True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

One of the absolute certainties in life, is that one day we are all going to meet our maker (ie: kick the bucket....say goodnight Vienna or just plainly.....pass over to the other side!). For a lot of people this is a depressing subject to talk about and for others they don't mind it. There's our individual thoughts on death, our own death and then there is the thoughts of our loved ones who are often left behind when our time comes. It can be very difficult for them, as it is for us when we lose someone we love. 

Grief can be one of the most difficult things in life that one can go through and there's no set pattern to it, you can feel fine one day and then spend the next day in a constant flood of tears. Everyone has their own way of coping and grieving. So the loss of a loved one on it's own can be a heartbreaking experience but when someone we love has passed away as the result of being murdered or taking their own life, it can be utterly devastating. On this blog I have written about many devastating, horrific deaths over the years and I find that more trauma for the families of victims is added, even more so, with how their deceased loved ones are treated after death. Some victims are buried somewhere remote, only to be identified many years later and their families have agonised over whether they are indeed alive or deceased. Some victims are identified straight away, sometimes within days of being reported missing but the state in which the bodies are found is horrific. Some people's remains are never identified. I've written about people who had to be identified by their tattoos because, sadly, only a torso or a leg was found. 

In this bizarre but disturbing post, I will be talking about a different kind of crime, a crime that was committed after someone had died of natural causes and to this very day, the case is unsolved. As I am a writer you will find it no surprise that I try to pay attention to what goes on around me and what is happening in the world and I often come across shocking cases that I have never heard of. Recently we had a scandal in the UK which involved a popular family funeral parlour. This family business, known as 'Legacy Independent Funeral Directors' had been in operation for decades in Hull, England. Generations of people from the local community trusted this company with their deceased loved ones. It was Legacy's role to help give some comfort and support to grieving families, help ease some of the stress, and provide their loved ones with a respectable, moving funeral service. 

Legacy's services were not cheap and some of the time the service they provided did ensure a decent funeral service but there were times that the conditions were so appalling that it ended up with a professional employee (who had worked in that area and role for decades) throwing in the towel but making sure that she contacted authorities to report everything that had been going on. It turned out that Legacy (owned by a man named Robert Bush) had been up to all kinds of disrespect. Relatives of the deceased were unaware that their loved ones were being mistreated. Others later found out that their relative was being cremated or buried elsewhere, forms were forged and personal items were stolen. Numerous bodies were cremated and ended up being thrown into a mass pit (we don't know the exact number of people who were placed there but 136 families so far, are believed to be connected to suspected victims who were dumped in that mass grave). Payments from families would be taken and then their relatives would be placed in the cheapest of coffins with the cheapest of flowers. A lot of the time, the reason that company was able to get around this was because customers were too upset and wrapped up in a very sad period. At a time of grief, you don't expect families to be thinking straight, it's understandable. 

The person to expose everything about Legacy, was an assistant that worked there and her identity to this very day has to be protected. I remember a few years ago (because this was all exposed fairly recently at the time of writing this, April 2026) when the story first broke on the news, there was the funeral parlour itself and another building connected to Robert Bush that was sealed off to the public and a helpline was put in place. Thousands of concerned relatives who had either dealt with Legacy in the past or were at that time dealing with them, were all frantic. People were worried sick about what was happening or what had happened to the bodies of their deceased loved ones and they couldn't get any answers. The whole case shocked the UK and it's been a very long investigation which finally came to a head this month. Robert Bush pleaded guilty to over 60 charges of misdealing with human remains, fraud, forgery, theft, storing corpses for months on end whilst forcing ridiculous charges to grieving families, blackmailing grieving families, and placing the wrong bodies in coffins for cremation or burial. The whole story with Robert Bush was horrific, what a horrible man who is now waiting to be sentenced. I will of course update when I find out any more news about this. 

I would love to say that the case with Legacy and Robert Bush was an isolated incident but dodgy funeral parlours and shady undertakers is sadly, no uncommon thing. It's really upsetting to think that on top of losing your loved one, you have to be extra careful with which funeral services you select to ensure that your loved one has the send-off that they truly deserve. You want your loved one to be treated with the utmost respect. 

You're probably wondering if the Legacy/Robert Bush story is what the focus of this post is about but it actually isn't, although it is connected. The story I want to share in this post is every bit as heartbreaking and disturbing and to this very day, is unsolved. 

