Murder of Jaidyn Leskie
Encyclopedia
Jaidyn Raymond Leskie (30 April 1996 – 15 June 1997) was the Australia
n child of Bilynda Williams and Brett Leskie, kidnapped and murdered in 1997. 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 and an inquest was held in 2006 implicating the mother's boyfriend, Greg Domaszewicz.
Jaidyn was kidnapped from the house of his mother's boyfriend, who was babysitting at the time, at Newborough
. The circumstances around his 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. After a missing person's search, believed to have been the largest since the disappearance of Prime minister
Harold Holt
in 1967, Jaidyn's body was found on 1 January 1998 at Blue Rock Dam
, 30 km north of Moe. His body had been preserved by the cold waters of the lake through winter and the clothing he was wearing was subject to a DNA test in an effort to solve the crime.
Greg Domaszewicz was charged with murder but was found not guilty in December 1998. A controversial 2006 inquest, which alleged murderer Domaszewicz's lawyer claimed to have been media driven, found that he had contributed to the toddler's death and had likely disposed of the boy's body. 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. Almost ten years after Leskie's death, a kit on helping parents choose adequate babysitters was released in his memory.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n child of Bilynda Williams and Brett Leskie, kidnapped and murdered in 1997. 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
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into the toddler's death, the case remained in the news for several more years and an inquest was held in 2006 implicating the mother's boyfriend, Greg Domaszewicz.
Jaidyn was kidnapped from the house of his mother's boyfriend, who was babysitting at the time, at Newborough
Newborough, Victoria
Newborough is a town in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria, Australia which shares a border to its west, mostly along the Narracan Creek, with the town of Moe. It can be divided into three areas, Old Newborough, East Newborough and North Newborough...
. The circumstances around his 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. After a missing person's search, believed to have been the largest since the disappearance of Prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Harold Holt
Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December 1967 when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was presumed drowned.Holt spent 32 years...
in 1967, Jaidyn's body was found on 1 January 1998 at Blue Rock Dam
Blue Rock Dam
Blue Rock Dam is a low-capacity dam on the Tanjil River 30 kilometres north of Moe, Victoria, Australia.It was built to provide cooling water for the power stations of the Latrobe Valley and to augment domestic water supplies....
, 30 km north of Moe. His body had been preserved by the cold waters of the lake through winter and the clothing he was wearing was subject to a DNA test in an effort to solve the crime.
Greg Domaszewicz was charged with murder but was found not guilty in December 1998. A controversial 2006 inquest, which alleged murderer Domaszewicz's lawyer claimed to have been media driven, found that he had contributed to the toddler's death and had likely disposed of the boy's body. The inability to move forward with what some believe to be new evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
due to the double jeopardy
Double jeopardy
Double jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same, or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction...
laws in place in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
have led Leskie's mother to join a coalition asking for reform of these laws. Almost ten years after Leskie's death, a kit on helping parents choose adequate babysitters was released in his memory.