash. Police tracked Hazel down to her Davern Park home in Adelaide's North. She explained that on December 20, 2008, Haldum reappeared in Adelaide alone and the pair resumed their relationship. Haldum would give conflicting stories regarding Carly's whereabouts, claiming she was in Alice Springs, Canberra and Queensland.

According to Hazel, Haldum had a pornography addiction and had pedophilic content on his computer pertaining to underage girls. The now 41-year-old Daniel Haldum was currently serving four years at Cessnaw Correctional Centre in New South Wales for raping a nine-year-old girl in 2013. Haldum's criminal record dated back to his early 20s with offences for drink driving, theft, fraud and domestic violence. Drug and alcohol addictions increased his violent tendencies and led to the deterioration of his first marriage.

He adopted a transient lifestyle thereafter before arriving in Alice Springs with Hazel Passmore in 2007. Haldum was interviewed in prison, telling police his relationship with Carly was built on a foundation of support following the car crash that claimed the lives of his two step-children, but ended within two months over financial matters. He sold her car and used her bank card to settle a debt with his cousin before returning to Adelaide to resume his relationship with Hazel. He claimed he maintained an affair with Carly up until 2009.

After that year, she informed him she was moving to Queensland to be with another man. Haldum's story changed multiple times throughout the interview, and he often contradicted himself, though he denied any involvement in Carly or Candelice's murder, or that he had conspired with Hazel to steal Carly's identity and access her finances. Police executed search warrants at multiple properties associated with Haldum, finding Candelice's birth certificate, Carly's Medicare and library cards, and her mobile phone. Several notebooks were filled with sexually explicit stories, many of which featured young women and children.

A handwriting expert concluded Haldum authored most, but several were written by Hazel Passmore. According to the book The Lost Girls by Ava Benny Morrison, when questioned, Hazel claimed she wrote the stories that Haldum's request is a form of foreplay, and that Haldum would ask her to recount her own childhood sexual abuse to get himself aroused. One notebook contained a list of about 30 children identified by their age, first names and locations, which included places where Haldum stayed throughout 2006 and 2007. Alongside the names, Haldum had written the words Consent, Forced, or Rape. The list included the name Candles, but there was no evidence to indicate he had assaulted

any other children mentioned, and the list was ultimately determined to be a fictitious fantasy, just further evidence of Haldum's pedophilic inclinations. Police also seized a diary written by a 17-year-old who Haldum was in a relationship with at the time of his arrest for rape in 2013. One entry dated January 8, 2013, read, Daniel lied to me, said he killed Carly and Candle, but they're still alive. It's all over Facebook, but he says they're dead and he made them think she's alive. Everything he says doesn't make sense.

Apparently he killed her in December 2008, but people gave her money on her daughter's birthday in 2010 and 2011. Got a text from Hazel saying they're dead and she's seeing pics. Hazel had come across a camera's SD memory card belonging to Haldum that allegedly contained child pornography and compromising images of Carly. She confiscated it and later gave it to a relative in case something happened to her. The card itself was handed into police. Photographs of Haldum and people known to him had been deleted from the card, while images

of various properties where he had resided throughout his adult life remained. One photo showed a skull fragment belonging to one of Hazel's two deceased children, having been taken at the scene of the car crash in 2008. There were also pictures of Carly timestamped the morning of Monday, December 15, 2008. She was wearing the white angelic t-shirt that was found with her remains. These compared the images to those of the Belanglo crime scene. Carly's skeletal remains were in a near identical position to the way her body lay in the photographs, which depicted the brutalization inflicted upon her, including a foot pressed against

her neck. On October 28, Daniel Haldum requested a second interview with investigators, during which he claimed he wanted to come clean. He proceeded to implicate the boyfriend of his cousin Christine in the murders. As he was providing this information, police received word that Haldum's phone records placed him near Belanglo State Forest within the timeframe the photographs of Carly's attack were taken. He was subsequently arrested and charged with her murder, telling officers,

You've got the wrong guy. You'll see. Investigators were certain Candice was murdered after her mother, but had yet to establish the exact time and location of that crime. According to the book The Lost Girls, police offered Hazel Passmore a deal, tell the truth, and none of the information provided would be used to build a case against her. She agreed. Revealing that in mid-2009 she had discovered Carly's belongings in the boot of Haldum's

car. Believing the pair had resumed their affair, she confronted Haldum, who told her not to worry about Carly anymore, as she was dead. He then described in detail how he had killed her. Hazel remained uncertain that Haldum was telling the truth, until she came across the incriminating photographs of Carly on the SD card, showing her death in the exact manner he described. Hazel asked him about Candice, and Haldum explained he had suffocated her, sexually abused her body, then dumped her somewhere on the highway.

