Casefile True Crime - Case 209: Urban Höglin & Heidi Paakkonen

Episode Date: April 30, 2022

When Swedish backpackers Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen go missing during a camping trip around New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, concerns are quickly raised that the newly engaged couple could have fallen victim to foul play. Worries increase once it’s discovered that convicted killer, David Tamihere, was on the loose in the area at the time, having jumped bail on a rape charge. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn This episode's sponsors: DoorDash – Get 25% off and FREE delivery for your first order of $15 or more with promo code ‘CASEFILE' Scribd – Get your two first months of Scribd’s unlimited number of full-length books, audiobooks, and other content for only $0.99 a month ZipRecruiter – Post your jobs for FREE BetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month of professional counselling with a licensed therapist ShipStation – Try ShipStation FREE for 60 days with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-209-urban-höglin-heidi-paakkonen

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For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. On Wednesday, May 24, 1989, the fax machine worked at the Interpol offices in Auckland, the largest city on New Zealand's North Island. It was a message from the Swedish town of Storfors. A local couple had failed to return home from their trip to New Zealand, and their families had become worried. 23-year-old Sven Hogglin, who went by his middle name, Urban, and his 21-year-old fiancee

Heidi Pakenon, were due back on May 7, though no one had heard from them for over a month. Their last correspondence, a letter sent home on April 7, didn't hint that anything was awry. Urban and Heidi were looking forward to exploring the expansive and striking Coromandel region along the East Coast, which featured steep, rolling mountains, pristine beaches, and rugged rainforests. Airline records confirmed that neither Urban or Heidi bordered their departing flight out of Auckland.

It was completely out of character for them not to be in touch, especially if they changed their plans. The couple had budgeted just enough for their current travel itinerary, which involved low-cost activities like hiking, fishing, and camping. This suited the outdoorsy and adventurous couple just fine, but ruled out the possibility that they had spontaneously extended their trip. Throughout New Zealand, Urban and Heidi had pitched their tent in official tourist grounds or on the side of the road.

On the odd occasion, they accepted overnight invitations from friendly locals. In letters home, Heidi wrote, �The people here are nice and very helpful. If it weren't for all the sandflies and wasps, New Zealand would be the perfect country. The most, anyway. Police in Auckland were told to be on the lookout for Urban Hogleen and Heidi Pakenon, who were travelling with two large backpacks, a green and yellow tent, sleeping bags, and other camping and fishing gear.

Urban was six feet tall with a strong athletic frame and wavy light brown hair. Heidi had a quintessential Scandinavian look with golden blonde hair and a slender five-foot-nine frame. Both had striking blue eyes and wore matching gold engagement bands with one another's names engraved inside. The search was also on for the couple's car, a white 1976 Subaru station wagon they had bought cheap second hand to get them around the large island. Urban and Heidi's trail went cold at the coastal township of Thames at the foot of

the Coromandel Range where they'd sent their final letter home. The owner of a general store recalled speaking to a couple who matched Urban and Heidi's description late in the afternoon on Thursday, April 6. They sought directions to Tararu Creek Road. Located at the top end of town, the Dead End Road granted access to a 12km bush track that led up to Table Mountain. From there, the couple intended to go down into Kawaronga Valley where they would hitch a ride back to their car.

The general store owner advised the pair that such a trip couldn't be done in a day that would require camping in the wilderness overnight. A scenic and popular campsite called Crosby's Clearing was part way up the trail and offered the ideal spot to settle. Three days later, on Sunday, April 9, Urban and Heidi's Subaru was spotted parked at the end of Tararu Creek Road by a group of four friends visiting the area. It was there when they arrived at midday and it hadn't moved by 4pm. A four sale sign was propped up on display in one of its windows.

One of the men was in the market for a new car, so the group approached the Subaru to assess its suitability. Although its windows were up and it looked secure, they were a little surprised to see that the car was full of personal belongings, including two large backpacks and fishing equipment. A camera was also clearly visible on the front seat. The group assumed the Subaru's owners must have only gone for a day trip into the bush and that's why they'd left their gear in the car.

By the time Urban and Heidi were reported missing, their Subaru was no longer in terms. It was eventually uncovered 118km away in downtown Auckland. It had been abandoned on Watling Street in the suburb of Mount Eden. Once tyres were flat, one of the windows was smashed and the couple's personal belongings were gone. Nothing was found in or around the car that hinted at their current whereabouts, nor was there any evidence of what might have happened to them, such as traces of blood or other key forensics.

Residents believed the Subaru had been on Watling Street for about six weeks. This was backed by two local police officers who had been patrolling the area on Friday April 14, five days after the car was witnessed on Tararu Creek Road in Tams. The police officers saw four men in the Subaru, whom they described as hoons, a slang term for people who drive recklessly for attention. They had run the vehicle's details through their database, but it hadn't been reported stolen, so they let it go. It was theorised that Urban and Heidi had found trouble on their hike in the Coromandel

region. The area was characterised by dense forests, creeks, deep abandoned mineshafts and dangerous ravines, with smaller tracks crisscrossing through the mountains. Although the top of Table Mountain was flat, its sides were extremely steep. It was a gruelling journey upwards, and the weather at the time was drizzly. If Urban and Heidi had gotten lost or injured, opportunists might have chanced upon their Subaru and broken in to steal their belongings before driving it over an hour away to Walkland. On the first weekend of June, a search party consisting of police officers, army personnel

and 60 volunteers braved the freezing conditions to scour the thick wet bushland leading from Tararu Creek Road. They hiked upwards for hours while examining ancillary tracks and creeks along the way. It was no easy task given the poor weather and muddy treacherous landscape. After three days, it became the largest land-based grid search ever conducted in New Zealand, but there was still no sign of Urban, Hogleen or Heidi Pakenon. They had been missing for around two months. If they were lost or injured in the bush, police deemed it virtually impossible that

they would still be alive. The Hogleen and Pakenon families felt differently. They were confident that Urban and Heidi had the necessary skills to survive in the bush. They were both resolute and capable people with plenty of outdoor experience. Urban had recently completed 10 months of military training and often went on week-long camping and fishing trips in the remote wilderness in his home country. He didn't always bother with a tent, choosing to sleep out under the stars instead. It wasn't until they saw the jungle-like terrain in the Coromandel range for themselves that

the Hogleen and Pakenon families' concerns grew. This was uncharted, overgrown territory, nothing like the open, spacious forests of Sweden. The families didn't think Urban and Heidi would try to tackle the area. They might have had adventurous spirits, but neither were big risk-takers. This was disputed by a Canadian couple who had hiked some challenging tracks with Urban and Heidi during their time in New Zealand. The Canadians were impressed by the Swedes' confident determination as they navigated through wet, slippery and dangerous conditions.

