Sarah MacDiarmid was born in Scotland on 15 November, 1966 to parents Sheila and Peter MacDiarmid.
Sheila said that Sarah was quite ill at the very start of her life. It took three months until she was able to breathe unassisted and another three months before her family could take her home from the hospital.
Sarah’s family shortly moved to Australia from Scotland in the 1970s, but emigrated from the Scotland Highlands to Australia in 1987. Sarah was not happy with this move in the beginning and missed her life back in Scotland. Her parents said that she eventually settled down in Australia and made new friends though.
Sarah graduated from tertiary education in 1990 and then began working in the Melbourne CBD as a finance clerk for an insurance company. Peter said that Sarah had a good social life as well.
“She loved that job. She loved her friends. When we talked to the friends, we found she had a great sense of humour. She always made out she hated maths and arithmetic but she was very good with it,” Peter told the Herald Sun.
Sarah’s family said she was strong, and that she was willing to work hard and persist. “She attracted people who were very true and honest and straightforward people,” Peter said. He said that Sarah could also “get mad as a hornet” but wouldn’t stay angry for long, and that “she was such a character. She’s still part of life for us.”
Sarah disappeared on 11 July, 1990 from the Kananook railway station in Melbourne, Australia at age 23 years. Sarah is believed to have been murdered, and her body has never been found.
On the day of her disappearance, Sarah was playing tennis after work with a few friends at Flinders Park in Batman Avenue, East Melbourne.
After tennis Sarah and her friends walked together to the Richmond station where they found they had just missed their Frankston line train. They chose to instead catch a train to Caulfield then, so that they could change-over to the Frankston line service there.
Sarah’s friends would get off this train at the Bonbeach stop, while Sarah remained on the train because she was travelling farther to Kananook station. Kananook station was where her red 1978 Honda Civic car was parked.
Sarah was last seen leaving the train and heading for the carpark (which was very poorly lit) at approximately 10.20pm.
When Sarah didn’t return that night, her mum, dad, and younger brother Alisdair (aged 21 years) began to worry. Sarah was usually home from tennis between 10.30 and 10.40pm, so when she wasn’t home by 11pm they were feeling more uneasy.
They thought that she may have decided to stay the night at a friend’s house, so they decided that they would wait until the next morning before they started calling around.
At 1am, Alisdair also drove to the Kananook station just in case Sarah was perhaps arriving back late on the last Frankston train line from the city for the night. Sarah wasn’t on this train, and Alisdair said he found Sarah’s car still parked in the carpark and that it the doors and boot were still locked.
Sarah’s mum Sheila said that her husband Peter didn’t want to go to his work in the morning, concerned for Sarah, but she told him to go to work and that she would call up Sarah’s work to see if she was okay. Recalling her experience, Sheila said that by this time in the morning the family had already ‘knew’ that something was wrong.
When Sheila called Sarah’s work and they confirmed that she hadn’t shown up for work, Sarah’s family called the police.
The police initially believed that Sarah had been assaulted. They found bloodstains next to her car that had been left at the carpark, and drag marks that lead to nearby bushes. A cigarette lighter Sarah owned was also discovered on the ground. Witnesses reported that Sarah got off the train, crossed the footbridge to the carpark, and some people reported hearing a woman shouting, “Give me back my keys!” and “Stop fooling around!” followed by a scream.
One witness told police that the voices were firm but “not a yelling type of voice. I couldn’t see what was going on when I looked over the bridge as it was dark and obscured by bush. Within a few seconds of hearing the female voice, I heard a female scream. It was cut off after a very short time, for less than a second. I stopped and looked everywhere, the car park, the station and the railway line, but I couldn’t see anyone.”
Police launched a 21-day air, sea and land search involving over 250 police to try and find Sarah, but unfortunately, she was never found. Police investigated persons of interest, but no leads would assist in solving Sarah’s case.
