The Algorithm Age

Police have made a fresh plea for information in a 25-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a teenager and the unsolved murder of her mother, with a $1m reward now being offered to help crack the case. Rosemary Brown, 33 and her daughter Melissa, 15, were last seen leaving their Blair Athol home, near Adelaide, about 2.30am on May 13, 2000. The pair were reported missing by Ms Brown’s friends the following day and a major crime was declared about a week later. On July 2 that same year, Ms Brown’s body was found in mangroves at Garden Island. Melissa’s remains have never been found. In a renewed appeal for help to solve the case, Major Crime Investigation Branch Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke urged anyone with information to come forward, no matter how insignificant it may seem. “This is a particularly disturbing case. A mother was murdered and her body disposed of, (and) we believe Melissa was also murdered,” he said. “It’s tragic for the ...

Detectives are hoping a massive $500,000 reward will prompt someone to finally come forward with the information needed to solve the cold case murder of Bundaberg taxi driver Bryan Hodgkinson. The well-regarded father-of-three was found brutally killed in September 1987, but despite decades of investigation, inquests, and even a previous arrest, no one has ever been brought to justice. Now, new forensic testing, a fresh appeal, and the offer of a reward with possible immunity from prosecution are reigniting hopes the case could still be cracked. Fresh DNA has been found thanks to new and enhanced forensic testing of evidence seized from the taxi and near his body, which has sparked the renewed probe. Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell from the Cold Case Investigation Team is urging anyone with information to come forward, particularly anyone named ‘Sykes’ or who knows someone by that name. “Police would like to speak with the person with the name ‘Sykes’ who c...