This case comes from San Antonio in Texas, a beautiful young woman by the name of Julie Nicole Mott came into the world on the 15th of August 1989. Her parents Sharlotte and Tim, along with her brother Jon, simply adored her. The family were very close and even more so when Julie was sadly diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. It was touch and go whether Julie would make it through her childhood but like a trooper, she powered through and surprised everybody. Despite the difficulties she had to endure with CF (she spent a lot of time bedridden) she was determined to live her life to the full and one of her greatest passions was horses. Julie adored horses and again demonstrated how remarkable she was because she continued to power through and would take part in show jumping and loved horse riding. Her family couldn't have been more proud of her although they did try to get her to take things easy, Julie was determined to lead as much of a normal life as possible. Julie loved sports and enjoyed swimming too. She was very sociable and had a very tight group of friends who she adored and they adored her. 

I had a childhood friend who had Cystic Fibrosis and I remember him having a lot of time away from school. He seemed to always pick up very bad colds easily and I never really understood what it was all about back then. CF is a genetic condition that causes thick mucus to build up in the body and can make breathing difficult. There is no current cure for CF and it's often diagnosed in infancy where a lot of children sadly pass away due to complications with it, but there can be a more positive outcome as everyone is different. With careful lifestyle management, a lot of people diagnosed with CF can live up to their 30's. 

When my friend was well, he appeared to live a normal life, I remember him running past me one day on the walk home from school. He spent a lot of time at my Dad's house because his brother was best friends with my brother so I was used to seeing him. I moved to England and didn't see him for many years, I was shocked to find out that he had passed away. He was young when he died, he married young and had a child at a young age. Apparently he had known since his childhood that there was always that possibility that he wouldn't make it into adulthood. I find that heartbreaking and my heart goes out to anyone who lives with this disease, to know from a very young age that there's a possibility that you might not make your 30's, it's just too upsetting for words. Julie and her family were always aware of this and it astounds me that Julie, her family and my childhood friend, despite having this daunting situation in the background, they were determined to live life as normal as they could. 

Julie was popular and academically gifted as well as incredible at horse riding, she seemed to have the world at her feet as well as being a stunning looking girl. It's no surprise that a lot of the boys at school had a crush on her. She continued to have as much of a normal life as possible despite the CF becoming troublesome at times, she was always determined to press on. As the years went on she ended up in a six year relationship with a guy named Bill Wilburn. She moved in with him for some time and for a lot of the time in the relationship they were like love's young dream but it soon became clear that things with Bill were beginning to turn a bit sour as he was quite possessive and controlling, he also had his sights set on somebody else. He was very much a have his cake and eat it, type of guy. The pair ended up breaking up because Bill decided to chase after this other person but soon realised he'd made a huge mistake and was determined not to let Julie go. For over two years he practically harassed her, begging and pleading for Julie to take him back but she was not interested. 

Julie was determined to go on about her life and continued to enjoy horse riding, nights out with friends and spending quality time with her family. Sadly, now into her 20's, CF was becoming more and more difficult to deal with. Julie, her family and friends had hoped that this was just another episode and that she would power through like she had always done but things just continued to get worse. It was now clear, at the age of just 25 that Julie needed 24 hours a day professional care in a hospital setting, Nobody gave up hope and she fought and fought with all of her might. With such a traumatic and serious time in the Mott family's lives the last thing anybody needed was the constant harassment from Bill Wilburn. Bill continued to try everything he could to contact Julie in the hospital, he even harassed Julie's family. His constant phone calls would go on all through the night, sometimes up until 4 am. 

On the 8th of August 2015 just shy of her 26th birthday, Julie sadly passed away from complications due to the CF. As you can imagine, everyone was devastated. Her father Tim had arranged for a beautiful service to be held at his former employer's chapel, Mission Parks Funeral Chapel North. The funeral was held on the day that would have been Julie's 26th birthday. The service was beautiful, so many people came to pay their respects to a beautiful talented and incredible young woman who really lived each moment to the best of her ability and achieved so much in her short life. The family being fair and kind, allowed Bill to attend the service to pay his respects and say his final goodbyes to Julie. Bill was beside himself and had noticed that Julie was wearing a ring whilst he was paying his respects to her at the private viewing, He was tearfully happy, telling Julie's mother and brother Jon, ''She's wearing the ring I gave her''. Sharlotte didn't have the heart to tell him that the ring that was on Julie's finger was actually a gift that she had given her. 