Allegedly, the first suspect that Sarah’s family was told about a woman named Jodie Jones. Jones was a prostitute and a drug-addict. A few days after Sarah’s disappearance, police were told by one of Jones’ friends that that Jones had told her and some friends that she was responsible.
Jones had previously been convicted of manslaughter, car theft, prostitution, burglary and drug offences. In 1985 she was sentenced to 12 years of jail for the manslaughter of a man in St Kilda. The court was told that Jones had killed the man while wearing stilettos when she jumped off a wall onto his chest. Jones was released from prison early on parole, so she was out on the day of Sarah’s disappearance.
This friend said that Jones stayed in her apartment for a few days after Sarah disappearance and had told her that she and two men murdered Sarah. The friend said that Jones said: “You know that murder up at the Kananook station, I was there with two other blokes and I’m worried because I don’t know how staunch they are.”
This friend’s daughter also told police she had heard this conversation. The 11-year old told police, “I overheard a conversation between her and Mum, Paul (a man who shared the apartment with the mother and daughter) did to. We were in the lounge but we could hear them in the bedroom. I could hear Jodie say that she was in deep shit because she was in the Kananook murder and that there were two other guys with her and she didn’t know whether they would lag on her.
I heard Mum tell her that she didn’t want any trouble and then Jodie asked for the $100 Mum owed her because she wanted to go interstate and Mum said she didn’t have the money. Their voices were a bit raised. Then I went into Mum’s bedroom and Jodie sort of stopped talking a bit. Then Paul came in to and asked her to leave. She sat there for about two minutes on Mum’s bed and then she took her bag and stormed out.”
Other friends also told police similar things about Jones allegedly confessing. One person even told the police that she saw Sarah’s attack in a sworn statement on December 9, 1990, “As the train pulled away I saw Jodie and these two males follow a girl who was dressed in sporting gear. I watched these people for a while and I seen Jodie and the two males start belting into that girl near the driver’s side door of the car. I heard a female voice scream as she was being attacked. Jodie came screaming out from behind the car and the two males were following her. Jodie was hysterical and I ran towards her. I then saw blood on Jodie’s clothes. Jody was screaming ‘she’s dead, she’s dead’. I have not seen Jodie since this happened.”
Jones was arrested on July 23, 1990 and interviewed about the allegations. Jones denied being involved in Sarah’s disappearance and was never charged.
Below is an excerpt of the taped interview between Jones and detective Charlie Bezzina that the Herald Sun posted.
BEZZINA: It’s been alleged by a number of persons that you’ve told them you were involved in the death and stabbing of Sarah MacDiarmid at the Kananook railway station. What do you say to that?
JONES: I don’t know what they are on about. I don’t know what they are trying to do.
BEZZINA: Do you agree that they have made statements to the police telling the police that you have, in fact, made admissions to them in relation to being involved in this? Do you agree with that?
JONES Yeah, but I don’t agree with what they’re saying.
BEZZINA: Can you offer any explanation why they, of their own free will, would make a statement to the police, setting out these details and the conversations you have related to them?
JONES: I know Leon and Queenie used to ring each other and I had a fight with Queenie over money. I don’t know why. I wish I did.
BEZZINA: I also put it to you that you’re involved in the disappearance and death of Sarah MacDiarmid. What do you say to that?
JONES: I’ll put it to you that you’re lying.
The government offered a reward of $50,000 for any information that would assist the case. An anonymous benefactor would later increase this reward by a further $75,000. In 2004, the reward was again raised and $1 million was offered. This $1 million reward remains to this day.
Almost 16 years later, in May 2006, an inquest held by Coroner Ian West found that Sarah “had met her death as a result of foul play but the exact circumstances were unknown.”
In 2010 on the 20th anniversary of Sarah’s disappearance, her family and friends visited the Kananook station to place wreaths at a memorial for Sarah that had been established. A plaque for Sarah at the station grounds read:
Sarah MacDiarmid
Missing – 11/7/1990
Where are you Sarah
We love and miss you
Mum, Dad and Al
Sarah’s family also announced that they had made a website called “Not Alone” which was designed to help other families going through similar situations.