Forty-five-year-old farmer Edward Corbett lived on the western side of the Coromandel Range at the top of Tararu Creek Road. In mid-April, Edward had spotted a luggage tag hanging from his fence with a name written on it. At the time, he'd thought nothing of it and had thrown it on the ground. When he heard the news about the missing Swedish couple, he immediately recognised the name from the discarded tag, Heidi Pakenon. Edward ventured back to the fence and found the tag still lying in the grass.

He then wandered around the area on the lookout for anything else significant. On the side of Tararu Creek Road, underneath some trees, he came across three plastic bags filled with clothing. The clothing labels were European, leaving little doubt that the items belonged to Urban and Heidi. One of the bags contained nothing but women's underwear. At a quick glance, the garments appeared to be dirty laundry set aside for washing. But strangely, one pair had been sliced down each side to form a G-string design.

It didn't appear to be an alteration Heidi would have made herself. Testing confirmed the tampered underwear hadn't been worn or washed since the cuts were made. In the absence of any evidence indicating otherwise, investigators were now forming the belief that Urban and Heidi had met with foul play. Their search continued in the bush for weeks. At one point, police found a cut-out clothing label with the brand name Active Life printed on it. Urban's brother, Stefan, recognized the label straight away.

It had come from a waterproof hooded jacket that belonged to Urban. The brothers had shopped for the jacket together and Stefan had purchased an identical one, which he had with him and was able to show investigators. Swedish backpacker Hawken Borkol had recently returned home from a holiday in New Zealand. In late June, he was reading a local Swedish newspaper when he saw a story about Urban Hogglin and Heidi Pakenen's disappearance, which featured photos of them along with their vehicle. Hawken had never seen Urban or Heidi before, but he immediately recognized their white

Subaru due to its distinctive custom bull bars on the front. A couple of months earlier, Hawken had been staying at a small backpacker's hostel in Tams called the Sun Kissed Lodge. On Monday, April 10, he and a Canadian tourist were making plans to visit the nearby Coromandel Peninsula together. They'd been studying a map in one of the common areas and discussing how to go about it, when another guest overheard their conversation and made them an offer. He'd take them on a day trip to the peninsula if they agreed to pay for petrol as well as

his accommodation overnight at the lodge. Hawken and the Canadian agreed. The next day, the man led them out to his vehicle, a white Subaru station wagon with custom bull bars. They explained that he'd borrowed the car from his cousin, hence why he didn't know how to use certain features, such as the car stereo. There was also some camping and fishing gear in the back, which the man said belonged to his cousin.

The day trip was a great success. The man was a New Zealander who was familiar with the area, and he provided insights into the indigenous Maori names of the places they visited. Overall, he was a friendly and informative tour guide. Now realising the car the man was driving likely belonged to missing backpackers Urban Hogglin and Heidi Pakinan, Hawken Borko contacted police and gave them a description of his travel guide. He was aged between 30 and 35, around 180 cm tall, with a dark complexion, thick dark

hair, and a bushy handlebar mustache. Hawken even remembered his name. Pat Kelly It wasn't the first time police had heard of the name Pat Kelly during their inquiries. A member of the public had reported that they'd been hunting at the Crosby's clearing campsite in mid-March, when they came upon an unmanned tent. They looked inside and found a note that read, If anybody finds this tent, do not vandal it, as it's all I've got.

The note was signed Pat Kelly. Coupled with Hawken's sighting, this proved that Pat Kelly was in the Thames area both before and after Urban and Heidi went missing. The question was, how did he come to be in possession of their car? Detectives had actually visited the sunkist lodge several weeks earlier, after a member of the public recalled seeing a white Subaru parked outside sometime around April 10. They ultimately ruled out the sighting, as the manager of the lodge had never seen the car, nor had Urban or Heidi ever been guests there.

Now armed with the information from Hawken Borco, detectives returned to the sunkist lodge and checked the guest register. The missing couple might not have stayed there, but Pat Kelly sure had. He had checked in on Sunday, April 9, the same day the Subaru was sighted on Tararoo Creek Road and stayed for two nights. The manager couldn't remember much about Kelly, other than the fact he'd been very friendly. When signing in, he'd listed his hometown as Invercargill, a city on the opposite side

of the country. Detectives contacted authorities in Invercargill. If there was a Pat Kelly living in the area, they hadn't met him. Run records from the sunkist lodge over the two days that Pat Kelly stayed there were collated and examined to see if any could be attributed to him. One call had been placed to a residential address in the Auckland suburb of Avondale. It was a home police were already familiar with. Not one to respect authority, trouble seemed to follow David Tamahari wherever he went,

especially when alcohol was involved. The 36-year-old had a rap sheet that dated back to his teenage years. By age 19, he was already serving two years in prison for manslaughter. Tamahari maintained that it was an accident when he fatally struck 23-year-old strip club dancer Mary Barchman with an air rifle. As a free man, Tamahari continued to struggle with alcohol abuse and was rarely sober. In 1986, while under the influence, he broke into the home of a 47-year-old Auckland woman and subjected her to a six-hour ordeal where he tied her up, raped her and threatened to

kill her. Although he had confessed to this violent crime, he was granted bail to await sentencing. Tamahari was also responsible for the unsolved home invasion and rape of a 62-year-old woman the year prior. Unwilling to go back to prison, Tamahari fled while on bail. He had been on the run ever since, living under the alias Pat Kelly. Within hours of police making the pivotal connection between Pat Kelly and David Tamahari, there was a knock on the door of the Tamahari family home.

David Tamahari's de facto wife Christine was frustrated to see the two detectives on her doorstep. She had dealt with a lot over the 18 years she had been with her husband, yet, despite his violent and criminal behaviour, she cared about him deeply. She considered him a kind person when sober and he'd never laid a hand on her or their sons aged 15 and 10. It was only when he started drinking that everything changed and the dark side of his personality emerged.

Although irritated at the detective's presence, Christine agreed to answer some routine questions. She led them into her lounge room and to a small table. The detective's attention was immediately drawn to a hooded, waterproof jacket hanging off the back of a chair. It looked identical to the active life one owned by Urban Hoggleen, from which the label had been cut out and left near the Tararoo Creek Road track. Christine agreed to let them have a look at the jacket, explaining that her husband had recently given it to one of their sons.

