Australia Australia - Marion Barter, 51, missing after trip to UK, Jun 1997 #3

[KiwiNZ]

She didn't want to die and have her family around her. And she didn't want them to have her money! She had other final wishes..

Sorry people - I'm having problems with the functionality of this website! I will try harder!

It's a rather elaborate way to cut someone out of your will, you don't need to change your name to do that. There would have had to have been major relationship issues within the family and between Sally and her mother and it does not come across that was especially with the postcards she sent back ( although there was obviously some issue since she didn't tell her she changed her name, but I am not convinced that reason was because she didn't love her). If what your saying is correct then "Remakel" or another man is not a part of her disappearance and she was not murdered or conned.

not saying its not a possibility but if that is correct then we are chasing fairy dust to find the "man" … IMO.

 

[sunnynz]

I know Brian’s style can be a bit grating but it’s not a personality contest and there’s no denying the points he made in the latest conversations. If it weren’t for the podcast there wouldn’t even be the level of investigation and the coronial enquiry happening right now. He seems very sure about the fate of Marion. I’m sure there is some info that they know of that they haven’t shared with us and so I tend to have a bit of faith in his theories

 

[Cliff Hardy]

Sympathy to Sally and family - who I'm sure are going through all kinds of emotions right now - but to the rest of us this is playing out like an all time, epic thriller!

 

[Deleted member 249471]

We've come this far, why not throw someone else into the mix...

What was name of the romance scammer mentioned here with a slavic surname? He had links to England, Luxembourg and Australia, I think.

I wonder if there is any link between him and Remakel?

Could that possibly be his alias? Is it the same person? What was his name?

 

[KiwiNZ]

We've come this far, why not throw someone else into the mix...

What was name of the romance scammer mentioned here with a slavic surname? He had links to England, Luxembourg and Australia, I think.

I wonder if there is any link between him and Remakel?

Could that possibly be his alias? Is it the same person? What was his name?

Goran Markovic ? He has lots of alias but I couldn't connect the Remakel name.

His grandmothers name was Natali which I found interesting.

He has connections with the southern area of the UK, where his current partner is from and he is know to do dating and very elaborate scams.

I would love to place him in 1994 and 1997

 

[KiwiNZ]

Throwing this one in the mix, I can't find much information, other than the registration

Australian business look up - New South Wales - Rimakel's Hair Studio

Historical details for ABN 61 386 978 738 | ABN Lookup

 

[Deleted member 249471]

Ah, I see. Markovic been exposed somewhat. There's a 60 Minutes episode on him. He's on camera. He's not Fernand.

Markovic was in South Australia mid 1993, in Victoria in November 1997, and fleeing from Australia in 2002 as he was being investigated. He was still scamming in Italy in 2014.

It's worth a watch actually, Markovic's story is a good example of the depth of fraud these conmen go to. Especially, how they earn the trust then frighten and isolate their victims. And they never stop lying.

Markovic was even known to impersonate a pilot!

Didn't someone on the podcast say it might not have been a real pilot at TSS after all, just someone who liked to dress as one? Wow. My head is spinning. Were there fraudsters operating in and around TSS as well?

 

[KiwiNZ]

Ah, I see. Markovic been exposed somewhat. There's a 60 Minutes episode on him. He's on camera. He's not Fernand.

Markovic was in South Australia mid 1993, in Victoria in November 1997, and fleeing from Australia in 2002 as he was being investigated. He was still scamming in Italy in 2014.

It's worth a watch actually, Markovic's story is a good example of the depth of fraud these conmen go to. Especially, how they earn the trust then frighten, isolate and abuse their victims.

Markovic was even known for impersonating a pilot! Didn't someone on the podcast say it might not have been a real pilot at TSS after all, just someone who liked to dress as one? Wow.

I think he and Fernand were cut from the same 'old school con artist' cloth.

I have spoken to Kelly in the documentary, it was all very interesting but I couldn't rule him in or out after the conversation. There was a link to Luxembourg, it was one of the places he sent her to. he speaks French and other languages

They said in one of the Podcasts they had found the pilot via his ex-wife and confirmed him to be whom they thought, he worked for Cathay Pacific the same airline Marion returned on. but we have heard nothing else on this.

 

[Seriallyaddicted]

Well someone by the name of Remakel was on the payroll at Trendwest in the Gold Coast as mentioned by the anonymous tip that was recieved and discussed in the last podcast. I have read since about these property developments Ferdinand was involved in in Luxembourg- so by all means , that needs to be investigated fully by the police and also the existence of this Remakel employee on the Gold Coast. The lady did not mention when he was there from..just that SHE was there working in payroll between 2001 and 2004 and someone with the surname Remakel was on the books.

