A suburban area just an hours’ drive south of Sydney has been dubbed ‘Death Valley’ after a series of alleged murders and suspicious deaths over the past decade.
Residents of the beachside suburb of Woonona, in the NSW Illawarra region, have been rocked by the mysterious deaths which all took place in a block of around 100 houses since 2008.
Cotterill Avenue, Woods Avenue and Wynn Street have been home to the grisly alleged murders of two women dumped in wheelie bins, a pensioner who died in a suspicious house fire, and a mother found dead next to her infant son.
Cotterill Avenue, Woods Avenue and Wynn Street have been home to the grisly alleged murders of two women dumped in wheelie bins and a pensioner who died in a suspicious house fire
Louise O’Brien, 18, died at 26 Wynn Avenue, Woonona in October 2008
Louise O’Brien was just 18 when she was allegedly murdered by the mother of a carnival worker she had moved in with
Louise O’Brien was just 18 when she was allegedly murdered by the mother of a carnival worker she had moved in with.
Ms O’Brien’s life was already on the rocks and she had a bad relationship with her estranged mother when she moved into 26 Wynn Street, Woonona in 2008.
The troubled teenager was befriended by carnival worker Tracey Taylor, and moved into the Housing Department where Taylor’s eight children lived.
But while living in the squalid unit, Ms O’Brien was treated like a ‘dogsbody’ by Taylor’s 73-year-old mother Patricia Goddard.
During Goddard’s 2012 committal hearing, Wollongong Local Court heard from witnesses that the elderly woman shaved Ms O’Brien’s head and made her eat from a dirty bowl.
Goddard also allegedly forced pepper, salt and sauce into her mouth and made her eat her own scabs from off the floor.
During Goddard’s 2012 committal hearing, Wollongong Local Court heard from witnesses that the elderly woman shaved Ms O’Brien’s head and made her eat from a dirty bowl
The witness also said that Goddard tied Ms O’Brien’s hands to a chair and forced her to drink water from the toilet bowl.
When Ms O’Brien was caught trying to cut her own hair, Goddard allegedly shaved her entire head.
Ms O’Brien died on or around October 12, 2008 after Goddard allegedly hit her in the jaw with a hammer during an angry rage.
Ms O’Brien suffered a subdural haemorrhage to her brain.
Crown Prosecutor Nic Borosh told the court that Ms O’Brien was still alive after the blow to her head, but she was deteriorating.
Goddard then allegedly put the unconscious teen into a cold bath to try and revive her.
After being treated like an animal in the cramped house, Ms O’Brien died on or around October 12, 2008 after Goddard allegedly hit her in the jaw with a hammer during an angry rage
Ms O’Brien later died, and Goddard allegedly decided not to call police but instead dump her body into a red wheelie bin.
While her body disposed in the red bin, she was taken more than 3km away to Goddard’s home on Chounding Crescent, Bellambi.
Prosecutors claimed another person paid a man $80 to ‘dig a hole to bury a dead dog’.
But Goddard said she dug a 2m-deep grave and dumped Ms O’Brien’s body along with the bin into the hole.
Ms O’Brien was buried just five houses away from where her estranged mother lived.
Neighbours of the dead teenager assumed she had ‘run away to join the circus’.
But a tip off three years later in March 2011, led police to dig up the backyard of Goddard’s home.
They found Ms O’Brien’s remains inside the wheelie bin under the soil.
After the discovery of her body, a neighbour of the Wynn Street, Woonona house said Ms O’Brien was ‘always so lovely’.
But another neighbour descrbibed her as ‘skinny’. ‘Like she was drunk … she couldn’t walk properly … she didn’t say anything, she just shook her head’.
Patricia Goddard pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2012.
Ross Wilton died in a suspicious house fire at 27 Cotterill Avenue, Woonona, in March 2008.
Firemen discovered father-of-three Ross Wilton’s body inside his burnt out Cotterill Avenue home in Woonona at 2am on March 4, 2008
Firemen discovered Ross Wilton’s body inside his burnt out Cotterill Avenue home in Woonona at 2am on March 4, 2008.
Authorities were called after neighbours reported seeing black smoke billowing from the housing commission fibro home.
Mr Wilton had been drinking with another man inside.
Police confirmed the fire was suspicious and set up a crime scene, before later speculating he may have been murdered.