Police used the anniversary to appeal for information as well. The Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Dannye Moloney said:
“You do not close the books on these sorts of crimes… History proves that if you continue to communicate with the people out there, in Victoria, in Australia, in the world in some cases, that piece of information, that key will come forward and we’ll solve it.”
In 2011, serial killer Paul Denyer was interviewed by police after his arrest. Denyer denied any involvement in Sarah’s disappearance. Denyer told Detective Ron Iddles that he was “sick of being accused of murder” and that “I’d tell you if it was me… I’ve always admitted what I have done.” Denyer even wrote to Iddles to thank him for informing the public that he was not involved in Sarah’s disappearance.
In May 2014, News Corp Australia claimed that police had considered the convicted serial killer Bandali Debs to be a person of interest in Sarah’s case. Fairfax Media quoted “a senior police source” and said that this source told them “it was ‘common practice’ for homicide investigators to examine links between unsolved murders and known offenders.” A Victoria Police spokesperson decline to comment to Fairfax Media as Sarah’s case was still an “active” case. It is alleged though that the police searched Debs’ possessions after his arrest, and couldn’t find anything linking to Sarah’s case.
In an open letter via the Herald Sun, Alisdair made an emotional plea to the Debs asking to admit to Sarah’s disappearance if he was involved. Alisdair even offered to visit Debs in jail to talk to him in person.
The letter read, “I’m not sure what name you were known by within your family, but I will address you as Bandali. My name is Alisdair. My sister is Sarah MacDiarmid. I don’t know what makes you tick, any more than you know what makes me tick. Neither you nor I have a rosy-coloured view of the world.
Forrest Gump was wrong. Life is not a box of chocolates. There is plenty of rubbish in that box too. The fortunate have many chocolates in there. Some have a good number, others are grateful for the few they find — no matter the flavour. So this is just a straightforward request. If you know where Sarah is, please say so. Tell someone. Tell me. Bandali, I am willing to visit you if you wish to tell me face to face.”
Based upon public information, it is understood that Debs never replied.
In 2017, Sarah’s family contacted the local council to ask if they could have a memorial stone placed at the station in Sarah’s honour, because making a trip to the site was becoming more and more difficult at the aged. The council agreed to placing a memorial stone, and they unveiled the stone and a new plaque on 2nd September, 2017, reading:
Sarah MacDiarmid
A dear adored daughter and sister
Tragically taken from his location
On
11th July 1990
Loved Always – Never Forgotten
Allegedly, the police in July 2020 were again investigating Jodie Jones as a person of interest in Sarah’s case. Jones had already passed at aged 26 years, 14 months after Sarah’s disappearance, of a heroin overdose in a St Kilda motel. Supposedly, two people who may have directly been involved in attacking Sarah have also already passed, but one woman who may have helped hide Sarah’s body is still alive. It’s been alleged that the police had been trying to speak to this lady without success.
The police believe that there are likely to be other people who have been told key information about Sarah’s case that haven’t come forward, and that they have not given up hope on Sarah’s case.
“There will absolutely still be people who know what happened to Sarah and who is responsible. It’s been 30 years but it is not too late to do the right thing,” Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said.
“There are very few murders where those involved have never spoken to anyone about it — someone will know about Sarah’s disappearance and we are again appealing to those people to come forward and speak to police. It may not be those who have been directly involved in the incident, it could be people on the periphery or who are family, friends or associates of those involved.
It’s hard to extinguish that last bit of hope and families are left hanging off every phone call, every knock on the door in case it’s the one that will give them those answers.”
In 2021, the crime podcast “Searching for Sarah MacDiarmid” was launched as a nine-part series. The podcast is hosted and written by author Vikki Petraitis, and focuses upon exploring Sarah’s background, disappearance, and her case’s investigation.
Any persons with information that could assist in Sarah’s case should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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