Murder of Karmein Chan
Karmein Chan | |
|---|---|
Chan, c. 1991 | |
| Born | 5 November 1977 Templestowe, Victoria, Australia |
| Disappeared | 13 April 1991 (aged 13) |
| Died | c. 14 April 1991 Victoria, Australia |
| Cause of death | Homicide by gunshot |
| Body discovered | 9 April 1992 Thomastown, Victoria, Australia |
| Resting place | Templestowe Cemetery 37°45′34″S 145°08′31″E / 37.75947°S 145.14184°E (approximate) |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known for | Victim of unsolved murder |
The murder of Karmein Chan is an Australian child murder case in which a 13-year-old Chinese-Australian girl was abducted at knifepoint from her home in Templestowe, Victoria, during the night of 13 April 1991. Karmein's body was discovered at Edgars Creek in the suburb of Thomastown on 9 April 1992; the prime suspect for her abduction and murder is an unidentified serial child rapist known as "Mr Cruel", who had abducted and sexually assaulted a minimum of three prepubescent and adolescent girls in circumstances markedly similar to Karmein in the years prior to her abduction.
Investigators believe Karmein may have been killed by Mr Cruel because she had either seen her abductor's face, or because he feared the child could identify him.
The manhunt to identify and locate Karmein's abductor and murderer remains one of the largest in Victoria's history. Despite intense publicity and repeated efforts to identify and locate her killer, her murder remains unsolved.