Murder of Jaidyn Leskie

Jaidyn Raymond Leskie (30 April 1996 – 15 June 1997) was the Australian child of Bilynda Williams and Brett Leskie, kidnapped and murdered in 1997.[1] Despite leads, and the arrest and trial of a prime suspect, Leskie's murder remains unsolved. Although the decision was made in 2002 not to hold an inquest into the toddler's death, the case remained in the news for several more years. An inquest was held in 2006, implicating the mother's boyfriend, Greg Domaszewicz (/doʊməˈsɛvɪtʃ/), who at the time of the kidnapping was babysitting the boy at his house at Newborough.

Jaidyn Leskie
Born
Jaidyn Raymond Leskie

(1996-04-30)30 April 1996
Newborough, Victoria, Australia
Died15 June 1997(1997-06-15) (aged 1)
Newborough
NationalityAustralian
Known forChild abuse
Parents
  • Brett Leskie (father)
  • Bilynda Williams (mother)

Disappearance

The circumstances of Leskie's disappearance and death were never clear, and were complicated by a pig's head being thrown at the house and other vandalism on the evening of the toddler's disappearance, an alleged prank about the boy's fate and the body not being discovered until January 1998. Leskie is believed to have died of head injuries.[2] After a missing person's search, believed to have been the largest since the disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt in 1967,[3] Jaidyn's body was found on 1 January 1998 at Blue Rock Dam, 18 km (11 mi) north of Moe.[4] His body had been preserved by the cold waters of the lake through winter. The clothing he was wearing was subject to a DNA test in an effort to solve the crime.[5]

Trial and aftermath

Greg Domaszewicz was charged with murder, but was found not guilty in December 1998.[2] A controversial 2006 inquest,[6] which Domaszewicz's lawyer claimed to have been media driven,[7] found that he had contributed to the toddler's death and had likely disposed of the boy's body.[8] The inability to move forward with what some believe to be new evidence due to the double jeopardy laws in place in Victoria have led Leskie's mother to join a coalition asking for reform of these laws.[9] Almost ten years after Leskie's death, a kit on helping parents choose adequate babysitters was released in his memory.

See also

References
  1. "Jaidyn's murder exposed dark secrets". www.heraldsun.com.au. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. Gary Tippet (13 June 2002). "Jaidyn Leskie, the Final, Tragic Chapter". The Age. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  3. Piercce, Peter (1999). The Country of Lost Children: An Australian Anxiety. Cambridge University Press. p. 189. ISBN 0-521-59499-5.
  4. Stuart Rintoul (5 October 2006). "Riddle of a Sad Little Death". The Australian. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  5. Stephen Cauchi (22 November 2003). "Leskie Bib Puts Science in the Dock". The Age. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  6. Gleeson, Michael (2007). The Jaidyn Leskie Murder. Australia: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7322-8087-1.
  7. "Leskie Inquest Media Driven, Says Lawyer". The Age. 6 September 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  8. "Jaidyn Dumped in Dam: Coroner". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 October 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  9. Liam Houlihan (16 March 2008). "Jaidyn Leskie's Mother Calls for Law Reform". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
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