The Snowtown Murders and PCR - case study
Snowtown Murders – Study Notes
Overview
Macabre discovery in May 1999: human remains of 8 people found soaking in acid in a disused bank vault; 3 more bodies found in the “House of Death.”
Links established with other murdered victims up to 5 years earlier.
Case demonstrates how serial homicide can be connected through missing persons, kinship, and forensic evidence.
The Perpetrators and origins
It all started in 1991 when John Justin Bunting moved into the “House of Death.”
Bunting befriended Robert Wagner, Barry Lane, and Mark Haydon; they lived nearby.
John Bunting was the ringleader. Motives cited include: obesity, paedophilia, homosexuality, or drug use as grounds for killing; multiple and evolving justifications were used.
Key members listed: John Justin Bunting (ringleader), Mark Ray Haydon, James Spyridon Vlassakis, Robert Joe Wagner.
Taskforce Chart (CHART)
A task force named CHART was formed to investigate missing persons and connections.
Links identified: Wagner and Bunting were known associates; Wagner accessed welfare payments for missing Barry Lane.
Initial focus: investigate connections among three missing people; this led police to the Snowtown Bank vault.
Locals reported unusual comings and goings, hinting at a pattern of disappearances.
Bank Vault discovery and the House of Death
Bank vault discovered May 1999.
Inside: six barrels containing eight decomposed bodies; tools of murder and torture; bodies preserved in acid; extreme stench reported.
House of Death: searches of suspects’ houses with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to differentiate disturbed vs. undisturbed ground; 3 bodies found in Bunting’s backyard.
Suspected motives
Motives discussed as personal insult or social reasons; social security pensions continued for ‘missing persons’.
The killers characterized as “a group that preyed on itself.”
In cases with 3+ killers, motive often financial rather than sexual; sex probably still played a role.
Interconnectedness of victims
Most victims were close associates of the killers.
Bunting maintained a “spider wall” in his house to track “undesirables” in the community.
Victims timeline and profiles (overview)
1992–1999: victims identified by month/year sequence as they appear in the timeline.
August 1994 – Clinton Douglas Trezise (22) becomes the first identified victim in the timeline; later identified as Barry Lane’s lover.
December 1996 – Ray Davies (26)
1996–1999: additional victims listed with ages and relationships; many connected to Bunting or Lane.
1999: Elizabeth Haydon (37) and David Johnson (24) are among the last victims.
General pattern: victims were often close associates, sometimes accused of paedophilia or other social taboos, and were targeted for control and financial gain (welfare/benefits).
Victims – detailed profiles
Clinton Douglas Trezise, 22 (body found 1994)
Lover of Barry Lane.
Invited into Bunting’s house, bashed with a shovel; Bunting accused him of being a paedophile.
Bunting killed Trezise; Wagner & Lane helped dispose of the body.
Ray Davies, 26
Mentally handicapped; former lover of Suzanne Allen; lived behind her house; accused of child abuse.
Beaten, stabbed and strangled by Wagner and Elizabeth Harvey; buried in the backyard of the House of Death.
Suzanne Allen, 47
Found buried above Ray Davies; body dismembered and buried in 11 plastic bags; death kept secret while pension continued to be claimed.
Michael Gardiner, 19
Openly gay cross-dresser; suspected paedophile after an encounter with Wagner.
Taken during house-sitting, strangled and placed in a barrel; left foot missing so lid could close.
Barry Lane, 42
Wagner’s long-term partner; convicted paedophile and transvestite named Vanessa; helped murder and dispose Clinton Trezise.
Confessed to his mother about the murder; another group member claimed Lane abused him.
Tortured for bank details; strangled and dismembered; found in a barrel.
Thomas Trevilyan, 18
Diagnosed schizophrenic; believed he was a soldier; claimed Barry Lane was abusing him.
Helped murder Barry Lane; Bunting worried he would go “mental” and ruin everything; found hanged in a park; initially classed as suicide.
Gavin Porter, 29
Drug addict and drifter; shared a house with Vlassakis and Bunting.
Bunting enraged after being pricked by a discarded syringe; attacked and strangled in his car; managed to stab Bunting with a screwdriver; found in a barrel.
Troy Youde, 21
Vlassakis’ half-brother; shared a house with Bunting.
Believed Bunting was being abused; attacked in his bed; strangled after being forced to provide bank details.
His voice was recorded to provide messages to friends.
Frederick Brooks, 18
Intellectually disabled son of Jodie Elliot (Elizabeth Haydon’s sister); suspected paedophile by Bunting.
Invited to participate in a robbery; handcuffed; tortured and choked to death; his voice was recorded; Mark Haydon continued to access welfare payments.
Gary O’dwyer, 29
Mentally and physically disabled; no strong direct connection to Bunting/Wagner beyond neighborhood proximity; looked similar to Troy Youde; invited for drinks; bound, tortured, and strangled; found in the bank vault.
Elizabeth Haydon, 37
Married to Mark Haydon; told by Mark that he’d told his wife about the murders.
Bunting murdered her in the bath; accused her of making sexual advances; Mark Haydon helped cover up the murder.
David Johnson, 24
Vlassakis’ step-brother; last victim; lured to the Snowtown bank; handcuffed and tortured for bank details; voice recorded; body dismembered; parts fried and eaten by Bunting and Wagner.
Identification and forensic methods
Identifying the bodies
Tattoos, dental records, and fingerprints used where available.