When news broke in 2015 that a toddler's body had been found on the Corunda Highway, Hazel wondered if it was Candice, but was too afraid to contact authorities. She told the police Haldum killed Carly so that he could come back to her, quote, he did it for me, it was all me. Hazel admitted to accompanying Haldum to Centrelink and the bank pretending to be Carly in order to gain her single-parent benefits, rent assistance, Medicare rebates, credit card and savings, but claimed she did so under duress. Despite evidence to the contrary, she denied speaking to Carly's family on the phone and

pretending to be her during calls. She then told police, Carly destroyed everything I had and I hated her, if I could have ripped money off her, I would have done. Hazel denied spending Carly's money herself, saying it was used exclusively by Haldum to pay rent and living expenses. Overall, Haldum had obtained more than $72,000 from Carly's accounts. On Sunday, December 13, 2015, Carly and Candice were farewelled at the Alice Springs Desert Church.

A statement from their family thanked the community for their support, saying, Many throughout Australia pray that mother and daughter will now rest forever in the arms of the angels. It described Carly as a cheeky, kind and loyal young woman who was always there to support her family. Although she was small in stature, Carly's heart and personality were described as huge and she was commended for her optimism. Two-year-old Candice had been the center of attention and idolized her grandparents.

Together, the pair were, quote, facing the world with all its charms, persuasions and pitfalls. Over 100 mourners donned the pair's favorite colors, pink and blue, as they were laid to rest side by side in a single white coffin. They were buried alongside Carly's mother, Colleen, fulfilling her final wish to be reunited with her daughter and granddaughter. Their shared headstone read, In our hearts and each other's arms forever. Two days later, Daniel Holdum was charged with the murder of Candice Pierce.

The prosecution's case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including Hazel Passmore's confession. Investigators endeavored to build a stronger case by determining the exact location and circumstances of the toddler's murder. According to witness statements, Holdum left his cousin's Canberra-based property with Candice on Friday, December 19, 2008, four days after Carly was killed. When he arrived at Hazel Passmore's Adelaide home the following day, he was alone. Holdum's movements were tracked by his mobile phone and credit card data, revealing he spent

an hour in the New South Wales Regional Hub of Wagga Wagga on the morning of December 19, where he visited the local Woolworth supermarket to purchase garbage bags, silver home handyman brand duct tape, and multi-purpose wipes. The duct tape and wipes were an exact match to those bound with Candice's remains. He then drove another hour to the riverside town of Narendra and checked into the midtown motor inn at 11am under the alias Daniel Marshall, plus one child. Despite paying for a night's stay, mobile data showed he left two and a half hours later, continuing onwards to South Australia.

The motel had since changed management, and investigators were unable to detect any forensic evidence in the room where Holdum briefly stayed. They tracked down the previous owners, who confirmed that in 2008, the motel was stocked with purple bath towels, whose brand and batch number matched the one wrapped around Candice's body. Police were certain Holdum murdered the toddler in the motel room before placing her body in the suitcase, which he disposed of as he journeyed to Adelaide. Daniel Holdum pled not guilty and went to great lengths to delay court proceedings, from

firing his legal team to intentionally leaving important documents in his prison cell. His trial was scheduled for August the following year, but a week before it was due to commence, Holdum unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty, hoping it would ultimately result in a reduced prison sentence. He made one final effort to delay the inevitable when his sentencing date arrived on November 30, 2018, requesting to revert his plea for Candice's murder back to not guilty. His application was rejected. A document titled, Facts in the Crown Case Not Disputed by the Defense, listed a number

of assertions by the prosecution that Holdum had agreed to, including he was, quote, attempting to or planning to sexually assault Candice at the time of her death. He admitted to using Carly's mobile phone to give the impression she was still alive, sending a flurry of messages immediately after her mother reported her missing and using the device up until May 2011. Holdum's defense team argued that their client's actions were the result of an unstable upbringing that had negatively impacted his adult life. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Ullard Nielsen interviewed Holdum during his incarceration,

diagnosing him with depression and a probable personality disorder, citing a childhood marred by abuse, neglect, foster care, and substance use. By the time he reached his teens, Holdum was a delinquent who often initiated fights with peers, participated in drug-taking, and had weekly contact with the police. One therapist who saw Holdum during ages 13 to 14 described him as a very damaged, young boy. Holdum provided Dr. Nielsen with his own version of events, starting on December 14, 2008, when he and Carly went driving late at night to, quote, go sightseeing and have a good

time. They pulled off the highway and into Belanglo State Forest, arriving at around 5am the next morning. An argument broke out, and Carly threatened to tell Hazel how long their affair had been going on for. Outraged, Holdum became violent, grabbing a broom handle from the car and hitting Carly across the rib cage. She vomited blood, causing him to panic and drive off, leaving her behind.

