Latest news with #DanielMorcombe
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 20 years on: The 'red herring' that let Daniel Morcombe's murderer slip through police officer's fingers, plus the glaring error that meant he was free to kill in the first place
'Ten years ago you made a choice to rip our family apart.' These were the words Bruce Morcombe, the grieving father of Daniel Morcombe, who was kidnapped from a Sunshine Coast bus stop by pedophile Brett Peter Cowan in 2003, spoke to his killer in court.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- News.com.au
Top cop's eerie coincidence with Daniel Morcombe's killer
Last week, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, the parents of Daniel Morcombe, who was tragically abducted from a Sunshine Coast bus stop in 2003 and brutally murdered, released a documentary about the case, and everything that has come after. Don't Waste It: The Daniel Morcombe Story, marks 20 years of the Morcombe Foundation, the charity that sprung up in the horror-filled aftermath of his death, in the hopes of keeping kids safe under Daniel's legacy. And while Bruce Morcombe describes the film as 'a story of positivity and hope, in spite of its heavy content', one top cop who was closely involved with the murder investigation has expressed his belief that Daniel's murder could have been prevented, had an horrific and eerily similar case he was involved in two decades earlier, had a different outcome. Retired homicide detective Daren Edwards appeared this week on Gary Jubelin's I Catch Killers podcast, where he detailed the extraordinary circumstances in which he was involved in the arrest of murderer and child molestor Brett Peter Cowan – not once, but twice. In September 1993, while living at a Darwin caravan park, Cowan lured a six-year-old boy into an abandoned car yard and raped him. The child was so severely injured when he wandered, dazed and scared into a local petrol station, that police initially assumed he had been hit by a car. 'There was a BP service station, and the caravan bark surrounded it, but it was isolated, there was no other housing around or anything like that,' recalls Edwards. 'It was early days of using DNA, but the Northern Territory was quite advanced in those days, and the initial examination by the crime scene officer said there was what they believed was semen on (the victim's) underpants. So we realised if we could get DNA we would get some evidence against the actual offender.' As the team went through the caravan park seeking DNA samples from all the residents, it quickly became evident that Cowan was the only male resident who refused to give a sample. After a background check revealed Cowan had a former conviction for child molestation in Brisbane in 1987, in which the child had testified against him, Cowan quickly confessed to the latest rape – claiming that in spite of the horrific injuries the child had sustained, including evidence that he had been choked – had not intended to kill him. Edwards doesn't buy that. 'He didn't get that long at all,' he says in disgust. 'I think he only got about four years. Cowan saw a need to say something because he realised that there was evidence of him deliberately choking that boy out. And the only reason you would choke that boy out was really to kill him.' Edwards believed Cowan had been intending to kill the child to prevent him being able to testify against him, as his former victim in Brisbane had. Nearly 20 years later, working on the Sunshine Coast, Edwards was part of the team that, after an eight-year investigation including one of the most impressive stings in modern police history, finally took down Cowan for the murder of Daniel Morcombe. Cowan, after being convinced he was being initiated into an elite criminal gang, had agreed to show the gang's boss where he'd hidden Daniel's body, on the proviso that the boss' alleged links with high level police would grant him immunity for the crime. The 'gang members' were in fact undercover police officers, who were prepared to arrest Cowan on the spot as soon as they'd uncovered Daniel's remains. 'Out of 1000 acres of bushland, for him to be able to take them to that spot and go, 'I chucked his body over there' … I think we found his skateboard shoes initially, and some bones,' Edwards says, adding that the fact that he was present for both arrests was 'a full circle moment.' 'To be there again, that many years later, when he's arrested again for a crime where he talks about strangling … that's what he did to that little boy in Darwin,' Edwards adds sadly. 'It was a strange set of circumstances.' But coincidence aside, one thing still plagues the ex-cop still. 'We were all pretty annoyed (during the trial for the 1993 rape) that they hadn't run with charging him with attempted murder,' he says. 'And you know, a lot of the guys said that things might have been different if he had been serving eight or nine years for attempted murder in Darwin. (Daniel's murder) might not have happened. It's a stretch of the bow, I know, but a lot police still have that attitude, and maybe the Morcombes do too.'
