Australia Australia - Gerard Ross, 11, Rockingham, WA, 14 Oct 1997

[pauldking]

Brett Cowan ruled out – the penultimate paragraph is up for interpretation

https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/police-to-provide-update-on-murder-of-gerard-ross-ng-b88357473z

 

[Bohemian]

Interesting timing IMO in light of increased WAPOL interest in areas well-known by POI for JR and CG

Indeed.

 

[Bohemian]

Several new persons of interest have been identified

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-17/gerard-ross-child-murder-cold-case-breakthrough-in-rockingham/8187552

A timeline of the investigation related to your link, Paul

'Schoolboy Gerard Ross was abducted while on holiday in Rockingham in 1997. Two weeks later his body was found, brutally murdered. Police are yet to find his killer and have launched a fresh appeal for information to help solve the mystery almost 20 years on.

Here is how the case unfolded:'

Timeline: Gerard Ross murder investigation
TUE JAN 17 15:56:18 EST 2017

 

[JoeDetective]

Anyone else find the timing of this information release by WAPOL intriguing? (EDIT: obviously some do have seen posts now)
GR murder was linked with CSK I am told, I believe though anecdotal information about the alleged similar treatment of the body potentially.
I know the links were looked at extensively.

 

[Bohemian]

Anyone else find the timing of this information release by WAPOL intriguing? (EDIT: obviously some do have seen posts now)
GR murder was linked with CSK I am told, I believe though anecdotal information about the alleged similar treatment of the body potentially.
I know the links were looked at extensively.

Yes it does especially in light of this seemingly superfluous (or craftily?) inserted paragraph in your link:

'The appeal for fresh information in relation to Ross’ death comes amid a backdrop in which WA Police recently charged 48-year-old Bradley Robert Edwards with the murders of Ciara Glennon and Jane Rimmer, some 20 years after they disappeared from the streets of Claremont.'

Police rule out Brett Cowan in Gerard Ross cold case, appeal for information
Grant Taylor and Simon While
Tuesday, January 17, 2017 11:41AM

The writing between the lines could also be attributed to wishful thinking on my part.

How old would BRE have been in 1997? And why would someone who has allegedly murders two (or more) 20-something women also murder a prepubescent male?

 

[pauldking]

A timeline of the investigation related to your link, Paul

'Schoolboy Gerard Ross was abducted while on holiday in Rockingham in 1997. Two weeks later his body was found, brutally murdered. Police are yet to find his killer and have launched a fresh appeal for information to help solve the mystery almost 20 years on.

Here is how the case unfolded:'

Timeline: Gerard Ross murder investigation
TUE JAN 17 15:56:18 EST 2017

Thanks Bohemian. Interestingly MACRO taskforce was engaged within a week of the abduction. Tuesday 14th October 1997 presumably fell in the school holiday period but a work day for the gainfully employed. A midday 'opportunistic' abduction was very brazen.

There are three different cars in question over the years – originally a white ute, then a faded maroon wagon with two people and now a cream sedan. Sounds like WAPOL are leaving no stone unturned on this with the amount of suspects and evidence.

When you think about the discovery of GR fully clothed IMO creates some doubt in my mind that the perp may not necessarily be a paedophile. There was no update on the inquest. Does that mean they are turning the screws on this case?

 

[anna.w]

Yes it does especially in light of this seemingly superfluous (or craftily?) inserted paragraph in your link:

'The appeal for fresh information in relation to Ross’ death comes amid a backdrop in which WA Police recently charged 48-year-old Bradley Robert Edwards with the murders of Ciara Glennon and Jane Rimmer, some 20 years after they disappeared from the streets of Claremont.'

Police rule out Brett Cowan in Gerard Ross cold case, appeal for information
Grant Taylor and Simon While
Tuesday, January 17, 2017 11:41AM

The writing between the lines could also be attributed to wishful thinking on my part.

How old would BRE have been in 1997? And why would someone who has allegedly murders two (or more) 20-something women also murder a prepubescent male?

A reward was also announced this morning in the SA cold case of Susana Bobridge in 1997.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[crabstick]

Gerard Ross Location

 

[JoeDetective]

Thanks Bohemian. Interestingly MACRO taskforce was engaged within a week of the abduction. Tuesday 14th October 1997 presumably fell in the school holiday period but a work day for the gainfully employed. A midday 'opportunistic' abduction was very brazen.

There are three different cars in question over the years – originally a white ute, then a faded maroon wagon with two people and now a cream sedan. Sounds like WAPOL are leaving no stone unturned on this with the amount of suspects and evidence.

When you think about the discovery of GR fully clothed IMO creates some doubt in my mind that the perp may not necessarily be a paedophile. There was no update on the inquest. Does that mean they are turning the screws on this case?

It is election season also, a high-profile solved crime generally helps the sitting party.

I do feel though there has been a shift at WAPOL in terms of providing evidence to the public, in the past 2/3 months I have noted a more transparent approach to evidence, the release of this cap information (which was obviously intentionally held back at the time), is another example of this progressive approach.
This Cap is missing, is it a trophy or dumped somewhere?
Did it fall off in a scuffle?

Should WAPOL have revealed info about the Cap earlier, I think in this instance its less of a 'blunder' like the Claremont CCTV and more a decision that if it was revealed the suspect may destroy it. I can certainly understand their reasoning more with this one, but potentially I would have revelaed it after hot leads had dried up, if someone had found this cap somewhere 20 years ago they may have forgotten by now.