Inside the lining, two tags had been removed. There was no doubt about it, the jacket belonged to Urban Hoggleen. A thorough search of the Tamahari home uncovered several more items of interest, including a pair of binoculars in a camouflage-prink case, a tent, a Swiss army knife, a bone-handled hunting knife and a tomahawk. Photos were also found showing David Tamahari on previous camping trips in the Coromandel region. Police confiscated these in the hopes they might be able to identify the locations he'd

visited before, to search for evidence. In Thames, a simultaneous search was conducted at the Sunkist Lodge, where Tamahari stayed the week after Urban and Heidi had vanished from the area. As officers examined a bathroom cabinet, they found a toiletry bag tucked away at the back. Inside were two toothbrushes and a bottle of prescription medication. The name on the label read, Heidi Pakenan. Police had no trouble locating David Tamahari, they already knew exactly where to find him. He was in Mount Eden Prison, where he'd been since May 24.

After three years on the run, a police officer in Auckland had recognized Tamahari and immediately arrested him for skipping bail on his 1986 rape charge. Detectives visited the prison to question Tamahari about his time on the run. Lighting up a cigarette, he openly admitted to using the alias Pat Kelly. He said that it spent a majority of the past year out in the bush in the Coromandel region. He'd lived off the land, hunting wild goats, foraging for food, and selling the occasional possum pelt. He was familiar with Crosby's clearing, having visited the area several times.

Detectives asked if he'd ever broken into a white Subaru, but Tamahari denied it. When they asked about the waterproof jacket he'd given to his son, Tamahari realized he'd backed himself into a corner. He caved, admitting, I stole the car. According to Tamahari, on the afternoon of Monday, April 10, he'd hiked from Thames to Tararu Creek Road with the intention of heading into the bush to camp at Crosby's clearing. During the approximately 90-minute walk from town, he didn't pass any other people or cars.

When he got to the dead end on Tararu Creek Road, he came across the white Subaru packed with gear. Tamahari decided to break into the car to see if there was any food inside. The driver's side window was open about an inch, so Tamahari got a piece of wire from a nearby fence and used it to unlock the door from the inside. Once he gained access, he rummaged through the glovebox and found a set of two keys, as well as the vehicle's ownership papers. Recognizing an opportunity, Tamahari felt the exhaust pipe. It was still warm.

This led him to believe that the Subaru's owners had only just recently entered the bush, likely to camp overnight. Therefore, he had plenty of time to steal their vehicle without them realizing it was gone. In the back of the station wagon were two backpacks which were mostly full of clothing. Tamahari tossed the women's clothing aside and cut out the labels of the few items of men's clothing that he kept for himself. Some of the clothing was already in plastic bags, so he bundled the unwanted pieces into the bags as well and threw them down in embankment.

Tamahari knew that stolen cars were a low priority for police and felt confident he could drive the Subaru for a couple of days without risk. If he was pulled over for any reason, he'd be able to show the ownership papers which would hopefully keep police at bay. After spending the night at the Sunkist Lodge, he drove the Subaru to Walkland, where he dumped it at the railway station with the keys inside the glove box. From there, Tamahari visited a second-hand dealer in the CBD and pawned some of the items he found in the car. Two large backpacks, a pair of binoculars, and a fishing rod.

He used the car's ownership papers as ID, pouring the items under the owner's name, Urban Hogglin. In a bin outside the store, Tamahari threw away two passports he'd found inside the backpacks. He then returned to visit his wife and children at their home in the suburbs, but was spotted shortly after and thrown back in jail. Investigators weren't buying David Tamahari's story. If he'd truly thought the Subaru's owners had gone camping in the bush overnight, surely he'd have realised this wasn't the case once he noticed their backpacks and

toiletry bag containing essential items like Heidi's medication in the car. Furthermore, the Canadian couple who were barn and Heidi had previously travelled with recalled that there was one key to the Subaru, and Urban was very protective of it. The car's previous owner also confirmed that there was only one key. It seemed unlikely that Urban would have left it inside the Subaru for Tamahari to stumble upon. Investigators believed it was much more likely that Tamahari had obtained the key after directly interacting with Urban and Heidi, and then made up the story about breaking into the car using fencing wire to separate himself from this fact.

Tamahari showed investigators how he apparently broke into the vehicle. In his demonstration, he fashioned a piece of number 8 fencing wire into a hook that he folded to make stronger. He then slid the hook end through the narrowly open window to snag and release the toggle lock. While he was able to unlock the car rather easily and efficiently using this method, it banked on the window having been slightly open. The group of four friends who had inspected the Subaru on Tararu Creek Road when they noticed its fore sale sign recalled that all the windows were securely up. Another point of contention was Tamahari's claims that the Subaru's exhaust pipe had been warm

when he found it. Experiments determined that once the Subaru's engine was off, it took 30 minutes for the exhaust pipe to cool down. The walk from Thames to Tararu Creek Road was impossible to complete in 30 minutes, yet Tamahari claimed no one had driven past him during that time. If that was the case, it didn't make sense that the exhaust pipe could still be warm. Investigators blatantly put it to Tamahari that the reason he'd confidently driven the Subaru around was because he knew the owners were dead and therefore wouldn't be reporting it as stolen. Tamahari denied this, stating, I have never seen them or done anything to them. I don't know anything more about it.

I stole the car, and that's all. After being interviewed for three hours, police still had no evidence to prove Tamahari had ever physically crossed paths with Urban Hoggleen or Heidi Pakenin. All they could charge him with was theft of the couple's vehicle as well as their belongings. Tamahari didn't protest the charge. Instead, he shook the detective's hand and agreed to assist with further inquiries if needed. The following day, a handcuffed David Tamahari was led to the Thames District Court to be formally charged with theft. After receiving a tip-off, several members of the media had gathered outside the court and followed Tamahari as he was escorted inside. One reporter asked Tamahari what he

thought of the work being done to find Urban Hoggleen and Heidi Pakenin. He replied jovially, well, it's quite good. I wasn't with them, so it's all right. The reporter asked why he had been using an alias. Tamahari chuckled slightly and said, I was already wanted. Quietly observing the goings-on outside of court that day were John Cassidy and his hiking buddy, Mel Norf. John and Mel watched carefully as David Tamahari was led past the crowd of buzzing media. As they eyed Tamahari, their minds were cast back to April. It was just after 3 p.m. when John Cassidy and Mel Norf heard the strange noise.