Thanks.
It’s possible it was the same remakel who hung around for a few years....

 

[Zechoan]

I totally agree sunnynz. I actually got the giggles a few times listening to the conversations episode and Brian kept on going and going and the others couldn't get a word in. It didn't annoy me at all though. He was obviously just really feeling passionate about the case and they've done such a wonderful job to get the information and answers that they have gotten so far.

I know Brian’s style can be a bit grating but it’s not a personality contest and there’s no denying the points he made in the latest conversations. If it weren’t for the podcast there wouldn’t even be the level of investigation and the coronial enquiry happening right now. He seems very sure about the fate of Marion. I’m sure there is some info that they know of that they haven’t shared with us and so I tend to have a bit of faith in his theories

 

[Zechoan]

I think the Remakel worker at Trendwest is a great lead so far even if the years he worked there are slightly out of whack as to when Marion disappeared.

One thing that is sticking in my mind from the latest episodes are the incoming passenger cards and the corrections. Do I need to go to the Facebook page to see actual pictures of the passenger cards? Who was it I wonder who made the spelling errors (in Luxembourg and Sth Korea)? Obviously it wasn't Marion and you wouldn't think it would've been flight personnel so that leaves Marion's male companion.....could someone with such poor spelling skills pull off such an elaborate scam? Perhaps I'm reading too much into that.

Another thought I have had is perhaps Marion was having one big last health check under western medicine before venturing into her new life where perhaps doctors visits weren't going to be an option? (E.g commune?)

One final thought I had that was bugging me is this......with all the money Marion had withdrawn...why would she have been angry with Sally for not banking the money she got from selling the car? Surely she had more than enough money already?

That FBk message from 'Clark Hunter' that Marion was alive but would never been seen again sends shivers down my spine. What possible scenarios could this be indicative of?

And sorry yes I am catching up again as things had been hectic. Now have a 1 year old.

 

[KiwiNZ]

I think the Remakel worker at Trendwest is a great lead so far even if the years he worked there are slightly out of whack as to when Marion disappeared.

One thing that is sticking in my mind from the latest episodes are the incoming passenger cards and the corrections. Do I need to go to the Facebook page to see actual pictures of the passenger cards? Who was it I wonder who made the spelling errors (in Luxembourg and Sth Korea)? Obviously it wasn't Marion and you wouldn't think it would've been flight personnel so that leaves Marion's male companion.....could someone with such poor spelling skills pull off such an elaborate scam? Perhaps I'm reading too much into that.

Another thought I have had is perhaps Marion was having one big last health check under western medicine before venturing into her new life where perhaps doctors visits weren't going to be an option? (E.g commune?)

One final thought I had that was bugging me is this......with all the money Marion had withdrawn...why would she have been angry with Sally for not banking the money she got from selling the car? Surely she had more than enough money already?

That FBk message from 'Clark Hunter' that Marion was alive but would never been seen again sends shivers down my spine. What possible scenarios could this be indicative of?

And sorry yes I am catching up again as things had been hectic. Now have a 1 year old.

It’s assumed the customs officer made the change on the card, it is their job to make sure it is complete

 

[KiwiNZ]

It’s assumed the customs officer made the change on the card, it is their job to make sure it is complete

I also read a comment on the Facebook page the Sally thinks the Remakel at tradewest was someone using her mother’s identity although the sex of the person wasn’t known by the tipsters, odd because thats not what I would have thought

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Oh wow I didn't think of that.

Maybe the Remakel could possibly have been Marion ?
If so wouldn't she have bumped into people who knew her as Marion Barter.
What if she had some kind of amnesia and forgot who she used to be

 

[Lord Peter Flimsy]

Listening to the podcasts there seems no doubt that Brian, Alison & Sally all believe the answer lies in Luxembourg. Of course Luxembourg is renowned for handling dodgy money and registering dubious companies. The investment scam still needs to explain why Marion rushed her disappearance and flew over 10000 miles to the UK?

 

[poppypopcorn]

*if you are visiting Kent and Sussex why the f would you go to obscure places like East Grinstead and slightly interesting places like Tunbridge Wells, but NOT go to the beautiful and historic medieval town of Canterbury?*

Dianarama - I'm from the UK too and totally agree. We all know what 99.99% of Australians want to see in the UK - Lomdon, York, Edinburgh. Or if they've been there already, Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge. I have been to East Grinstead and I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's pushing the definition of "off the beaten track" to the very limits.

I asked on the Facebook page whether Sally knew of any reasons why Marion had chosen that area for her visit - relatives, ancestral links, friends. The reply was that she knew of no particular reason for choosing E Sussex / Kent.