As the service rolled on and finally was coming to an end, visitors were starting to leave but for some reason Bill was still hanging around. Some people may say that he was devastated and struggling to come to terms with saying goodbye, so he may have wanted to stay a bit longer. It ended up where he was the last person aside from some members of staff, that was still around when they were beginning to lock everything up. According to one member of staff, they locked the door behind them with Bill. Julie's body remained in the coffin and the lid was placed carefully down and sealed, ready for the next stage, which was the cremation. 

So as heartbreaking as this whole event was, you would expect everything else to go to plan so that Julie's ashes would be returned to her family. Her father Tim had paid a lot of money to make sure that his beloved daughter had the most beautiful service and that the wishes that she had asked for had been fulfilled. Things, however, were to take a deeply disturbing turn. When the staff were preparing to take Julie's body for cremation, they noticed that the coffin looked like it had been tampered with. On closer inspection, it was clear that someone had broken the seals to the coffin and when they opened it fully.....Julie's body was missing. 

Panic set in and the staff searched everywhere thinking she had been placed elsewhere, maybe there was some sort of mix-up and she had already been collected? All hell had broken loose and Julie's family as well as the owner of the funeral chapel, who called himself (and this is serious, not a joke from me) 'Dick Tips'. Apparently this guy's real name was Richard Tips but for some reason he thought it was perfectly ok to be called 'Dick Tips'. He insisted on being called 'Dick Tips'. Anyway, everything about Mr Dick Tips and his funeral chapel began to unravel and it got worse and worse the more information that was revealed. So, there was quite a number of incidences before what happened with Julie. Mix up of bodies at funeral services, people would go to view their loved one and find a completely different person in the coffin. There was an incident where the wrong person was in a coffin at a family service but the deceased unknown person was wearing the same clothes and jewelry that belonged to the actual person that the service was for. So basically they had taken the clothes and personal items off of one deceased person and by accident or sheer laziness, put them on the wrong person. There was reports of thefts, bodies being left in hallways, lack of security. The codes to all of the alarms and private entryways to the building had not been changed in years, which meant that previous employees (of which there were countless over the years) could easily just walk right into the building and help themselves to personal items belonging to deceased people in their coffins. Some people are buried with their wedding rings, expensive watches, sentimental items and sometimes, in designer clothing. The whole thing was a recipe for disaster and utterly terrifying to say the least. 

So Julie's body was now missing, somebody stole this beautiful young woman's body (feels so creepy saying it like that but that's the truth of the situation). All fingers automatically pointed to....you guessed it, the creepy obsessed ex-boyfriend, Bill Wilbur. He claimed to be innocent but his behaviour on the day of the funeral and the constant years of harassment didn't exactly paint him in a good light. To add even more fuel to the fire, Bill wouldn't stay away from the chapel and tried to trespass a few times, harassing and threatening employees. This behaviour was confusing everybody, what was he looking for if he did indeed, remove Julie's body from the chapel? Was he completely innocent and blamed the staff, convinced that they must still have her in there? Or was he looking for items that would help him preserve her remains? (that sounds very disturbing but we have had situations where this has actually happened before). 

Bill's behaviour has continued to throw up red flashing lights, he's so obsessed with talking about himself, talking about Julie, harassing people close to Julie including her brother Jon, who he had the nerve to try and pin the blame on previously. He was arrested at one point and charged with trespassing at the chapel but that's about it. Everybody think's he's responsible and know's where Julie's remains are but nobody can prove it. Julie's body was able to be removed from that chapel in broad daylight with nobody seeing or hearing a thing, no CCTV footage, nothing. No evidence to go on except for the previous and current behaviour of Bill Wilbur.

To this very day, Julie's body has never been found. All of the staff who were working at the time that Julie was taken, have all had lie detector tests and their alibis checked out. The Police still consider Bill Wilbur a person of interest but they can't do much without any proof. Bill has said he was open to having a lie detector test but for some reason this has yet to take place. 

Another detail that came to light was that cremations would often take place at outside contractors and these people, who also knew the codes, could just walk in whenever they felt like it. The whole set-up was an absolute shambles. Julie's family continued to hope that one day the truth would come to light but they still believe that Bill Wilbur is responsible. The family filed a lawsuit against Mr Dick Tips and his shady funeral home and they were awarded $8 million. 