 

[pauldking]

A picture of a Yankees basecall cap similar to the one that Gerard Ross owned. Picture: WA Police

So with the cap it could have landed in several locations – the pick up, the blitz, the murder, the dump site, with the perp as a trophy or even a passer-by as kids love those hats even to this day stickers and all. With such an opportunistic attack I would have presumed the dump site was also the murder location but the missing hat could suggest otherwise...

 

[Alice Bernadette]

There is most likely more impetus from the police on this case now that they have caught the likely CSK. I don't think they are related as it would be highly unusual for someone to target young women and also a prepubescent boy. I just don't see Gerrard's case being linked to the same person who murdered the Claremont girls. Different victimology.

Gerrard does have a resemblance to Daniel Morcombe but obviously Cowan was in prison at the time. It is always difficult to know what happens in these murders because the police release so little information so there are always rumours about how victims die which can't be verified.

 

[meticulously]

Notice the hats different in another picture previously shown in GR articles , Who knows why ?
Source Google news

.

 

[pauldking]

One would hope that GR had a collection of NY Yankee hats or more than one and the the WAPOL release is accurate. I presume the parents may be fans of American baseball as GR is decked out in all the gear in that great pic M. and could ID the exact hat. I would have thought basketball caps were/are more popular with kids over the last 20 years which may make this baseball cap somewhat unique.

 

[pauldking]

[h=1]Police receive more than 70 Crime Stoppers calls about Gerard Ross murder[/h]http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/police-receive-more-than-70-crime-stoppers-calls-about-gerard-ross-murder-20170119-gturd4.html

 

[pauldking]

There is most likely more impetus from the police on this case now that they have caught the likely CSK. I don't think they are related as it would be highly unusual for someone to target young women and also a prepubescent boy. I just don't see Gerrard's case being linked to the same person who murdered the Claremont girls. Different victimology.

Gerrard does have a resemblance to Daniel Morcombe but obviously Cowan was in prison at the time. It is always difficult to know what happens in these murders because the police release so little information so there are always rumours about how victims die which can't be verified.

WAPOL went to great lengths to get Cowan with hollywood performances and set up 'Soprano-like' scenarios. Recent reports suggest they are all over this case like a rash. The creme sedan is seemingly critical yet vague. I wonder if the cream/beige car had tinted windows. Given the car in question was seen a few weeks before GR was abducted presents a few options – local or good knowledge of area, work-related location for a few weeks, regular passage between destinations...

 

[meticulously]

Some observations listed ,

There isnt publicly released info about how long after the abduction has the murder happened, or if GR was held captive for day/s or week/s .

LE Jon Munday in press release interview discounted the dog hair link when asked about it by a reporter , but it had been sent to adelaide for testing pre 2000, mentioned in msn articles .

Msn article says dna was destroyed early in the investigation .

police investigated the known sex offenders in the vicinity right away . nothing was stated about a sexual motive in the murder .

Jmo

.

 

[crabstick]

John Miller, local horse trainer found the body Gerard Ross near his training facility.

Maybe out on his morning training run?

Additionally police said on television, they believe around Gerard was abducted from 99 Kent street.

 

[bflocket]

This is a story about the sense of fear caused by Gerard's murder (for the children/parents) and the Claremont killer (for young women) and how it still affects those people. My apologies if it's already been posted.

How Gerard Ross' murder impacted Rockingham in the late 90s
WAtoday.com.au (East Perth, WA AUS)
1/17/2017

Several uniformed police officers came to my Year 6 demountable classroom to warn us to be extra vigilant in the wake of Gerard's murder, to tell our teachers or our parents about suspicious cars or any "strange people" we were unsure about.

The fear and anxiousness young women would have felt when they went out late at night in Perth at this time was likely a similar fear felt by children and their parents in Rockingham at the time of Gerard's murder.

After Gerard was abducted, I can recall an incident when one particular teacher kept us back after school well after 3pm. For what, I can't remember exactly. Maybe we were misbehaving and playing up.

I can still see the fury on the faces of the parents with the teacher in question because many of us had not arrived home at our usual time. They were terrified we had met the same fate as Gerard.

 

[crabstick]

Claremont put the wind up everyone. Claremont at the time had really superseded Northbridge as an entertainment precinct. Lots of people started going to Claremont. But once the murders took place, you nigh on needed a reference to go out with a girl.
Sure, some were still loose in their security.

Parents were on high alert. A lot of people became paranoid. It changed peoples lives, even if they didn't visit Claremont. I had a police officer in the top end the police force (white shirt) pull me out a car on Stirling highway, look me in the eyes and let me go.
He didnt say a word, but #$#@ he was shaking like a leaf when he was looking at me. I wasn't even driving.
Guess what, I was in a white VS Commodore. So they must of known. Im not sure it was the time Ciara went though.
Police were looking everywhere. Once rumours spread it might be a cop, people were paranoid they may be set up, evidence planted. All sorts of rumour was rife.

A lot of schools in WA now have security fences, and emergency response teams if there is an 'incident'.

Gerard was not even a local. He was from Hedland on holiday? His father worked on the mines in what capacity I'm not sure? Better not be electronics or similar?

Sure, massive impact. Never seen anything like it again. There was nearly justification for women to be let go for drink driving as there was no alternative transport guaranteed to be deemed practically safe. The risk was too high.

This is a story about the sense of fear caused by Gerard's murder (for the children/parents) and the Claremont killer (for young women) and how it still affects those people. My apologies if it's already been posted.

How Gerard Ross' murder impacted Rockingham in the late 90s
WAtoday.com.au (East Perth, WA AUS)
1/17/2017

 

[STANDREID]

20 years next week. Rest in Peace