A man staying with the father was treated for smoke inhalation and was interviewed by police and released.
The father-of-three was diagnosed with potentially terminal liver damage in January 2008 after heavy drinking.
Mr Wilton had turned to the bottle following the heartbreak of his separation from his wife several years before his suspicious death.
Neighbour Karen Brierley said it was hard to believe that anyone would want to kill Mr Wilton, who had previously worked at a St Vincent de Paul Men’s Shelter.
‘He was a nice person and would always help people. He had a big heart. If people didn’t have a place to stay he would take them in,’ she told the Illawarra Mercury.
Police confirmed the fire was suspicious and set up a crime scene, before later speculating he may have been murdered (pictured: the empty lot where Mr Wilton’s house used to be)
Valmai Jane Birch was 34 when she died in March 2011 at Flat 5/1 Woods Avenue, Woonona.
Valmai ‘Jane’ Birch was found dead in a Woonona townhouse after neighbours reported smelling a strong odor
Valmai ‘Jane’ Birch was found dead in a Woonona townhouse after neighbours reported smelling a strong odor.
Similar to Louise O’Brien, Ms Birch’s body was also found inside a wheelie bin.
However the bin was left inside the bathroom of the 34-year-old’s apartment more than 10 days after she was last seen.
Ms Birch had a drug problem when she moved into the unit, and neighbours recalled seeing her ‘spaced out’ on the street.
Officers found Ms Birch’s decomposing body inside the wheelie bin in the bathroom, with forensic investigators determining her body had been there for a number of weeks
She had reportedly fallen into prostitution while trying to get clean from a heroin addiction.
Neighbours heard noises coming from Ms Birch’s home in the beginning of March 2011.
In the coming days they noticed a strong smell coming from her unit, before police went to the home on March 22.
Officers found Ms Birch’s decomposing body inside the wheelie bin in the bathroom, with forensic investigators determining her body had been there for a number of weeks.
Police released CCTV footage of Ms Birch at Wollongong train station on March 9, 2011; what authorities believe are the last photos of her alive.
Nearly a decade after her death, police arrested Ms Birch’s ex-boyfriend David William Bagster, 52, in Kiama on Tuesday
An autopsy wasn’t able to figure out how she died.
Police released CCTV footage of Ms Birch at Wollongong train station on March 9, 2011; what authorities believe are the last photos of her alive.
Nearly a decade after her death, police arrested Ms Birch’s ex-boyfriend David William Bagster, 52, in Kiama on Tuesday.
He was charged with her manslaughter.
Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Dickson said Ms Birch and Mr Bagster ‘were estranged from each other, although they were still in contact and associating’ at the time of her alleged murder.
Mr Bagster appeared at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.
He will remain in custody before his next court appearance on November 27.
Renae Micallef was 36 when she was found dead at 61 Cotterill Avenue, Woonona in September 2014.
Renae Micallef was found dead by police on the floor of her housing commission flat (pictured) in Woonona after she failed to respond to a note left by authorities five days earlier
Renae Micallef was found dead by police on the floor of her housing commission flat after she failed to respond to a note left by authorities five days earlier.
Police forced their way in to find the devoted mother lying next to her baby son Dylan, who was alive but quickly deteriorating.
Officers suspected she died of a drug overdose.
Dylan was rushed taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, before making a full recovery.
The 36-year-old mother had lived in the fibro home for a number of years after a motorbike accident left her addicted to pain killers.
Neighbours were shocked by the apparent overdose.
‘We’re all just stunned. It was an accident. There’s no way she would have left her little boy on his own,’ one neighbour said.
‘We knew she’d had problems, but she looked really happy,’ said another.
Police forced their way in to find the devoted mother lying next to her baby son Dylan, who was alive but quickly deteriorating
The body of 52-year-old Ronald Quirk, who lived on Cotterill Avenue, Woonona, was found 30km away in March 2019.
Father-of-five Ronald Quirk was spotted by a relative leaving his Cotterill Avenue home in a blue sedan on March 14 this year.
Mr Quirk was later reported missing, before his body was discovered six days later 30km north in Appin.
He was found on a trail at the entrance of Dharawal National Park.
Early police investigations suggested he didn’t die in suspicious circumstances.
Ronald Quirk, 52, was reported missing before his body was discovered six days later in Appin, 30 km away from his home on Cotterill Avenue, Woonona