However, back in 1997 there were no border checks on people leaving the UK. She could have been back and forwards between Folkestone and Lille on thee train or Dover and Calais on the ferry multiple times. Alone or with someone else. They know she entered the UK for the first time on whatever date in June, but no mention of whether that passport entered again multiple times over the month of July.

I also agree with the theory that she may have changed her name again, officially or unofficially. If you want to disappear, you don;t call yourself Florabella Remakel. You choose Mary Taylor, Susan Brown, Angela Smith.

They really need to get cracking on searching through all registers of marriage for July 1997 in England, France, Luxembourg and maybe Germany/Netherlands too.

 

[FinickyWidget]

I think there is something to the Luxembourg scam angle. I managed to find a number of businesses opened and then closed again by Fernand Remakel in Luxembourg. (and some patent filings, I guess he must be an inventor or something?). Looking over it, there's nothing that seems obviously criminal, but it is a bit scammy to have so many LLCs and anonymous holdings and so forth. I thought this one was particularly interesting, it was formed in June 1997 and is the company Remakel filed his first patent for. Probably nothing.

 

[Zechoan]

If that's the case, you'd think they would know how to spell country names wouldn't you? Maybe not.

It’s assumed the customs officer made the change on the card, it is their job to make sure it is complete

 

[Deleted member 249471]

I can confirm that correctly spelling almost 200 countries isn't a condition of employment when you apply for a job at customs

On fb, Sally mentioned that Fernand is not married to his current partner, and they have not been together as long as they claim they have.

Some think this means Fernand can't actually marry his current partner because he's still married to someone else... Marion perhaps?

Personally, I suspect we'll never find a marriage certificate in any country.

To me, it seems as though Remakel tried very hard to have no official links to Marion, so why would he marry her and make it crystal clear he was with her?

What benefit would Fernand have in marrying her? She already changed her name to his initials and surname which is all that he needed to take her money, no?

It's just a hunch, I could be wrong.

 

[Sophie-Renee]

*if you are visiting Kent and Sussex why the f would you go to obscure places like East Grinstead and slightly interesting places like Tunbridge Wells, but NOT go to the beautiful and historic medieval town of Canterbury?*

Dianarama - I'm from the UK too and totally agree. We all know what 99.99% of Australians want to see in the UK - Lomdon, York, Edinburgh. Or if they've been there already, Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge. I have been to East Grinstead and I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's pushing the definition of "off the beaten track" to the very limits.

I asked on the Facebook page whether Sally knew of any reasons why Marion had chosen that area for her visit - relatives, ancestral links, friends. The reply was that she knew of no particular reason for choosing E Sussex / Kent.

However, back in 1997 there were no border checks on people leaving the UK. She could have been back and forwards between Folkestone and Lille on thee train or Dover and Calais on the ferry multiple times. Alone or with someone else. They know she entered the UK for the first time on whatever date in June, but no mention of whether that passport entered again multiple times over the month of July.

I also agree with the theory that she may have changed her name again, officially or unofficially. If you want to disappear, you don;t call yourself Florabella Remakel. You choose Mary Taylor, Susan Brown, Angela Smith.

They really need to get cracking on searching through all registers of marriage for July 1997 in England, France, Luxembourg and maybe Germany/Netherlands too.

I agree, I think there is some real credibility to the theory that Marion chose this area of the country because of its links to European waters. On, the other hand, to keep an open mind there is also the possibility that, in visiting from Australia to a country like the UK during summer, she preferred to catch the best of the warmth that she could- despite the UK being small there can be a big difference in the summers experienced way down south nearer Brighton for example, to a breezier summer in York or up in Scotland . Marion came from the coast, so will likely have been used to these breezier locations, but the climate in Australia still gets much higher temperatures and the higher ones would be found in that far southern part of the UK at that time of year- so based on those sorts of things, the time of year and location she was travelling to was ideal. I also get the impression somehow, that Marion was more into the quaint and small town feel than to the big bustling cities- she was a woman then into her 50s- a time when many people start to crave a slower , gentler pace of life. I think Marion was no exception. So why not choose Cornwall on the far west coast, where many a Brit even flocks to for the summer? More noted for its tourism .

Well maybe again, Marion didn't want a tourist trap as such OR of course- there could be an additional choice for access to the rest of Europe. I don't think it is as mad as it seems her choice in location. We all have different tastes and I think Marion did have that taste probably for more unassuming places- for want of a better word! That said, the fact still remains she could have known for a specific reason she wanted to be in the south east region- then searched for interesting towns within that specific area and definitely Tunbridge Wells would have then become a more obvious place to visit.