The man had spent Saturday, April 8, 1989 hiking around the Coromandel Ranges and were nearing the Crosby's clearing campsite when they were drawn to a thumping sound. It led them to a couple. A man was using a tool of some kind to clear routes from the ground while his young female companions sat on a tree stump nearby. John and Mel stopped and chatted with the pair. While pitching a tent, the man explained that he and the woman were from Auckland and had just hiked up the Tararoo Creek track to camp at Crosby's clearing overnight. They intended to leave the way they came the following day. From the way that the man talked, it was clear that he was familiar with the area.

The woman, on the other hand, looked completely out of place. Her face was made up with powder and lipstick and she was wearing nail polish. Something about her facial expression and body language gave John and Mel the impression she was eager for them to move on. They assumed that the couple might have been having a secret rendezvous and she was embarrassed to have been caught. John and Mel continued on their way. Although their interaction with the Auckland couple was unremarkable, the woman had struck both men as odd. It wasn't just her glamorous appearance and antisocial body language. For the entirety of their 15-minute conversation, she didn't say a word.

Upon learning of Urban Hogleen and Heidi Pakenon's disappearance, John Cassidy and Mel North informed police of the two people they met at Crosby's clearing the weekend the couple vanished. Although the woman they encountered had been sitting down, John and Mel could tell she was quite tall, maybe around 5'8". She had been covered from head to toe in a hooded green poncho so they didn't get a look at her clothing. Her straight shoulder-length blonde hair was just visible around the collar and on her feet were a pair of tan hiking boots, similar to the New Zealand Paraflex brand. Although Heidi Pakenon was tall and blonde, John and Mel had both seen photos of her and didn't think she was the woman they came across in the bush.

Heidi was a bit younger and her face was fuller. No one could vouch for Heidi having ever owned Paraflex boots and her family said she wasn't inclined to wear makeup. It was clear from their descriptions that her male companion wasn't Urban Hogleen either. John and Mel had described the man as part Maori between 5'8' and 5'11' with an athletic physique and olive complexion. He was wearing heavy boots, denim shorts and a sleeveless top that showed off his strong biceps. He had dark hair and the lower half of his face was framed by a few days' growth of stubble. While this didn't match Urban's appearance, the description bore a striking resemblance to the case's prime suspect, David Tamahari. But when shown a photo lineup that

included an image of Tamahari, neither John nor Mel singled him out. In the photo, Tamahari's face was fully covered in thick facial hair and this might have hampered the witness's ability to recognise him. Ahead of Tamahari's first appearance at Thames District Court, investigators encouraged John and Mel to travel to the courthouse to see him in person. When they laid eyes on David Tamahari, something about the distinct way he carried himself seemed oddly familiar. They were also shown photos confiscated from Tamahari's home to see if they could help identify any of the bush locations featured. A clean shaven Tamahari was in several of these images. John and Mel were now certain he was the man they'd seen at Crosby's Clearing.

With this revelation, they now believed that the woman with him was indeed Heidi Pachanan. For the theft charges, David Tamahari entered no plea and was remanded in custody. When New Zealand politician John Banks heard about Tamahari's suspected involvement in O'Barn and Heidi's disappearance, he was outraged. Why had Tamahari ever been allowed out on bail after the 1986 rape charges? Banks took his indignation to Parliament and details of Tamahari's criminal record were published nationwide, including his manslaughter charge, which Banks labelled as a brutal killing. The publicity surrounding Tamahari's possible involvement in the disappearance of O'Barn Hoggleen and Heidi Pachanan was intense.

Questions were raised as to whether it would impact his right to a fair trial if police went ahead with the murder charge. Banks was undeterred by the backlash, stating, I'm much more interested in the civil liberties of Swedish tourists and decent law-abiding New Zealanders than I am in the civil liberties of criminals, sexual deviants, killers and rapists. By late July, O'Barn and Heidi had been missing for almost five months. The search for the pair in the Coromandel range had been officially called off, but one volunteer couldn't stop thinking about the missing couple. He headed to Tararoo Creek Road to have one last look around.

He hiked his way through a junction area in the bush known as the Jamtins, then traversed downhill for a further 20 minutes. Venturing down what looked like an animal trail, he noticed something to the side of the track behind a small mound. It was a navy blue and white jacket, neatly folded as though it was intentionally placed there. The jacket was quickly identified as belonging to Heidi Pachanan. A search party returned to the area and it wasn't long before a member spotted something on the ground. It was Heidi's wallet, which had been stripped of its cash and credit cards.

Alongside it was a heavily water-damaged photo of O'Barn Hoggleen and the Pachanan family, which Heidi carried with her everywhere. Like the Subaru, none of Heidi's belongings contained traces of blood. Then in December 1989, a local man was poking around in an old shed near the Crosby's clearing campsite. The shed had been searched multiple times by the police since O'Barn and Heidi's disappearance, but nothing of interest had ever been found. This time, the local man noticed something piled up in front of some old furniture, a green and yellow tent with the word Sweden on it.

It belonged to O'Barn and Heidi. Forensic testing revealed a small bloodstain on the roof, but the amount was so small that it could have come from something as minor as a cut finger. Despite being major discoveries, neither the jacket, wallet, nor tent offered any insight into what happened to O'Barn or Heidi, or where they were now. The answer to these mysteries came as David Temeheri sat in jail. At one point, he struck up a conversation with his cellmate, who was identified only as Witness A. He spoke of hiking the Tararoo Creek Road track with some friends on the morning of

Saturday, April 8, when they ran into O'Barn Hoggleen and Heidi Pachanan. They offered to show the couple around before leading them further into the bush and launching a savage attack. Temeheri hit O'Barn over the head with a piece of wood, tied him to the tree, and the group then took turns raping both O'Barn and Heidi. Afterwards, they took the couple to a different location where Temeheri killed them, cut up their bodies, and buried them near a bluff. He'd even drawn maps of where the rapes and subsequent slayings took place, which the inmate handed over to police.

