SYDNEY — 1982 · Missing Person

The Lynette Dawson case

SolvedSources: CLast updated: 14 October 2026

In January 1982, 33-year-old Lynette Dawson disappeared in Sydney, Australia. Her husband claimed she had abandoned the family, and the case was treated on that assumption for years. Decades later, a piece of journalism revisiting the case drew wide public attention and helped spur a revival of the investigation. Her husband was arrested in 2018; in 2022, a New South Wales court found him guilty of murder despite the absence of a body, sentencing him to 24 years in prison. The ruling was regarded as an important precedent in Australia for cases without a recovered body.

Date
1982
Place
Bayview, NSW, Australia, Sydney, AU
Category
Missing Person
Case Status
Solved
Coordinates
-33.6600, 151.2970 ↗

Timeline of Events

  1. 1982She disappeared (January)
  2. 1982-2017The case lay dormant for years
  1. 2018Her husband was arrested
  2. 2022Court ruling: 24 years in prison (August 30)

Sources

  • Court Records
  • Official Report

Source grade C: no linked source yet; details rely on the general press archive. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.

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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.