It's an unbelievable and heartbreaking story, all of these years later and Julie has still to be found. Will the truth ever be known? We can only hope but I'm sure you will agree that our hearts and prayers are with the Mott family and Julie herself, who deserves to be laid to rest in a respectful manner, 

RIP Julie, may the truth come to light soon. RIP to all of the deceased who have been mistreated by both of these two horrendous 'establishments'. My heart goes out to Julie's family, to all the families affected and to anyone who is going through the loss of a loved one at this moment. And of course RIP to my childhood friend, Alexander x

Further Reading & Sources:

- Legacy Funeral Home | Court Documents | CPS

- Legacy Funeral Home: Article | Red Lion Chambers

- Robert Bush: Article | The Guardian 

- Robert Bush: Article | BBC News

- Hull, England | Wikipedia

- Julie Mott: Article | KSat News

- Julie Mott | Find A Grave

- Cystic Fibrosis | NHS

- Julie Mott | Reddit Discussion

- Julie Mott: Article | Express News

- Julie Mott: Article | IBT Times

- Julie Mott: Article | ABC13

I know this post was quite disturbing to read but as always, I appreciate that you've made it this far. Your support for my work is much appreciated. Hopefully you will join me in my next post, in the meantime, you can find me on my socials listed here

Take care, until next time....x 

40 years ago a beautiful, bright and popular Estate Agent by the name of Suzy Lamplugh, popped out of her place of work to go and meet a client for a viewing at a property. She didn't bother taking her handbag because she knew it was going to be a quick meeting, that was her plan. She took along her keys and her purse which contained a small amount of money and her bank cards. It was lunchtime and she probably thought she would stop somewhere on the way back to the office to get some sandwiches, however, none of this was to take place. It was 12:40 pm on Monday the 28th of July 1986, a beautiful summer's day in Fulham, London. The booking was with a 'Mr Kipper', a name that would ring alarm bells with a lot of people, but Suzy was no stranger to encountering unusual surnames in her line of work. She always put 110% into her job and for her, it was just another day at the office. 

Before entering this field of work Suzy, who was just 25 years old, had already sailed the world having worked aboard the luxury cruise liner, the QE2 in the early 1980s as a beautician. Suzy was not only strikingly beautiful but also very talented with a very sweet personality. Anyone who knew her personally or had briefly met her had later mentioned how lovely she was as a person. Despite being a successful beautician she no longer found the role enjoyable and wanted to try something new, she also wanted to be closer to her boyfriend Adam who worked in London as a stockbroker. Suzy got on to a new career path as an Estate Agent at a time when London really was the place to be and she excelled in the role. Suzy was born on the 3rd of May 1961 to devoted parents, Diana and Paul, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Suzy also had two sisters and a brother. The family were all hardworking and very close. 

This case has never left the British public's consciousness since it was first reported. From the get-go the police had made a mess of the investigation and it left the Lamplugh family frustrated. The 28th of July 1986 was just like any other typical Monday, Suzy had met many clients at properties before and there was never an issue but this time she was meeting someone that the police always maintained was a very dangerous man who was most likely her killer, John Cannan. The police, despite lack of physical evidence always firmly believed that John murdered Suzy. Even his own brother believed him to be guilty and later told investigators that he had begged John to admit it completely. John had previously said that he knew who murdered Suzy and made a bizarre claim that Suzy's remains had been placed in cement. He would play games with investigators by telling them one thing and then changing his mind. 

John Cannan was the last person you would want to see if you were a female alone. Unbeknown to Suzy, John had been reportedly watching her and waiting to make his move. This wasn't just a shy. quiet guy who just simply wanted to take her out on a date, he had other plans, sinister plans. For a long time it remained a mystery as to who this man really was. 

On that beautiful summer's day, after being spotted by witnesses talking to a smartly-dressed man who had a bottle of wine or champagne in his hand, Suzy just vanished. As time went on, her employer became concerned along with family and friends as to why Suzy had not returned to work or home. This was not like Suzy to avoid contact with her family, friends and colleagues. Fears were even more through the roof when her car was discovered abandoned. John Cannan came to the police's attention because he fit the description of the man last seen by witnesses, talking to Suzy. He also happened to be convicted previously of stalking, abducting women, violent assaults on previous girlfriends, sexual assault and murder. The man was a complete monster with a horrific history of violence towards women but painted himself as Mr Casanova, often smartly dressed, hair slicked back, well spoken, claimed to be into reading poetry and philosophy. He also liked to charm women with flowers, chocolates and champagne. Innocent women thinking they had met a proper gentleman (who claimed to have slept with over 100 women) were soon to find out the truth when John's demeanour soon quickly changed and the real him emerged. He was a terrifying combination of Dr Jekll and Mr Hyde. 

