The " Azaria " saga finally ends !

This week a coroner's court concluded a final inquest into the death of baby Azaria Chamberlain and found that the child had been " taken by a Dingo ".   This ends a thirty two year inquisition for her parent's, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain, which included Lindy being convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

What is unusual about this case is the vitriol it engendered in Australian minds.   The Chamberlains were visiting Uluru- then known as Ayer's Rock - when on August 17, 1980, nine week old Azaria went missing from her parent's tent in the camping ground.  Lindy said she saw a Dingo walking away with the baby.

From that moment on the case went steadily downhill.  Lindy was a stoic person and soon there was comment that she was not "  upset enough " about the baby's disappearance.   The fact that the Chamberlains were members of the Seventh Day Adventist church brought a flurry of speculation that Azaria's death was somehow connected to some sort of mysterious church ritual.    The rumour mill ran in overdrive.  It was even suggested that the name Azaria meant " sacrifice in the desert ".

The first inquest delivered an open finding, but public clamour kept putting on the pressure and the Chamberlain's car was literally torn apart in the search for evidence.  Amazingly, the police forensic people claimed that they found foetal blood and an expert witness testified that the most likely cause would have been someone holding the baby between their legs while in the front passenger seat - and using a knife to sever it's head.    It is hard to imagine how science could make such an error because it was later proved that no such blood existed - and what was thought to be a blood smear was actually paint !

Lindy was tried for murder, convicted - and sentenced to life imprisonment.  She was pregnant during the trial and her baby was born in prison and later removed from her custody, and she served three years before events in other parts of Australia began to put the Dingo theory to the test.   It had been claimed that Dingo's were harmless animals which did not threaten humans, but a series of Dingo attacks on children disproved this theory - and then Azaria's bloodied jump suit was found in a Dingo den at Uluru.

Lindy was released - but the last inquest delivered an open finding.  Now the entire matter has been put to rest with a final inquest offering the courts sympathy for the loss of a child - and the official cause of death recorded as " taken by a Dingo. "

Unfortunately, this long running saga throws a strange light on the ability of many Australian minds to condemn where no clear evidence exists - and to hold that point of view when  emerging facts point to the contrary.    Lindy Chamberlain became a villain because she didn't weep and wail in the manner expected.  The fact that she and her husband belonged to a non mainstream church fed the rumour mill with conjecture - and then there was the bizarre explanation of " death by Dingo ".

The sad thing is - despite this making headlines in all forms of media for thirty-two years - there are still big numbers of Australian people who have  not changed their minds - and think that Lindy Chamberlain is
guilty !