Ivan Milat, the Australian serial killer convicted of murdering seven backpackers in the Belanglo State Forest in the 1990s, has died of cancer at the age of 74. His death leaves several other disappearances unresolved, as he was a prime suspect in cases dating back to the late 1970s.
Milat was found guilty in 1996 of killing seven young people aged 19 to 22 who disappeared while hitchhiking south of Sydney. The bodies were discovered in makeshift graves in 1992 and 1993, sparking intense international media scrutiny. The case has since haunted the Australian psyche, with Belanglo becoming synonymous with horror.
Born in 1945 to Croatian immigrant parents, Milat was the fifth of 14 children. He had a history of petty crime and burglary, serving multiple jail terms in his youth. In the 1970s, he was acquitted of raping an 18-year-old hitchhiker. He was known to boast about violence and was an avid hunter in the forest where his victims were found.
Milat was one of six prime suspects in the disappearances of three women near Newcastle between 1978 and 1979. He gave evidence at a coronial inquiry in 2002 but no charges were laid. Speculation that he did not act alone has persisted, with evidence suggesting two people were involved in at least two of the killings.
His death brings an unsatisfying sense of unresolved matters, as his suspected involvement in other cases may never be confirmed. The Milat family became well known to police, with seven of ten brothers having criminal records.