John's modus operandi when it came to how he treated his victims, especially the young newlywed woman, Shirley Banks who he sexually assaulted and murdered, spoke volumes to investigators. There was too many similarities with the description of his appearance, Suzy's disappearance and the way he would constantly try to play with the police, admitting his guilt one minute but then changing his mind next. John Cannan thought of himself as very clever and above the police intellectually. At the time of Suzy's disappearance, John had been serving some time in prison but he was allowed out on day release, he had a job around the same area where Suzy had been working. It is believed that he noticed her whilst out and about and quickly fixated on her. The manner in which John Cannan had abandoned Shirley Bank's car and how it was found was eerily similar to that of Suzy's car. 

In the beginning of the investigation as I mentioned before, there were a series of errors by the police, including sending an old picture out into the media of Suzy with dark hair, she had recently dyed her hair blonde at the time she went missing. Some of the errors with this investigation remind me of the Claudia Lawrence case. The police had sent out an old picture of Claudia with blonde hair instead of a most recent one where she had darker hair. It might sound petty but it's the little details that really mean a lot when looking for a missing person. You might be walking down the street and just see the back of someone's head and all you have to go on is the description of their clothing and the colour and style of their hair. Claudia's case hauntingly echoes that of Suzy Lamplugh's as it has also remained unsolved for decades with no clues as to what really happened to her, is she still alive? Nobody knows and it's heartbreaking as is Suzy's case along with so many others. 

The news of Suzy's sudden vanishing on a typical Monday sent shockwaves through the UK, everyone imagined the worst and Suzy's family were very realistic, especially her mother Diana. Diana was straight to the point and said that she felt like Suzy was now deceased and that she didn't expect her to come home. Suzy's family never gave up, especially her parents who built up a foundation called the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Diana worked morning, noon and night, not only still searching for her daughter but also trying to raise awareness about the need for women's safety. I remember being given a personal alarm when I did some work at a charity for male and female survivors of sexual assault. This alarm had a button you could press if you found yourself in a scary situation. The alarm also had a ring that you could pull out which would cause the alarm to ring out louder and louder continuously. I thought it was an amazing idea and I was told the alarm was from the Suzy Lamplugh trust. The sad thing about it though was that there was only a small number of these alarms that were being given out and then suddenly they stopped due to lack of funding. I ended up giving my personal alarm to a 14 year old girl who I was supporting as she had been through a traumatic experience and I wanted her to feel at least some sort of protection. I feel that, even in 2026, we are still not able to fully protect ourselves in the way that we should. 

We are taught to be careful about what we carry, so a small knife in our bags (only to be used at a time of potential attack) is totally out of the question. We can't even carry pepper spray. Women are having to resort to carrying keys with pointed keyrings and using muscle treatment spray as something to help protect themselves should they end up in one of these horrendous situations. Suzy's mother (together with the incredible support behind the scenes of her husband, Paul) campaigned tirelessly for women to be able to protect themselves more, she did all of this whilst also trying to find her own daughter which she partially accepted the possibility may never be found. The Lamplugh family were incredibly honest and opened themselves up to the British public, sharing their thoughts and feelings. They spoke of how as time went on, they felt that Suzy was dead and that there was a part of them that didn't want to know where her remains were because they knew that it wouldn't be how they would want to remember Suzy. 

Suzy had a real zest for life and she was always busy doing something to the point that it concerned Diana. Diana would often tell her daughter to slow down but Suzy refused, telling her that life was for living. In the time that she was in her parent's lives, Suzy had made them immensely proud. She had achieved so much all the way through right up until she went missing. There's not many 25 year olds that can say they've travelled the world, tried exotic foods, walked on various sandy beaches, felt the waves on beautiful islands and met thousands of people. Suzy experienced a lot of life and she always lived it to the fullest, never missing a beat. 

On a side note, which I may have mentioned previously on this blog having written about Serial Killer Steve Wright, Suzy had actually worked alongside him when she was a beautician on the QE2. It is a very chilling thought. Apparently witnesses who had been aboard the luxury liner recall seeing Suzy and Steve together chatting on various occasions. Although a chilling fact, Steve Wright has never been connected to Suzy's disappearance, the police always remained fixated on John Cannan. 