Another inmate, Witness B, claimed he and Temeheri were smoking cannabis outside the prison chapel when the subject of the missing Swedish couple arose. Temeheri allegedly boasted, don't worry, I cut the fuckers up so they won't be found. There was a third inmate who Temeheri started associating with. Witness C noticed a large map of the Coromandel Peninsula on the wall of Temeheri's cell and questioned him about it. Temeheri said something along the lines of,

the bloody clowns are searching the wrong fucking area, they won't find the bodies there. Over multiple conversations, he proceeded to tell Witness C how he'd met Urban Hoggleen and Heidi Pakenon at a picnic area and had offered to give them a tour of the Coromandel region. After leading them away, he launched an attack, tying Urban up to a tree. He raped Heidi in front of Urban, before proceeding to rape Urban too. Temeheri then killed Urban by bashing his head in with a piece of wood. He held Heidi captive in a stolen tent for several days, where he continued to assault her. At one point, two people out bushwalking had almost caught them,

but luckily for Temeheri, Heidi had been too terrified to say a word. Temeheri went on to reveal that he eventually strangled Heidi and returned the tent to the shed where he'd stolen it from. Using an aluminium motorboat that he stole from a caravan park west of the peninsula, he took the couple's bodies out to sea at two different times. He weighed them down with scrap metal and disposed of them about 15 minutes right offshore. Afterwards, Temeheri scrubbed the boat and put it back where he found it. He drove his victim's Subaru for the next couple of days, making his way to Auckland, where he was highly entertained by the fact that a police car had ignorantly driven right by him.

In the criminal justice system, jailhouse confessions are to be taken with a grain of salt. This isn't just a credibility issue. The problem is that inmates may be compelled to lie in the hopes that helping with another investigation might benefit their own circumstances in some way. However, investigators leading the Hogglean and Pakenham case were adamant that the inmates who came forward to implicate David Temeheri received no incentives or rewards for doing so. If they wanted to testify against Temeheri, they were free to do so, but it wouldn't result in shorter sentences for themselves. Following word of David Temeheri's confessions, investigators charged him for the double homicide

of Urban Hogglean and Heidi Pakenham. It marked only the third time in New Zealand legal history that police chose to proceed with a murder charge without any bodies or a crime scene. David Temeheri's trial commenced in October 1990, a year and a half after his alleged victims disappeared. At the time, New Zealand authorities had a 98.5% success rate for solving homicides, with only seven remaining unsolved from the past decade. Urban and Heidi's case continued to make headlines in Sweden, tarnishing New Zealand's image as a safe place for young travellers, so the pressure was on to convict their killer. The prosecution relied mostly on five key witnesses. The first two were John Cassidy and Mel North, who were said to have seen David Temeheri with a

young blonde woman at Crosby's Clearing, the weekend Urban and Heidi were believed to have visited there. The other three were the unnamed inmates who Temeheri had allegedly confessed Urban and Heidi's murders to. Based on all five testimonies, the prosecution put forward that David Temeheri had come across the Swedish couple, then lured them into the bush near Crosby's Clearing under the pretense of showing them around. He then proceeded to rape Urban before bludgeoning him to death with a plank of wood. Temeheri then held Heidi captive in his tent for several days, forcing her to wear makeup and repeatedly raping her. To explain why she didn't ask for help when John Cassidy and Mel North came upon them, Heidi was either suffering from Stockholm syndrome,

or was in such high distress and suffering from post-traumatic stress that she completely froze. It was also possible that Urban was still alive but incapacitated nearby, and she feared that alerting John and Mel would put him in danger. As Witness A described what Temeheri confessed to doing to Urban and Heidi, one of the jurors was physically sick and the court had to be adjourned. Coupled with his history of committing violent rape, the confessions helped to depict Temeheri as a vile sexual deviant. Temeheri allegedly confessed to Witness A, quote, I'm a slut, I'll fuck anything.

He said he only killed the couple to prevent getting caught, and because he would be too ashamed to be charged with raping a man. It was the detailed testimony from Witness C that presented the most comprehensive insight into the crimes. Based on his detailed play-by-play, the prosecution concluded that Temeheri had narrowly avoided being caught at Crosby's clearing by John Cassidy and Mel North before killing the couple, dismembering their bodies and disposing of them at sea. Afterwards, he drove their car to Auckland to pawn their belongings, but kept some of Urban's things which he gave to his sons. Following five weeks of proceedings, the jury retired to deliberate.

By the second day, they still hadn't reached a decision. The difficulty lay on a case built entirely on circumstantial evidence. They struggled so hard to reach a unanimous decision that they asked what would happen if they remained deadlocked. The judge encouraged them to continue deliberations in a bid to spare a second jury from the same situation. Finally, on day three, the verdict was delivered. For the murders of Urban Hoggleen and Heidi Pakenin, David Temeheri was declared guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years. The verdict came as a huge relief to the Hoggleen and Pakenin families who felt satisfied that justice had been served.

10 months later, on Friday, October 11, 1991, two young men were out hunting for pigs in a forestry plantation in Parakauai Valley, located on the southeastern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, near the town of Fungamata. They veered roughly 35 meters off the track, and as they trudged through the dense bushland, one of the hunters noticed something on the ground partially covered by a thick layer of pine needles. He edged closer and realized it was a human skeleton. The remains belonged to an adult male. His clothes had mostly decomposed, but some trace elements of his polyester t-shirt and jumper remained, as well as a pair of red nylon shorts. A small portion of the man's neck bone had been sliced off. Such an injury had the power to

sever his jugular vein and spinal cord, causing death. It also indicated an attempted decapitation. He'd likely been killed just meters from where he was found, as the positioning of his body and clothing indicated he'd been dragged backwards by his feet face downwards. There had been no attempt to bury the body. He'd simply been left out in the open with nothing but the surrounding trees to conceal his remains. Parts of his hands and finger bones had been carried away by rats and burrowed into an underground nest. In a clump of roots underneath his torso was a gold ring. Once cleaned, it revealed a name engraved on the inside. Heidi. It had been two and a half years, but Urban Hoggling had finally been found.

He was on the opposite side of the Coromandel Peninsula, some 73 kilometers north by road, and then a further 12 kilometers down a remote bush track from where convicted killer David Tamahari was said to have murdered him. The prosecution's entire case had centered around David Tamahari killing Urban Hoggling and Heidi Pakenin in Crosby's Clearing. While it was possible he could have transported Urban to Paracaua Valley before killing him, not a single trace of blood was uncovered in the Subaru, on any of the Swedes recovered belongings, or on the weapons confiscated from Tamahari. Had Crosby's Clearing played a part in the crime, the lack of witnesses was notable.