Daily Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Daily Telegraph
The arrest of Brett Peter Cowan: Daren Edwards Pt.2
Daniel Morcombe was just 13 when he was abducted and murdered by Peter Brett Cowan. Years earlier, retired detective Daren Edwards arrested the pedophile for heinous crimes against another young boy in the Northern Territory. He also takes Gary behind the scenes of his viral crash tackle moment during a press conference and shares the cases that will never leave him. WATCH the viral moment of Daren crash tackling a man here. Get episodes of I Catch Killers a week early and ad-free, as well as bonus content, by subscribing to Crime X+ today. Like the show? Get more at Advertising enquiries: newspodcastssold@ Questions for Gary: icatchkillers@ Get in touch with the show by joining our Facebook group, and visiting us on Instagram or Tiktok.
Daily Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Daily Telegraph
Chasing a hitman across the country: Daren Edwards Pt.1
Retired homicide detective Daren Edwards first met Gary Jubelin during the hunt for the killers of Terry Falconer, who was murdered, dismembered and dumped in a river. The former cop has worked on cases across the country including arresting a murderer years before he killed Daniel Morcombe, investigated the case of Derek Sam who killed a teenage babysitter, and went undercover to bring down drug operations. Get episodes of I Catch Killers a week early and ad-free, as well as bonus content, by subscribing to Crime X+ today. Like the show? Get more at Advertising enquiries: newspodcastssold@ Questions for Gary: icatchkillers@ Get in touch with the show by joining our Facebook group, and visiting us on Instagram or Tiktok.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Daniel Morcombe's twin brother recalls the tragic day the schoolboy was abducted from a bus stop and murdered by a paedophile
Daniel Morcombe's twin brother has recalled the day the 13-year-old was abducted and murdered while waiting for a bus to go and buy his family Christmas presents. Brad, 35, has fondly remembered Daniel as his 'best mate' over two decades after the schoolboy disappeared from a bus stop on Sunday December 7, 2003. 'On that hot Sunday afternoon, trouble found Daniel,' he told a new documentary into his brother's disappearance, Don't Waste It: The Daniel Morcombe Story. 'He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We never saw him again.' The family were finally reunited with Daniel eight years later when his remains were discovered in the Glass House Mountains in the Gold Coast hinterland in 2011. Daniel's killer, Brett Peter Cowan, was arrested the same year and is serving a life sentence at a Brisbane correctional centre. 'When the truth finally came it was worse than we ever imagined,' Brad said. 'After eight years, Daniel wasn't coming home.' Daniel's father, Bruce, described the arrest as 'an incredible shock and surprise, a moment not of joy - a moment you think, "Wow Daniel's not coming home".' Brad cherishes the happy childhood memories he shared with his twin. 'He was only 13-years-old when he was abducted, just a few days before our birthday,' he said. 'He was my best mate. He loved horses and we both loved motorbikes. 'We grew up doing everything together - school, motorbikes, horses. Basically what he did, I did and vice versa. 'To outsiders he would seem like he was quiet but to us he was very boisterous, a little joker, a little mate. Just a nice kid.' Brad said waiting to get answers into his brother's disappearance before he was found was 'torture'. 'Every phone call, every knock on the door brought a flicker of hope, that quickly faded,' he said. The documentary was shared on Tuesday, May 6, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. Originally established by Daniel's parents, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, as a way to help find their son, the foundation has become one of the largest child safety operations in Australia. Its symbol, a red t-shirt, has become a well-recognised symbol for child safety and pays tribute to the shirt Daniel wore on the day of his abduction. Bruce explained the evolution of the foundation's mission was a way for him and his wife to cope with their grief and help other victims. 'We weren't sitting there in our sorrow,' he said. 'I can't change what's happened to Daniel but I can influence and change the future. 'I want everyone to stand tall and accept the challenge… Today is the day I tell my story. You are incredibly important in helping others. Don't waste your pain, you will help somebody else.' The Daniel Morcombe Foundation provides child safety education, prevention, and community engagement across Australia with Bruce and Denise often conducting sessions themselves. Over the years, the organisation has distributed more than two-million child safety resources and raised over $20million to ensure the continuation of its free programs. With more plans for books and resources in the pipeline, the Morcombe family are determined to continue their advocacy for many years to come. Don't Waste It: The Daniel Morcombe Story is available to watch on the Daniel Morcombe Foundation's YouTube page.