Despite the fact the police claimed that John Cannan was their number one suspect in Suzy's case, there was no 100% confirmation because John played games with investigators. The case remained open and there was no closure to it because the years continued to roll by, Suzy's parents and family continued to work hard with their foundation until the heartbreaking deaths of both Diana and Paul. Suzy's brother, sisters and family continued on with the foundation and still work so very hard raising awareness to not only help other women and young girls but to also get some possible information one day about what really happened to Suzy. 

John Cannan died in 2024 at the age of 70 in prison of natural causes. He kept his evil mouth shut right up until the end. He took his evil and dark secrets with him. He is suspected to have not only murdered Suzy but could be responsible for other unsolved murders too. Was John Cannan a Serial Killer? He was a monster who enjoyed torturing and sexually assaulting women, he put them through hell and nobody believes for one second that Shirley Banks was his only murder victim. Will we ever know the truth? Will we ever find out what really happened to Suzy Lamplugh? So many questions remain, 40 years later and still....so many questions remain unanswered. 

This case has always been heartbreaking, as are all the stories I have written about on this blog. It's terribly sad that Diana and Paul passed away never knowing the real truth of what happened to Suzy. They were incredibly strong and such amazing people. During my research I watched interviews with Suzy's family and friends, I was struck by how amazingly strong and very kind, all of these people were. Their focus was not only on finding proper justice for Suzy and finding out the truth, but also to help protect other women and girls from something similar happening to them. Diana and Paul were also extremely supportive of other families of high profile victims who had been n the British press, they knew what they were going through and gave them support in any way they could. A truly remarkable couple and an incredible foundation they built in tribute to their beloved daughter. 

I hope that for Suzy's remaining family members, friends and all who are touched by this case, that answers will come. I also hope that if there is unidentified victims of John Cannan out there, that they have their stories told and given the justice they deserve after so many years. 

RIP in peace Shirley Banks & Any potential unidentified victims of John Cannan. Suzy Lamplugh is always in our thoughts. I would say my condolences to Suzy but it feels disrespectful. Suzy was declared deceased in 1994 although her remains were never found. RIP to Diana and Paul, your incredible legacy and foundation lives on. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Suzy Lamplugh Trust

- Suzy Lamplugh: Article | BBC News

- Suzy Lamplugh: Article | The Guardian

- Disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh | Wikipedia

- John Cannan | Wikipedia

- John Cannan: Article | BBC News 

- The Suzy Lamplugh Story: The Search For The Truth | Book by Andrew Stephen

- John Cannan: Inquest | Prisons And Probation Ombudsman

- Prime Suspect: The True Story of John Cannan | Book by Christopher Berry-Dee

- Suzy Lamplugh (Documentary) | Real Crime Youtube

- Suzy Lamplugh | Find A Grave

- Fulham, London | Wikipedia

- Suzy Lamplugh: Article | Birmingham Live

- John Cannan: Article | The Times

Thank you as always for reading my latest post. I hope you will join me in the next one.

In the meantime, I hope to see you on my Socials 

Take care & stay safe, until next time.....x 

 (From left: Caroline Reed Robertson. From right: Rachel Barber: Picture credits: Herald Sun)

*Please be aware that the details shared in this post will be disturbing and will be discussing the stalking and murder of a child. I have, as always, aimed to be as sensitive with the details without taking away from the facts of the case. If you would like to discuss this post, or any case I have covered on this blog, then please email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com*

You know sometimes when you can just look at some people and think ''That person is going to really go places someday''. It might be a young person who you know or are related to and you see them continue to flourish and over the years, grow in confidence and talent. You feel proud of them, admire their hard work and determination....want to see them continue to be successful. Well, in this particular heartbreaking case (that comes from Melbourne in Australia towards the end of the 1990's, 1999 to be exact) there was a beautiful young girl by the name of Rachel Barber. Rachel was one of those kids who just shone no matter what she did, from a young age, she was not only cute as a button, but she was incredibly gifted as a dancer as well as being blessed with supermodel looks. 

She was born in 1983 and brought up in a loving, caring family and her parents were as proud of her as they were of her sisters. Her maturity at such a young age was remarkable and although she was incredibly gifted with beautiful looks and talent, she was never full of herself or rude, in fact she was very modest, she would often wonder what the fuss was about and would laugh at the many compliments she would receive about her looks and dancing. 

