The death of Karmein Chan has been a cold case for over three decades now. Karmein Chan's murderer is still not identified, and Karmein's parents are still waiting for their daughter's killer to be unmasked.
The murder of Karmein Chan is a 30-year-old cold case that detectives still revisit to try to bring justice to the victim. Police have suspected that the murderer of Karmein Chan is Mr. Cruel, a notorious serial child rapist.
However, the case of Mr. Cruel is also a cold case with Mr. Cruel's real identity never uncovered.
Karmein Chan Parents: Meet Her Father John & Mother Phyllis Chan
John and Phyllis were the parents of Karmien Chan. John and Phyllis worked at a Chinese restaurant they owned in the nearby Melbourne suburb of Eltham.
John was from Australia, while Phyllis was Asian. Their daughters had inherited Phyllis' Asian features.
Karmein was their eldest daughter, and they had two more daughters named Karly and Karen. The three sisters usually went to their parent's restaurant in the afternoon, and after having dinner, restaurant staff would drop them home.
Karmein Chan, a name that you’ll never forget if you were in Melbourne in the 90s. #rip #Karmeinchan #mrcruel
It was the usual routine for the family. However, in 1991, the 13-year-old Karmine was kidnapped from her home with her two sisters locked in the closet.
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Mr Cruel Victims: What Actually Happened To Karmein Chan?
On April 13, 1991, Karmein was at home babysitting her two younger sisters after returning from their parent's restaurant.
A man in balaclava with a knife broke into the house. He kidnapped the 13-year-old Karmein Chan, and he also forced the two younger Chan sisters into a closet and locked them there.
After ten minutes, the younger Chan sisters broke out from the closet and called for help. The police soon arrived, and police dogs traced Karmein's scent through the house and past the family's Toyota Camry outside. Karmein was dragged from her home to the garden and tennis court, through the gate, and onto the streets.
Karmein was forced into a vehicle, and the police dogs lost the scent trail soon after. The family's Toyota Camry had been spray-painted with words such as 'Asian drug deal,' 'Payback,' and 'more to come.' However, police think this was a distraction to mislead them.
A year later, a human skull got discovered in a landfill area at Edgars Creek. Dental records confirmed that it was of Karmeins. She was shot three times in the head.
While Karmein's killer is unknown, Mr. Cruel was the prime suspect. He was a serial child rapist, and Karmein's abduction was similar to attacks done by Mr. Cruel on 10-year-old Sharon Wills and 13-year-old Nicola Lynas.
However, Mr. Cruel's real identity was also never uncovered.
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