Sarah MacDiarmid
Encyclopedia
Sarah MacDiarmid was a 23-year-old Scottish-Australian woman who disappeared from Kananook station in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia on 11 July 1990. She is presumed murdered, although no trace of her body has ever been found.
MacDiarmid, who emigrated with her family in 1987 from the Scottish Highlands
to Australia, had been playing tennis after work with two friends at (what was then known as) Flinders Park in Batman Avenue, East Melbourne before walking to Richmond station
where they found that they had just missed a Frankston
line train. They caught a train to Caulfield
then changed to a Frankston service. MacDiarmid's friends disembarked this train at Bonbeach
while she remained, continuing on to Kananook station where her vehicle was parked. She was last seen alighting the train and heading for the poorly-lit car park at approximately 10:20 p.m.
Police suspected foul play based on bloodstains found beside her red 1978 Honda Civic abandoned in the station car park. A 21-day extensive air, sea, and land search with more than 250 police produced no result.
The cold case was featured in the first episode of the Australian psychic TV series Sensing Murder
, which aired on Network Ten
in September 2004. The psychics used by this programme opined that MacDiarmid had been murdered and her body thrown into a now-closed rubbish dump on the Mornington Peninsula
. Victoria Police are offering a A$1 million reward for information that could help solve the case in the disappearance of MacDiarmid.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, 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....
, Australia on 11 July 1990. She is presumed murdered, although no trace of her body has ever been found.
MacDiarmid, who emigrated with her family in 1987 from the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
to Australia, had been playing tennis after work with two friends at (what was then known as) Flinders Park in Batman Avenue, East Melbourne before walking to Richmond station
Richmond railway station, Melbourne
Richmond is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Richmond. It is classed as a Premium Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...
where they found that they had just missed a Frankston
Frankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
line train. They caught a train to Caulfield
Caulfield, Victoria
Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
then changed to a Frankston service. MacDiarmid's friends disembarked this train at Bonbeach
Bonbeach, Victoria
Bonbeach is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 31 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston...
while she remained, continuing on to Kananook station where her vehicle was parked. She was last seen alighting the train and heading for the poorly-lit car park at approximately 10:20 p.m.
Police suspected foul play based on bloodstains found beside her red 1978 Honda Civic abandoned in the station car park. A 21-day extensive air, sea, and land search with more than 250 police produced no result.
The cold case was featured in the first episode of the Australian psychic TV series Sensing Murder
Sensing Murder
Sensing Murder is a television series in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, in which alleged psychics are asked to act as psychic detectives to help solve famous unsolved murder cases in each country. The psychics have not managed to solve any of the cases.-Format:Each episode included...
, which aired on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
in September 2004. The psychics used by this programme opined that MacDiarmid had been murdered and her body thrown into a now-closed rubbish dump on the Mornington Peninsula
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
. Victoria Police are offering a A$1 million reward for information that could help solve the case in the disappearance of MacDiarmid.