Rachel was so passionate about dancing that she worked so hard practicing and would talk about her goal of having her own dance studio one day, she even had a name in mind for it as well as what it would look like, where it would be based etc, like she was manifesting it and was determined that it was going to happen. She was a young girl who was focused and knew what she wanted in life, she understood that she would have to be consistent and work very hard and she was happy to do so. She was never one to give up and did whatever she needed to do to get that bit more closer to her dreams. Her family were incredibly supportive and they believed in her and knew she would go on to accomplish all of her future goals. 

Whenever 15 year old Rachel was around her family and friends she gave off such a positive energy that everyone around her could feel it and instantly be lifted up by her presence. She was very popular and had many friends as well as a young, handsome boyfriend who absolutely adored her. At the age of just 15, Rachel was on the path to bigger things and everyone who knew her also believed that. Her incredible dancing skills had earned her a place at a very prestigious dance school in Australia, her dreams were getting closer and closer to being fully realised and it was all happening so fast at such a young age. 

Everyone was over the moon for Rachel, everyone but one person, a person who had been obsessed with her for years and she had no idea. Caroline Reed Robertson was a few years older than Rachel, she was aged 19 but had younger sisters who were friends with Rachel's sisters. Sometimes Caroline would babysit for Rachel's parents and this is how Caroline and Rachel became loosely acquainted. Rachel was someone who was beautiful inside and well as outside, so she would welcome people into her world with open arms and she treated Caroline pretty much the same way she would with all of her friends and family. She had a very trusting nature and a lot of that was because she was brought up in such a close-loving family who were very supportive so she didn't have experience of some of the unfortunate unsavoury characters that one may happen upon in life but she was only 15 and was still learning about the world. 

Whilst Rachel had grown up in a protected and loving environment where she continued to grow in talent and confidence as well as being a very sociable, bubbly person. Caroline Reed Robertson had been battling with her inner thoughts and lack of self love for many years, since 14 years of age she began to really focus on her outward appearance and struggled to accept what she saw when she looked in the mirror. She constantly compared herself to other girls and kept a diary where she described herself as fat and ugly with a pizza face. According to her recollection, boys didn't know she existed. She wrote in her diary that Rachel Barber was 'Striking to look at with hypnotic green eyes', she banged on and on for pages and pages about how Rachel's life seemed so perfect and how she seemed to be so good at everything. Instead of admiring the fact that Rachel was growing into a very pretty young woman who was very talented at dancing, Caroline began to become more and more enraged and obsessed with Rachel. 

Rachel was completely oblivious to Caroline's real feelings about her, she just saw her as a older friend who was more like in the role of a big sister. She thought she could trust Caroline cause she seemed nice and that was the other thing about Caroline, she was a master-manipulator who would act all nicey-nicey around people in an attempt to gain their trust. The scary thing about that was her pretentious act at being a lovely person actually was able to fool people into trusting her. She began asking Rachel's sisters personal questions about their lives and Rachel's life trying to make out that she was just asking as a friend out of general interest. The girls, out of innocence and not really knowing what the true situation was, were happy to answer these questions as well as hand over their birthday details at the request of Caroline who claimed she needed to know these facts for a project she was working on. Caroline's aim was to get as much information about Rachel as possible. 

The obsession with Rachel was continuing to grow and grow and when the news came that Rachel had been accepted into a very well-known dance school, Caroline seethed with jealously. Rachel also had a handsome boyfriend who doted on her hand and foot, everyone nicknamed the young couple 'Romeo and Juliet' because they where very much in love and were constantly wanting to be together. Caroline compared her life to Rachel's non-stop from the moment she first met her, she knew she would never look like Rachel, dance like Rachel, be as popular as Rachel, she was never going to be Rachel and it sickened her. To her it seemed that Rachel was constantly going from one fantastic opportunity to another and everyone adored her, she was always the centre of attention. Caroline was never the centre of attention and she had no skills, no dance technique, no boyfriend, no social circle. Caroline was the complete opposite to Rachel and it drove her literally insane.

With Caroline's issues dating back years it is a wonder why none of it was properly addressed. Her parents did say that they encountered problems with her and admitted that their daughter could be scary at times. One thing we do know is that Caroline fixated pretty quickly on a girl who was younger than her and was obsessed with Rachel's life. Caroline's obsession was spiralling out of control and she decided that she wanted to murder Rachel, she wanted to be her. This disturbing situation was about to take a horrific turn. Having failed to convince Rachel to meet her for a modelling shoot (Rachel asked her mother and she said no) Caroline decided a month later to try again. She told Rachel that she could help her get £100 if she took part in a project with her. Rachel, who loved to work hard for things and make her own money, agreed because she thought she could trust Caroline and there was a pair of shoes that she was desperate to buy. 

