ONE of the nation’s leading authorities on the Don Mackay disappearance has thrown doubt on a fresh murder theory that sparked a large-scale search of a Hay lettuce farm last week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Speaking for the first time about the search, author and investigative journalist Bob Bottom strongly maintained Mr Mackay’s body was dumped in or near the Murray River at Tocumwal just hours after his 1977 murder.
It comes as an inside source told Fairfax Media two hitmen – James Bazley and an accomplice – buried Mr Mackay at a Hay property before crossing the border at Echuca and continuing to Melbourne.
Police would “not confirm or deny” whether that information was the basis of the new search.
“I find the whole thing rather intriguing – why are police acting now on an anonymous tip-off they received more than a year ago?” Mr Bottom said.
“I’m just a bit sceptical at this stage. I’d love to see the remains found, but there are a lot of elements to this case.
“When (mafia informer) Gianfranco Tizzoni rolled over, he said the body was disposed of in the Murray River at Tocumwal, and even drew a comprehensive map.”
Mr Bottom, whose book Shadow of Shame is still considered the most definitive account of the murder, questioned whether authorities had searched the Tocumwal site thoroughly enough.
“I don’t believe they searched there properly and when they were questioned a few years later, they dismissed it, saying there had been two floods since and (the body) would be too hard to find,” Mr Bottom said.
He also rejected speculation that 87-year-old Bazley, widely considered to be the triggerman, was the “anonymous informant”.
“If it was Bazley and he wanted to collect the $200,000 reward, then he could just draw a map and pinpoint the site – why would police be wandering around Hay trying to find a well?” he said.
“And as a convicted felon, Bazley wouldn’t be able to collect the reward under the law anyway.
“I’m dubious of the whole thing.
“On the basis the tip-off was anonymous, they’ve held onto it for more than a year and when police went to Hay they didn’t have an exact spot.”
Griffith Police commander Michael Rowan said he was confident the tip-off was credible.
“This information has come in and we have investigated it for more than a year and we’ve got to a point where we can’t rule it out,” Superintendent Rowan said.
“We are treating this very seriously and that’s why we’ve applied the resources we have.”
A police source told The Daily Advertiser’s sister publication The Area News senior officers were still “60/40 confident” Mr Mackay’s remains would be found on the property.
- The Area News