It had been a relatively busy period for hikers in the area, and two teenagers had been camping around Crosby's Clearing, yet no one heard or saw Urban, Heidi or Tamahari trudging through the landscape that weekend, aside from John Cassidy and Mel North. They spoke of having come across a couple at Crosby's Clearing on the Saturday afternoon. There's was the only eyewitness account, and it played a major role in Tamahari's murder trial. When it came to identification, police procedure clearly stipulated that nothing should be done to suggest to a witness who the suspect might be. In this case, it was blatantly obvious to John and Mel that David Tamahari was the case's prime suspect when they were told to go see him in person. They were later shown

personal photos of Tamahari that had been taken from his home to help solidify their identification. Yet, both John and Mel described the man from Crosby's Clearing as having had just a few days worth of facial stubble. Those who had encountered Tamahari, or Pat Kelly as he was known at the time, remembered his distinct thick handlebar mustache. Each time they spoke to police, John and Mel's statements changed slightly. The man went from having only stubble to having a mustache. Eventually, they went from being unsure who the couple were from Crosby's Clearing to saying with certainty that it was David Tamahari and Heidi Paganin. Prior to the murder trial, the defense had tried to have John and Mel's evidence thrown out on the

basis that police hadn't followed proper identification procedures. While the court labelled the investigation methods used as unacceptable and regrettable, the evidence was ultimately allowed to be admitted. John and Mel's siding was the crux of the prosecution's case. Up until they came forward, investigators were struggling to find any evidence of a physical connection between David Tamahari and his two alleged victims. John and Mel provided the much needed link that helped solidify Tamahari as the couple's killer. Yet, their timeline of events conflicted with several other independent witnesses. One man believed he saw Urban and Heidi packing up their campsite in Port Jackson on Saturday

morning, 110km north of Tams. At three that afternoon, John and Mel claimed to have seen Heidi with David Tamahari at Crosby's Clearing. Yet, at around 4.30pm, two friends who were holidaying at Wilson's Bay, 40 minutes north of Tams, reported seeing a white Subaru with distinct bullbars pulled over at a lookout. A blonde woman matching Heidi's description was standing in front of the car, taking photos of the view. The Subaru wasn't sided near Tararoo Creek Road until 7.30pm. A resident recalled seeing a white Subaru with bullbars drive up the street with a man and woman inside. It never drove back down again. The next morning, several witnesses passing by the top of Tararoo Creek Road noticed a recently lit campfire near where the Subaru was parked.

Based on these sightings, it was possible that Urban and Heidi had spent Friday night in the Coromandel Peninsula before slowly making their way back to Tams. Arriving too late to make the trek up the mountain, they opted to camp at the end of Tararoo Creek Road overnight instead, leaving for their hike in the morning. This series of events correlated with the conversation the couple had with staff at a Tams salon earlier in the week. A couple, believed to have been O'Barn and Heidi, had told staff of their plan to visit the Coromandel Peninsula over the coming weekend. Then, there was another case sighting that seemingly confirmed the couple were still alive and well after John and Mel's alleged sighting on Saturday. As reported by journalist Ian Wishard

in his book Missing Pieces, Swedish Tourist Murders, on the morning of Sunday, April 9, a young Swedish couple attended a service at St James Union Church in Tams. They spoke to several of the 140 parishioners in attendance who recalled that the woman who was tall with blonde hair introduced herself as Heidi. They didn't learn the man's name, but described him as slim, fit and tall with brown hair. All physical characteristics that matched O'Barn hoggling. John Cassidy and Mel Norfes alleged sighting played a pivotal role in forming a physical connection between David Tamahari and his two alleged victims. Prior to them coming forward, investigators had failed to uncover any evidence to prove

Tamahari had any interactions with the foreign couple beyond stealing their car, which Tamahari maintained he did independently and without the use of O'Barn's key. But it was the testimony given by Tamahari's fellow prisoners that implicated him in O'Barn and Heidi's murder. Although all three prisoners claimed Tamahari had confessed to killing and disposing of O'Barn and Heidi, there were remarkable inconsistencies in their stories. Witness A was the only one who said Tamahari had accomplices and that he cut up and buried both victims in a bluff. Witness C said Tamahari had kept Heidi captive for several days following O'Barn's murder and that both their bodies were dumped at sea. Both spoke of O'Barn being bludgeoned

with a piece of wood. Neither of these stories aligned with where O'Barn was eventually found and his actual cause of death. As for Witness B, Tamahari claimed their paths had never even crossed. This was backed by a prison officer who confirmed that both inmates were kept on separate sides of the prison and were unlikely to have come into contact with one another. Furthermore, Witness B was having psychiatric issues including paranoid delusions at the time this alleged conversation with Tamahari took place. When questioned regarding his alleged jailhouse confessions, Tamahari blatantly denied that such conversations had ever taken place. The map he'd drawn of the Coromandel Peninsula wasn't a guide to the bodies at all,

but had been drawn at the request of Witness A who was involved in the drug trade and wanted to know more about potential cannabis growing locations. Those critical of the investigation noted just how smoothly the inmate confessions seemed to tie up some of the loose ends in the case against Tamahari. The lead investigator, Detective Sergeant John Hughes, was a polarizing figure. Some regarded him as a shining legend of the force, while others accused him of corruption and falsifying evidence on various occasions over the years. His involvement in the Hoggleen and Pakenin case, along with the tainted identification process, raised some red flags amongst his critics. Furthermore, Urban was found wearing a watch that the prosecution alleged Tamahari had stolen

and gifted to his son. The watch Tamahari gave to his son had an inbuilt beeping alarm, whereas Urban's watch did not. The prosecution knew this, but used it to tie Tamahari to the crimes regardless. A foreign fingerprint was also lifted from Heidi's wallet that wasn't a match to Tamahari. With all these inconsistencies in the prosecution's narrative coming to light, the Tamahari family as well as Tamahari's defense team were confident that he would at the very least be granted a retrial. Yet, the prosecution argued that the new evidence didn't disprove anything. According to them, they'd never said that Crosby's clearing had definitely been the murder side. Besides, Tamahari had access to the Subaru and therefore could have used it to

take the couple anywhere on the peninsula. As for the watch and inmate testimony, the fact that the jury had deliberated for so long indicated that these details didn't hold that much weight when it came to making a final decision. They disputed claims from Tamahari's defense team that the disturbingly detailed inmate testimony, which was now obviously inaccurate, had created prejudice against their client that swayed the jury's decision. For the prosecution, the discovery of Urban's body simply proved their case that he had died of violent death. They changed their theory, saying it was possible that David Tamahari had led the couple out to Parakauai Valley in their Subaru, perhaps under the pretense of showing them around.