Caroline made Rachel swear not to tell anyone where she was going or who she was going with, she did mention to her boyfriend that she was going to make £100 but refused to say how and who was involved. Rachel's day on February the 28th 1999 started out the same as every other day, that evening she went to meet Caroline and unbeknown to her, a friend of Rachel's had actually seen them together. Caroline took Rachel back to her apartment where she gave her some pizza which she had laced with a drug and waited a little bit of time for it to take affect before telling Rachel to close her eyes and think of pretty things. As Rachel closed her eyes, Caroline strangled her to death. 

Rachel's body was placed in a wardrobe and kept there whilst Caroline tried to think about how she was going to dispose of her remains. Investigators later found diaries that had been owned by Caroline Reed Robertson and also details about Rachel and her mother's birth certificates. She wanted these personal documents so she could pretend to be Rachel and there may have a bit of an obsession with Rachel's mother too because her birth certificate was also found.

Caroline removed Rachel's body from her apartment wrapped in rugs and a huge bag. Whilst loading the bag into the taxi she hired, she told the driver that she was moving a sculpture to her Dad's home. She ended up burying Rachel's remains on her Dad's farm right next to where they had buried her cat. 

Caroline tried to return to work and act normal but everyone was alarmed at the sight of her. Eventually the police took the statement from the girl and various witnesses who saw Rachel and Caroline together and she was arrested. 

After everything was said and done, Caroline Reed Robertson has never gave her reasons for what she did. She was found guilty obviously and sentenced to 20 years but served 16, she was released in 2015. People were horrified at the news but Rachel's family took a very dignified approach to it all and told their supporters not to bother Caroline or her family. Understandably nobody was happy about this outcome and Rachel's mother did say that she was very concerned that Caroline could get fixated again on someone else. 16 years is a joke and it is shocking that she was released, everything she did was planned and she had no remorse. Any crying she did was for herself. It's scary to think that such a person is out there free to roam the streets after what she had done. It doesn't feel like justice to me and it should have been a whole life sentence without parole. 

When her apartment was searched, investigators found plans for her to start a new life either as Rachel or Rachel's mother, she was also trying to get hold of some money. Some people believe that she was planning her getaway and really thought she could get away with it and try to live her life as Rachel. In one of her diaries that she had written obsessively about Rachel, there was a detailed plan on how she was going to murder Rachel, disfigure her before dumping her body in a ditch on her father's farm. 

Although this case occurred in 1999, it has never been forgotten, nobody has ever forgotten Rachel Barber and the beautiful light that was stolen from her parents, her family, her boyfriend, her friends and the world. Who knows what could have been? At the age of just 15 she was making waves, fast forward a few years and she could have been dancing around the world, whatever Rachel Barber would be doing today we know 100% that it would be something pretty spectacular because that's who she was, she didn't do anything small scale and she never gave up. We would have all known her name like we sadly do now but it would have been in better circumstances, she would have been one of the best dancers in the world and who knows, she could do anything she wanted, her potential and talent was limitless. What an extraordinary young woman and to have just 15 years on this earth but to have left such a mark on everyone who ever met her or knew her, is really something. RIP Rachel x

In 2009 a drama movie which was based on this case was released, it was titled: In Her Skin

Just a side note: Whilst Caroline was in prison she did try to change her appearance and some believe that she was trying to copy Rachel's style. She also had a romantic long-term relationship with a convicted robber who she was hoping to start a new life with, upon her release. To this day she has not expressed remorse. Rachel's boyfriend who was completely devoted to her and described her as his first love, suffered for many years after Rachel's murder. He said that he had been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, the news about Caroline's release has caused him to suffer greatly. I hope that he and Rachel's family and friends know that people all around the world are thinking of them and I hope that they are feeling stronger today despite all of the heartbreak. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Perfect Victim | Book by Elizabeth Southall & Megan Norris

- Melbourne, Australia | Wikipedia

- Rachel Barber | Find A Grave 

- The Murder of Rachel Barber | Reddit Discussion

- Caroline Reed Robertson | The Herald

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