DNA testing employed to confirm identifications.
Police already had an idea of missing persons and potential matches in the barrels.
DNA identification and kinship analysis
Kinship approach used; Australia was just developing a convicted criminal DNA database at the time.
DNA could be extracted from the barrel bodies and tested.
Kinship analysis specifics
Requires DNA from a relative (preferably parents).
Child’s DNA is typically 50% from each parent: ext{Child DNA} = frac{1}{2} ext{Mother} + frac{1}{2} ext{Father}
PCR used to amplify fragments from multiple genomic locations; compare DNA profiles to identify relationships.
Example (simplified): father A, mother B; Victim 1 shows DNA markers C and D consistent with a parent-child relationship; Victim 2 shows A and D consistent with parent-child relationship. (Pedigree-like illustration is shown in the source material.)
How DNA linked killers to the scene
Multiple glove pairs found in the bank vault; DNA identified inside/on gloves; amplified via PCR; DNA profile matched with alleged killers; victim DNA also present on gloves.
Other items found in bank vault
Knives; bloodstained saw; double-barrel shotgun; coils of rope; rolls of tape; cloths; pincers; pliers; clamps.
A Variac metallurgy tool used for electric shocks.
Behavioral notes from the killings
Descriptions of acts as “excited killers”: sparklers placed in male genitals and lit; toes crushed with pliers.
Killers described the activity as if they were playing in a toy shop; they listened to the band Live during most killings.
Court case and sentencing
One killer’s perspective: Wagner stated the motive as action against paedophiles and protection of children; he claimed authorities did nothing; he justified taking action.
John Bunting chose not to speak at sentencing; he was reading a book at that time.
Verdicts (Total victims identified as 12):
John Bunting: Guilty of 11 murders; 11 consecutive life sentences without parole.
Robert Wagner: Guilty of 7 murders; 10 consecutive life sentences, min. 26 years.
James Vlassakis: Guilty of 4 murders; four life sentences, min. 26 years (note: the min term indicated is 26 years in the source).
Mark Haydon: Guilty of assisting in 7 murders; 25 years jail, min. 18 years.
Suzanne Allen: Jury unable to reach a guilty verdict for Suzanne Allen; possibly died of natural causes; judge noted lack of remorse and incapacity for rehabilitation.
Post-verdict updates and parole status (updates)
Barry Haydon: applied for early parole in 2017; denied; denied again in 2021; released May 2024 under strict supervision.
Robert Wagner: applied for non-parole period in 2019; dismissed.
James Vlassakis: parole eligibility in 2025.
Final word and broader context
Bunting and Wagner will spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Snowtown is infamous for the wrong reasons; the Snowtown Murders remain a difficult and disturbing case to view and study.
The case is frequently cited in discussions about crime scene forensics, DNA evidence, and the social dynamics that enable serial killing.
Connections to foundational principles and real-world relevance
Forensic science: DNA evidence, PCR amplification, and kinship analysis played a central role in linking suspects to the scene and identifying victims.
Law and criminology: The CHART task force illustrates how missing-person cases can be triangulated into a murder investigation with inter-agency coordination.
Ethics and public policy: DNA databases and kinship-based ID raise questions about privacy, consent, and civil liberties in post-crime investigations.
Psychology and sociology: The “spider wall” and the dynamics of a close-knit group that preys on its own members highlight how group dynamics can enable brutal acts.
Key terms glossary (from the notes)
House of Death: residence where some victims were kept and killed.
CHART: task force established to connect missing persons and murders.
Kinship analysis: forensic method using relative DNA to establish biological relationships; relies on parent-offspring DNA sharing.
PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; technique used to amplify DNA segments for analysis; follows exponential growth: N = N0 2^n where N0 is the initial copy number and n is the number of cycles.
DNA profiling: method of identifying individuals by comparing DNA across multiple loci; in this case, used to link killers to gloves and confirm victim identities.
Summary of significance
The Snowtown Murders illustrate how a combination of social history, victimology, forensic biology (DNA), and forensic archaeology (GPR, preservation state) can uncover a serial killing network.
The case also demonstrates challenges in criminal justice, such as determining guilt for all suspects, the use of kinship in DNA identification, and the long-term implications for victims’ families and public perception.
Cross-references to foundational principles
Forensics: DNA collection, contamination avoidance, and interpretation of DNA mixtures.
Statistics and genetics: relatedness and inheritance patterns underpin kinship analysis.
Criminology: motivations, group dynamics, and the role of social networks in criminal activity.
Quick recall prompts
When was the Snowtown bank vault discovered? May 1999.
How many total victims were identified in the case? 12 victims.
Which technique helped link the killers to the scene and identify victims? DNA analysis via PCR and kinship analysis.
Who was the ringleader? John Justin Bunting.
Connections to the broader topic on the exam
You may be asked to explain how DNA evidence contributed to the case, including the concept of kinship analysis and the use of PCR.
You might be asked to discuss the ethical considerations of DNA databases and kinship-based matching in criminal investigations.
You could be asked to describe the timeline and key players, as well as the outcomes of the major verdicts and parole updates.
Equations and numerical references (LaTeX)
Copy number growth in PCR cycles: N = N_0 2^n
Child-parent genetic inheritance (simplified model): ext{Child DNA} = frac{1}{2} ext{Mother} + frac{1}{2} ext{Father}
Relatedness reference: parent-child relatedness r = 0.5