After all, he was known to take tourists around the peninsula in the couple's Subaru. Once in the valley, Tamahari killed Urban before driving Heidi back to the Tararu Creek Road area. The court of appeal agreed, and Tamahari's appeal was rejected. David Tamahari's family and defense team were outraged. Not only did this go against everything the prosecution had argued at trial, but they felt this theory simply didn't make sense. After killing Urban in Parakauai Valley, why would Tamahari risk driving Heidi all the way back to Tararu Creek Road, giving her the chance to escape or attract attention? She would have likely been hysterical at this point,

so how did Tamahari keep her under control while making this significant journey? Urban had died of violent death from a frenzied attack, yet there wasn't a single drop of blood in the Subaru. Defense lawyer Murray Gibson was so convinced that a miscarriage of justice had been served that he used his own expenses to travel to the United Kingdom to appeal Tamahari's case to the Privy Council. This judicial committee acted as a final court of appeal for countries under the British Commonwealth. After hearing brief arguments from both sides, the Privy Council decided not to proceed with David Tamahari's case, marking his final line of appeal. The legal side of the story was over, but investigators refused to officially close the

case until Heidi Pakenon's body was also found. In August 1995, the phone rang at the office of David Tamahari's brother, John Tamahari, who was a respected New Zealand politician. On the other line was jailhouse informant, Witness C. Witness C told John he wanted to retract the evidence he gave in Tamahari's murder trial. He claimed that detectives had fed him the information to fit with the prosecution case and promised to pay him up to $100,000 and assist with his parole if he agreed to provide a statement. John Tamahari was dubious, wondering if Witness C was looking for some kind of incentive to recant his testimony. However, he seemed genuine and even agreed to provide a sworn affidavit.

It read in part. Detectives told me things that would be beneficial to the police. Detectives told me about the blood stains on the tent which David Tamahari had supposedly concealed in a heart or shed. I was told about sexual activities involving the female swede after the male swede's body was supposedly disposed of. I was told that a watch belonging to the male swede was given by David Tamahari to his son. I was told about trampers coming upon David Tamahari and the two swedes and that at such time the female swede was visibly distressed. I may have been told also about a body being dumped at sea.

Detectives wanted me to say that all of this had been told to me by David Tamahari. The fact of the matter is that David Tamahari never made any confession to me of any kind. Things went too far to get out of. I always intended on doing something about the mistake I made by involving myself as a so-called secret witness. By making this affidavit, I realized that I may be compromising my own best interests. A violent reaction from other prisoners is likely. Police and prison officers and other official persons may be equally unforgiving. They may exert pressure on me through their contact within the justice system. No matter what the consequences of this affidavit may be for me

personally, it is the interests of David Tamahari that concern me most. I no longer want to be associated with the fabrication of evidence used by the police in their case against David Tamahari. News of the retraction was leaked to the media and in a jailhouse interview, witness C confirmed that the details in the affidavit were true. He said he decided to come forward because he could no longer live with the guilt of knowing his lies might have helped convict an innocent man. For Tamahari's supporters, this made total sense. There were parts of witness C's testimony that had always seemed a bit cagey. Certain details he included had conveniently worked

perfectly to tie pieces of the prosecution case together where they didn't have any other evidence to do so. However, witness C later revoked the affidavit, saying he was forced to sign it for his own protection. Other inmates had found out that he'd testified against Tamahari and had singled him out as a jailhouse narc. They were now threatening to harm him and his family. When witness C was later asked why he didn't use the media interviews as an opportunity to announce he was under threat, he replied, I didn't want to die. The years continued to pass and to mark the 10-year anniversary since Urban and Heidi were first reported missing. Those involved with the search efforts returned to Crosby's

clearing to lay flowers and pay their respects to the couple. Reflecting on the case, lead investigator John Hughes remarked, It was so tragic. They had come halfway around the world and they had a passion for the Coromandel Peninsula. The odds of their paths crossing with the person who was a convicted killer and a rapist at that time were a million to one. By 2015, David Tamahari was up for parole, having served almost 20 years in prison. Aged 57, he'd done extensive work with the psychologist, had completed a sex offenders program and accepted that he was an alcoholic. The parole board determined that Tamahari had achieved a, quote, remarkable breakthrough and granted his release on the condition that he

were an electronic monitor and abstained from drugs and alcohol for the rest of his life. The Hogglean and Pakenon families reluctantly accepted the decision, while members of the community were divided. Some were uncomfortable knowing the convicted double murderer was now living on their street, while others trusted the parole board's decision. One resident commented, The guy has spent the best years of his life in prison. As far as I'm concerned, he has done his time, so let him get on with his life. For those who supported David Tamahari's innocence, one huge question remained. If Tamahari didn't kill Urban Hogglean and Heidi Pakenon, then who did?

Several theories linger amongst locals, including that the couple fell victim to a bikey gang or a trio of criminal brothers. The Coromandel region was a hotspot for illegal cannabis growers, and perhaps the couple had stumbled upon a crop and paid the ultimate price to ensure their silence. Just before Urban and Heidi went missing, they told the owner of the Tam's General Store that they intended to hike from Tararu Creek into Kawaronga Valley, where they could hitch a ride back to their car. It was possible they'd gone ahead with this plan and had fallen victim to whoever picked them up. This could explain why their car was abandoned on Tararu Creek Road with their belongings inside,

and why Urban's body ended up 73 kilometers away, with no signs of foul play leading back to the Subaru. According to journalist Ian Wishart, tunnel vision on David Tamahari had caused police to overlook an obvious suspect. In early 1989, 28-year-old Huia George Foley escaped from a mental health facility and ventured to Waihi, a small town roughly 55 kilometers southeast of Tam's. After stealing the donation money from the local church and threatening the priest, he took off into the bush. It was an area he knew well. Over several weeks, he walked all the way to the Coromandel Peninsula, crossing through Tam's and Funga Matar. He eventually ended up at the home of an old family friend in an agitated state.

