How Forensic Dentistry Helped Catch Ivan Milat

Between 1989 and 1992, seven young backpackers went missing while hitchhiking between Sydney and Melbourne. Most were taken in pairs, one alone.

Their bodies were found partially buried within five kilometres in Belanglo State Forest.

Forensic expert Professor Chris Griffiths has helped solve some of Australia’s most high-profile crimes using forensic dentistry.

In this episode of Crime Insiders: Forensics, Griffiths explains how he helped police identify one of the victims using dental records and a mouthguard:

Once the murders reached news headlines, a man who was backpacking in Australia came forward about having nearly been murdered by a man he believed was the ‘Backpacker Murderer’. He was able to identify Ivan Milat amongst a list of suspects.

In Milat’s home, police found sleeping bags and trophies kept from the victims who had been previously identified by the forensic dental work.

For more details on Griffith’s forensic work at the crime scene, listen to his episode on Crime Insiders:

Delve into more episodes like these by downloading the free LiSTNR app, the home of crime podcasts.