He maintained she was still alive when he left, but knew she would die soon after. He admitted to being affected by ecstasy and methamphetamine, which he claimed put him in a volatile state. As for Candice, Holdum said, it's horrible, I guess. She got suffocated. Justice Robert Allen Hume refused to accept Holdum's accounts, calling them substantially inaccurate based on undisputed facts. These injuries were akin to being stomped or kneaded to the chest, and Holdum's claim

that she was alive and vomiting blood before he abandoned her were disputed by the photographs he took, which showed her clearly deceased body with no visible blood. The judge thought it unfortunate that Dr. Nielsen did not ask Holdum to explain matters such as why he took the photographs or did the things they depicted. Furthermore, information provided by Holdum to different doctors was inexplicably inconsistent. He provided three separate accounts of his father's death, variously stating that he was 20, 18, and 15 at the time. He also claimed the duration of his relationship with Hazel Passmore was four years, then eleven

years, and asserted that he was never unfaithful, despite telling Dr. Nielsen his relationship with Carly began when he was still living with Hazel. Judge Hume was left to question Holdum's credibility, which was already shaky given his history of dishonesty and fraud offences, and his capability of deceiving others when it served his purpose. As Holdum showed no signs of remorse, the judge ruled. I am satisfied that the offender's actions were deliberate, purposeful, and subject of some prior consideration.

I am satisfied that the offender completely understood what he was doing and its wrongfulness. Victim impact statements spoke of the pain suffered by Carly and Candelisa's loved ones during their lengthy disappearance. They described the hurt they felt at having been led to believe that Carly no longer wanted anything to do with her family. Carly's biological father, Bruce Pearce, directed part of his statement at Holdum, quote, The hate that I feel is consuming, I have never hated anyone the way that I hate you.

The thoughts of what the girls went through, the anger I feel, turns to physical pain, it hurts to breathe. I would like to see the death penalty for you, but even that would not be enough. Scott Povey said that when he heard his stepdaughter and granddaughter had been murdered, quote, My heart was ripped out of me and my soul torn out of existence. Judge Hume accepted the prosecution's submission that Holdum's crimes were motivated by several factors, sexual, financial, and, as evident by him keeping the photographs of the indignities in inflicted on Carly, the thrill of the kill.

While the exact cause of Candelisa's death couldn't be determined, Judge Hume had no doubt she suffered significantly and her death was likely prompted, at least in part, by Holdum's need to cover up the murder of Carly. Judge Hume, quote, The last moments of Carly's life must have been horrendous. She was physically separated from her child, alone in an isolated location in a forest with a man she had trusted and had romantic feelings for. His treatment of her showed complete disdain for her existence as a human being.

To him, she was just flesh with a life that could be extinguished for his vile pleasure. Even without being able to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt what it was that motivated the offender to do what he did, I am satisfied that the manner in which the offender killed Carly Pierce Stevenson and the circumstances in which it occurred amount to a murder of extreme gravity and appalling depravity. It is a murder at the top of the range of objective seriousness. Daniel Holdum was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Candelise Pierce and Carly Pierce Stevenson.

Outside court, a statement delivered on behalf of the victim's family read, No sentence will ever bring closure. He murdered a young mother and her child. He stole their whole lives from them and from us. We live daily without Carly and Candelise and will do so for the rest of our lives. His brutality will haunt us forever. Exactly how the suitcase containing Candelise's body went unnoticed for almost a decade along Corunda Highway remains unknown.

Holdum said he left it on the side of the road in 2008, but nobody noticed the suitcase until 2015. Reports of a well-dressed 60-year-old man sent carrying a matching suitcase on the outskirts of Buonaca earlier that year remain a mystery, as he has never been identified. No charges were ever laid against Hazel Passmore. In 2016, she reached an out-of-court settlement with Holdum for an undisclosed amount for damages in relation to the 2008 car crash. Commissioner for Victim Rights Michael O'Connell worked closely with the police when they were

in the process of identifying Candelise Pierce. In a 2019 interview with Channel 9 current affairs program 60 Minutes, Michael said, This has been the saddest case that I've encountered. This man not only took one human being's life, but he took two, a mother and child. He stole their lives and he stole the opportunities that the family had to share those lives with them. The lowest of the low is kind words, in my opinion. An obituary for the mother and daughter is signed off by the names of loving family members

coupled with the message. Not a day goes by that we don't think about you, our angels, Carly and Candelise.