An idyllic island escape, a violent love triangle, and a young woman found dead with the letter ‘A’ carved into her abdomen. The murder of Beth Barnard remains unsolved almost 40 years later, but its memory continues to haunt Phillip Island.
When 21-year-old Beth Barnard moved to Phillip Island in 1984, she found work at the same place as local man Fergus Cameron. The 36-year-old was a prominent citizen of Phillip Island, living with his wife Vivienne and two children.
The two became close, and four months later Beth was hired as the Cameron’s farmhand. Suspicions grew as to the nature of their relationship, and by 1985 Fergus and Beth had begun an affair.
The affair was an ‘open secret’ on the island, but Fergus continued to deny it anytime Vivienne brought it up. By 1986, it had reached a boiling point.
On the night of September 22nd, after coming home from being with Beth, Vivienne threw a wine glass at Fergus resulting in injuries that required her to drive him to hospital.
Fergus says that the two decided that night that their marriage was over.
At some point in the early morning, Fergus became aware that their family Land Cruiser was missing. Worrying for Beth’s safety, he called his brother to go and check on her. By 9:30am, police found Beth Barnard dead, with the letter ‘A’ carved into her abdomen.
What happened to Beth Barnard?
The standing theory is that Vivienne killed Beth in a jealous rage, carving ‘A’ for adultery as a violent homage to The Scarlet Letter, which she had apparently recently read. She is then thought to have driven to a nearby bridge and taken her own life.
But some things don’t add up. Most significantly, Vivienne’s body has never been found, and nothing identifying her was found near the bridge.
There was also a large amount of Vivenne’s blood found in her and Fergus’ home, despite Fergus maintaining Vivienne was not injured during their altercation.
There were no fingerprints on the murder weapon, and a forensic scientist maintains that the knife found next to Beth’s body was not consistent with the wounds present.
In the days before DNA evidence, the only certainty is that Type A blood – Vivienne’s blood type – was present at the crime scene, and traces of Beth’s blood were found on pieces of paper in the Camerons’ home.
Since Fergus has a strong alibi, and the prime suspect hasn’t been seen since the crime, Beth Barnard’s murder remains unsolved.
Find out the full story on this episode of Crime Junkie.
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