Parliamentary inquiry suggests serial killer Ivan Milat linked to 30 additional deaths
A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry claims Ivan Milat may be connected to up to 30 more murders and disappearances beyond the seven backpackers for which he was convicted.
During a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry, chair Jeremy Buckingham presented evidence that serial killer Ivan Milat might be responsible for as many as 31 additional murders and disappearances, adding 17 homicide or missing-person cases and 14 other disappearances to the known tally. Milat, convicted in 1996 of killing seven backpackers in Belanglo State Forest, died in prison in 2019. Former lead prosecutor Mark Tedeschi expressed lingering suspicion of Milat’s wider crimes but noted a lack of prosecutable proof, citing the case of Peter David Letcher as the only extra murder police were certain Milat committed, though prosecutors declined to proceed due to insufficient ballistic evidence.
Police and the state director of public prosecutions reported missing documentation among 400 archived boxes. The inquiry also highlighted Milat’s earlier acquittals on rape and robbery charges in 1971, suggesting possible witness intimidation. Buckingham called for a judicial commission and a dedicated police taskforce to re-examine cold cases, with the inquiry’s report slated for the NSW parliament in February 2027.
Why it matters
It could reshape understanding of one of Australia’s most infamous killers and prompt renewed investigations into cold cases.
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