Murders of Margaret and Seana Tapp

The murders of Margaret Tapp and Seana Tapp, sometimes simply referred to as the Tapp murders, are unsolved crimes that occurred on 7 August 1984. The murders have been described as one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in Australian history.[1][2]

Murders of Margaret and Seana Tapp
LocationFerntree Gully, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date7 August 1984
Attack type
Murder
Deaths2
VictimsMargaret Tapp; Seana Tapp
Died7 August 1984
Cause of deathStrangulation
Reward amount
A$1,000,000 (US$ 714,286)

Background

Margaret Christine Tapp (3 June 1949 - 7 August 1984), a 35-year-old nurse who was studying law, and her nine-year-old daughter, Seana[lower-alpha 1] Lee Tapp (6 March 1975 - 7 August 1984) lived in Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia.

Investigation

Late on 6 August or early on 7 August 1984, an unknown assailant or assailants entered the home, beating, then strangling them to death with a section of rope. The victims' bodies were found in their beds in their nightwear the following day.[1] Seana had been raped prior to her murder.[1][4]

The case was investigated but quickly went cold. As there were no signs of forced entry, and the victims were attacked in their beds, the perpetrator(s) were probably known to them and aware of the broken lock on the back door.

Other leads included a Dunlop Volley footprint and a red utility vehicle seen parked nearby which was never traced.[5] Potential suspects included work colleagues and acquaintances of the single mother, including a doctor who had been paying the house rent prior to his death.[6]

Several suspects were later eliminated via DNA analysis, although complications in 2008 pertaining to the contamination of samples retrieved from the murder scene have cast doubts upon the earlier elimination of some suspects from the police inquiry.[1][4][7]

In 2015, investigators reopened the case in a cold case review[8] including the help of well known ex-investigator Ron Iddles.[6] In 2017, an A$1 million reward was offered for information that could lead to a conviction.[5]

Aftermath

The Tapps are buried in Ferntree Gully Cemetery.[9]

See also

Notes
  1. Seana is the female form of the name Sean and is pronounced "shawn-uh", not "see-anne-uh" as it has been mispronounced in some television and radio accounts of the Tapp murders.[3]

References
  1. "A mother, her daughter and a murder case that got away from all". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. "It's one of our worst unsolved cases, so why have we forgotten Margaret and Seana Tapp?". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Victoria. 22 April 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  3. "Son says father could be mother-daughter Tapp killer". Sky News Australia. 18 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  4. "Sex tape clue in double murder Margaret and Seana Tapp in cold case files". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Victoria. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016.
  5. "Want to be a millionaire? Help the police find a cold case killer". The New Daily. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  6. "Sex tape clue in double murder". www.heraldsun.com.au. 3 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  7. Peter Gregory; Richard Baker; Tom Arup (6 August 2008). "DNA blunder sinks kill trial". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  8. "Murder mystery could a pair of dunlop volleys lead to the killer". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Victoria. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. "Ferntree Gully Cemetery Register" (PDF). Knox City Council. 1 July 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2018.

Cited works and further reading
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