In his possession was a European sleeping bag. Foley stole his friend's car and drove it to Walkland. There, he drove head-on into a parked truck in what the truck driver believed to be a suicide attempt. Foley survived but lost an arm as a result. This meant that Foley, an unstable individual with a history of violence, was traversing the bushland alone around the Coromandel Ranges at the same time as Urban and Heidi. What's more, Foley bore a striking resemblance to David Tamahari. Both were half-moury of similar height and build and had dark facial hair. When Foley's family heard that the Swedish couple had gone missing in the area,

they immediately suspected Foley could be involved. His mother's response upon hearing the news was allegedly, my son did that. They had tried to alert the police who showed zero interest. Years later, in 2002, Foley was dying of kidney failure when he allegedly confessed to his mother that he was responsible for the Swedish murders. While examining the case, journalist Ian Wishart also uncovered another intriguing detail that had been withheld from the public. During Urban and Heidi's travels, they had been welcomed into the home of a couple named Mary and John Heaven. The heavens lived on Kawar Island, located just off the mainland, roughly 200 kilometers by road

from the Coromandel. Kawar can only be accessed by boat and has no roads and therefore no cars. Given that boats can freely come and go from any of the private jetties without record, some believe it is used to smuggle drugs. Around the time the Swedish couple went missing, the heavens saw a woman who they recognized as Heidi outside of their home. She was with a dark-haired white man and appeared to be in distress, continually looking around in apparent anticipation. She was struggling to carry a heavy looking backpack, so Mary stepped in and offered to help her. The man snapped, don't touch her, and quickly led her away. From Heidi's body language and the look in her eyes,

Mary believed she was trying to signal a message that she was in trouble. It wasn't until the heavens saw news of Urban and Heidi's disappearance that they called in the sighting. The man with Heidi certainly wasn't Urban Hoggling, but it wasn't David Tamahere either. Although David Tamahere was now a free man, those who supported his innocence remained committed to clearing his name. Arthur Taylor, an inmate who served alongside Witness C, was known as a serial litigator. In 2018, Taylor successfully initiated a private perjury prosecution against Witness C, claiming that he had lied under oath that Tamahere's murder trial. Not only had Witness C swung back and forth over the years about whether his testimony was true,

he'd also written Tamahere a letter in 2007 that said, the trial evidence was all false and fabricated by the police anyway. Taylor hoped that prosecuting Witness C would deter other inmates from lying in the future. The jury agreed, and Witness C was found guilty of eight counts of perjury, with the further eight years added to his existing life sentence. Taylor remarked, I think this sends a very strong message to these perjurers, these liars, that if they get caught out, they are going to get a very serious sentence.

We have a lot of ratbags in prisons. Their first thought is, how will I get the hell out of here, and they will do anything to achieve that. After almost 30 years, the suppression order was lifted, and Witness C's identity was able to be revealed for the first time. He was Robert Conchy Harris, a now 71-year-old man who had been convicted in 1983 for murdering mother of three Carol Pie and her boyfriend Trevor Crossley. Afterwards, Harris allegedly told his girlfriend that committing the murders was, quote, just like having an ice cream. The perjury charges against Robert Harris essentially eradicated the Witness statement that

tied the prosecution's version of events together, and a Tamaheri's case has once again been referred to the Court of Appeal. If successful, he could receive a royal pardon, meaning his case could be reopened to determine if he was wrongfully convicted. At the time of writing, the appeal has been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The case against David Tamaheri has always been a controversial one. Some believe his conviction without physical evidence is representative of exemplary police work, while others think it was a great miscarriage of justice against an innocent man. Then there are those that sit somewhere in the middle, who believe that Tamaheri was involved in Urban and Heidi's disappearance,

but shouldn't have been found guilty on circumstantial evidence alone. Those critical of the investigation believed the police were under such immense pressure to solve the case quickly that they manipulated Witnesses in order to charge Tamaheri. They improperly paraded him in front of the media before any murder charges were laid, influencing John Cassidy and Mel Norf to make an identification. They then subtly swayed John and Mel so that their encounter at Crosby's Clearing fit a possible interaction with Tamaheri and Heidi. They offered confidential inducements and fed information to the secret inmate Witnesses that conveniently filled the gaps in the prosecution's

case. David Tamaheri is now waged in his late 60s and continues to maintain his innocence. A vocal advocate against wrongful convictions, he intends to fight until his conviction is overturned. He has appeared as a guest speaker at International Wrongful Conviction Day, wearing a t-shirt that read, It happened to me, it could happen to you. After sharing his story, Tamaheri became visibly emotional as he spoke of the others he'd met over the years who were wrongfully convicted. He hoped by speaking out, he might be able to help others who found themselves in his situation. Tamaheri openly admits to the other crimes he committed, including the two home invasion rapes. He told reporters for stuff media,

I don't mind doing time for stuff I've done, all the jail I got, I deserved every day of it. That's not what I'm complaining about. What I'm complaining about is that what happened in this murder case should never have happened, and it should never have been allowed to have happened. At the site where Oban Hoglein's body was found, a simple stone memorial with his name carved into it rests amongst the thick grove of Nikau palms. In his hometown, his body rests in the manicured graveyard of the local church, where his loved ones visit to maintain a small patch of purple and red flowers. Heidi Pakenon's family have no site to visit to pay their respects. Over the years, they urged David Tamaheri to reveal the location of Heidi's body

so they could have some closure, but Tamaheri maintained he can't tell them where she is. Because he didn't kill her. The enduring mystery of what exactly happened to Oban Hoglein and Heidi Pakenon remains to this day. Even in recent years, the case remains plagued with missteps that might inevitably cost the truth from ever being discovered. In May 2017, local Bushman Alan Ford was trekking through an isolated part of Wilderness, roughly 15 kilometers from where Oban Hoglein's body was found. He noticed parts of a plastic bag poking out of the ground. This immediately struck him as odd, given the area wasn't easily accessible to the public. Alan pulled the bag out. Inside

were three pairs of women's leggings. From their fragile condition, it was clear they'd been there for a prolonged period of time. Alan's mind immediately went to Heidi Pakenon and the plastic bags full of her clothing that had been found on the other side of the ranges. He took the bag of leggings to the local police station. A specialist soon determined just by looking at them that the leggings weren't old enough to belong to Heidi. Alan wasn't satisfied that adequate testing had been conducted and returned to the station to retrieve the leggings. When he got there, he was informed that they'd already been destroyed. News of the destruction came as a shock to forensic scientists who labelled the visual

examination as inappropriate, appalling and lazy. They believed that the clothing should have been thoroughly examined to determine exactly what year they'd been discarded and to see if any DNA could be extracted. Even if it wasn't relevant to Heidi's case, given the remote area, it could have held a clue to another investigation. For locals who venture around the Tararoo Creek track, Heidi is never far from their minds. The fact that her body has never been found remains a sore point even 33 years later. After all this time, it's not unusual for hikers and hunters to veer a little bit further off the track in case they notice something that could lead them to her. A volunteer who assisted in the original search party for the missing couple remarked,

Every time you go up there, you find yourself looking. Every hunter who goes out, they are not just hunting for pigs or goats. In the back of your mind, there is always Heidi.