On 7th December 2003, 13 year old Daniel Morcombe was abducted in Queensland, Australia whilst waiting for a bus to take him into the nearby town. Once there, he had planned to get a haircut and buy Christmas presents for his family- but he did not return home. Daniel’s remains were not discovered until 21st August 2011, almost 8 years after he was murdered, when his shoes and 17 bones were found in a rural, hilly area along with his underwear and a belt. DNA extracted from his toothbrush was used to confirm the match. Just one week earlier, on 13th August 2011, Brett Cowan had been arrested for his involvement in the young boy’s murder. 34 years old at the time, Cowan had deceptively lured Daniel into his car under the false pretence of a safe ride into town after the bus he was waiting for had failed to turn up on schedule.
Once in custody, it was uncovered that Cowan had previously received a series of convictions for crimes relating to minors. In December 1987, he had been charged with molesting a seven year old after he had lured the child into a public bathroom whilst undertaking community service. For this, he served a three year prison sentence. Further down the line, on 28th September 1993, Cowan raped a six year old child a short distance from a caravan park, leaving the small child severely injured and abandoned in a vehicle until they were later found. A seven year prison sentence was handed down for this crime, but Cowan was released after serving just four and a half years. During the early stages of the police inquiry into Daniel’s death, Brett Cowan had been named a suspect due to his extensive criminal past regarding children but was subsequently ruled out until his arrest years later.
On 14th March 2014, Cowan was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after a 20 year incarceration period. In addition to the murder charge and previous sexual offences, he was convicted of crimes including child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child under 16, and interfering with a corpse. Daniel Morcombe’s funeral took place on 7th December 2012 after his family finally received his remains and some extent of closure, which was well attended by over 2000 people who wanted to pay their respects for a young life taken far too soon.
