SIX Unsolved Cold Cases in Victoria, Australia. One has a million-dollar reward.

Here we list SIX unsolved cold cases in Victoria, Australia. Victoria is the second-smallest state in Australia but still covers an area of 87,817 square miles.

The state has a population of almost 6.7million and is the most densely populated state in the country. So, it’s no surprise that there are numerous cold cases that have never been solved.

According to the Victoria Police Homicide Squad, they have over 200 unsolved cold cases in Victoria stretching back to 1951.

Since 2011, the crime rate has increased year on year moving from 6,937 offences per 100,000 people in 2011 to 8,227 per 100,000 in 2020.

Here are SIX unsolved cold cases in Victoria, Australia.

Mandy Lee Yodgee (1984)

Mandy was 17-years-old when on she left her home on 29th April 1984 to visit her boyfriend’s apartment. Her 18th birthday was coming up and she was looking forward to several nights out.

She got a taxi from her home at 4.20pm and went to the South Yarra Arms Hotel, had a drink with a male friend who was not her boyfriend, then left at 6.30pm.

They drove to the Windsor Castle Hotel and drank there before getting pizza and continuing to drink at the male’s flat. She left around 1.30am and allegedly got into a taxi. She was reported missing two days later and missed her birthday celebrations.

One week later, her body was discovered near the mountainous Dandenong Ranges. It appeared she had been thrown from a moving vehicle down an embankment and died from her injuries.

The male simply said he was too drunk to drive so she said she would get a taxi. There was no evidence to suggest Mandy had ever left the apartment. The case remains open.

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Jane Thurgood-Dove (1997)

The 34-year-old mother of three was shot dead in front of her children in the driveway of her home at 3.40pm on 6th November 1997.

She was returning from picking up the children from school. The gunman pulled up to the driveway in a stolen car then exited the vehicle and shot her dead.

Over the years, police have had numerous suspects, two of which have passed away. In recent years, it has been speculated that Jane was the victim of mistaken identity.

Christopher Phillips (1989)

At 8.30pm on 1st May 1989, Christopher’s wife returned home to find him on the floor. He had been beaten with a heavy blunt object and stabbed to death.

The 42-year-old victim was wearing a tracksuit as he was either about to head out for a run or had just been. An autopsy showed he had been attacked from behind.

The back door had been broken into and the house had been ransacked but nothing had been stolen. It appeared that Christopher had walked in on a robbery or was in the house when the robbers broke in.

Almost 35 years later and the case remains unsolved.

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Samantha Mizzi (1994)

Between 10pm and 10.30pm on 29th March 1994, local residents on Brighton Road in St Kilda, heard a woman screaming.

At 11pm, the body of young mother Samantha was discovered in shrubs at the rear of a property. She had been beaten and violently raped before being stripped and left to die.

She died of her injuries the following morning. Police noted that her belongings had been stolen. Her death remains one of the most well-known cold cases in Victoria.

Denise McGregor (1978)

13-year-old Denise disappeared on 20th March 1978 after she went to buy a milk bar from a shop in Pascoe Vale. She and her 11-year-old sister had just been to a fast-food takeaway.

When Denise failed to return home, but her sister did, her mother went looking for her. When she couldn’t find her, she reported her missing to the police.

The following morning, Denise’s body was discovered beside a road, two miles from where she was last seen. She had been raped and violently beaten to death. Police who witnessed the body later described it as one of the most brutal cold cases in Victoria history.

One possible suspect was an unidentified male known only by his CB Radio call sign, Lightning One. Aside from that, no progress has been made.

Shannon McCormack (2007) *$1million Reward*

22-year-old Shannon was killed during a fight outside the Queens Bridge Hotel in Melbourne on 27th May 2007. He had stepped in to split up a fight when he was punched by an unidentified male.

Shannon fell to the ground and hit his head, causing a serious injury. His friends took him to his parents’ home, but he got worse overnight and was rushed to hospital where he died a few days later on 3rd June.

In 2022, the Victoria Homicide Squad raised the reward money to $1million (AUD), approximately $700,000 USD. The reward is offered for information relating to Shannon’s death and his killer.

CCTV footage had been released showing many people who have still not been identified. The squad hope the increased reward will help them solve the case.

Anyone with information about these cold cases is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via the Crime Stoppers Victoria website.

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