ARREST IN 30 YEAR CHILD MURDER COLD CASE
NEW forensic evidence led to Major Crime detectives charging a former schoolteacher in the Louise Bell murder case.
The evidence forms the backbone of the case against former schoolteacher Dieter Pfennig, 65, who was today charged with the murder of the 10-year-old schoolgirl.
In a sensational development in the 30-year old mystery, detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Section descended on Port Lincoln.
Pfennig, who has been a suspect in the Bell abduction for two decades, was taken to the Port Lincoln police station after being arrested and formally interviewed.
He was then charged with murder.
In an Adelaide Magistrates Court hearing before Magistrate Jayanthi McGrath, he appeared via videolink from Port Lincoln Magistrates Court and was remanded to next appear in February. He sat emotionless and silent.
The arrest was the culmination of a two-year cold-case review in which many pieces of evidence, including the pyjama top worn by Louise, were sent to the Netherlands by police for advanced DNA testing.
The pyjama top was left on the front lawn of a neighbour's house two months after Louise was abducted from her bedroom on the night of January 4, 1983.
The DNA testing used new "low-copy'' testing techniques that have been successfully used in other jurisdictions, including the US.
The low-copy method of DNA testing is a far more sensitive technique than the method used in Australia.
It can extract a DNA profile from just a few cells of skin or sweat.
The review also led to police excavating the backyard of a Hackham West house that was occupied by Pfennig when Louise was abducted.
It was the second time his house had been searched by officers investigating the case.
Deputy Commissioner Grant Stevens declined to be drawn on the nature of the new evidence against Pfennig, but said police would allege he abducted Louise from her bedroom sometime after 10.30pm on January 4.
They believe he acted alone and no other suspects are being sought.
"She has not been seen since and
unfortunately her remains have not been located,'' Mr Stevens said.
"This is a significant step forward in the investigation and is evidence once again that police continue to investigate murders, regardless of their age or the difficulty of those investigations.''
Mr Stevens paid tribute to the current investigators and others, many of whom have since retired, who also sought to bring Louise's killer to justice.
"We have also had significant support from Forensic Science SA, who have been instrumental in helping us to bring this case to a point where we have been able to make an arrest,'' he said.
Louise was snatched from the bedroom of her house on Meadow Way during the night of January 4, 1983.
Neighbour Pat Golsby, who has lived in Meadow Way since 1971, welcomed news of the arrest.
"We all had young children at the time, there were a lot of children on the street so it was very distressing,'' she said.
"It is something that has needed to be solved for a long time and you just wonder all the time who could do such a thing.
"Our kids used to all play together, it would be nice to know where Louise is for her parents' sake. Hopefully now they can get closure for the parents. It has taken so long.''
Pfennig has been a suspect in the case for two decades. He lived two streets from the Bell house when Louise was abducted.
The backyard of his house and a shed were first excavated in 1991. The floors of two bedrooms were also dug up as part of the search, which failed to find any evidence.
One of the key exhibits sent overseas for forensic testing was the pyjama top Louise was wearing at the time she was abducted through her bedroom window.
Weeks after taking Louise, her abductor phoned Kathleen Smith - who lived near the Bells - and asked about medical advice for Louise.
He told her where to find Louise's earrings - under a brick at the Beach Rd-South Rd intersection. Earrings matching Louise's were discovered.
Five weeks later he left Louise's pyjama top - neatly folded - on Mrs Smith's front lawn.
Algae and soil samples found on the pyjama top led police to the estuary area at Noarlunga but no trace of the girl was found.
Deputy Commissioner Stevens said the arrest was the "culmination of the relentless work of all those police involved over the years combined with the dedicated efforts of Forensic Science SA personnel".
The investigation had involved taking 550 statements as detectives pursued Louise's murderer.
"Murder investigations never close and police do follow up every line of inquiry in the hope that each case is solved and the justice process completed," he said.
"Police have had ongoing contact with the Bell family during the past 30 years and continue that contact today.
"Louise's family remain devastated by her disappearance and remain hopeful that her remains will, one day, be found.
"Police will continue to work hard to meet this expectation. As this case shows it is never too late and police will take action whenever possible."
Raymond John Geesing, who had lived 500m from the Bell house until two months before her abduction, was initially charged with murdering Louise. Police had spoken to the father-of-four days after the abduction.
He was convicted using circumstantial evidence, but this was later overturned. The court found some grounds of suspicion but that they fell far short of the proof the law required for conviction of a criminal offence.
A key witness, a prisoner, was found to have fabricated his statement implicating Geesing, who successfully sued the government for facial injuries sustained during his 16 months in prison.