This is another reminder for visitors to remain in a group. Those who go it alone risk an attack or worse.
Bird watchers discovered a woman’s naked body in the early hours of this morning. The body belongs to that of Verna Julenthorpe, 37, of Eagle Farm. She was last seen by friends yesterday afternoon. Her body was found on a naturalist’s boardwalk at Nudgee Beach at approximately 5.00 am after a night of torrential thunderstorms.
Police won’t speculate on her death but deny that this one has any link to the Storm Killer Murders reported in the media three years ago, where five victims were found in isolated areas of Brisbane’s outskirts.
Despite similarities, investigators are adamant that there are no connections. They’ve asked the community to remain calm.
Residents in the area reported no suspicious activity before or during the murder.
Joe Callim, a long-time resident of Nudgee Beach, has a property adjacent to the forest that connects it to the beach where the body was located.
‘I doubt anyone would’ve heard anything. The storm would’ve blocked out her screams.’
‘Yeah, sometimes we see headlights in the park and folks try to camp here overnight, but something like this hasn’t happened before. It’s a quiet community.’
Mr Callim continued, ‘If it happened during the storm, then no one would’ve known. The storms would’ve blocked out her screams. It poured so hard that I couldn’t even hear my TV.’
According to police, Mrs Julenthorpe appears to have driven herself to this location to take photographs. What happened to her after reaching the beach is still unknown.
Like the victims three years ago, no attempt was made to conceal the body.
Hi!
I’ve spent many hours at this beach, fishing, sailing and photographing the area. When I wrote SEETHINGS 2, I knew it was a perfect place for a murder. It’s close to Brisbane, but due to its remote location, it’s an almost forgotten area.
I used to take photography students to Nudgee Beach. We’d stand on the mud flats with our cameras (at low tide and in the darkness) waiting for the dawn light to colour the morning sky. (I’ve lost count of how many shoes I destroyed walking through mud and salt water.)
The walking trail mentioned in the novel is a real place. My students used it when shooting the birds that waded in the shallow waters nearby. We’d go back and forth as the birds fed on small fish and crustaceans in the morning light.
But at night, the wildlife activity in this area changes. Romantic couples often meet in the car park and the Mangrove Forest😉)
Although the main car park is well-lit, the smaller one at the edge of the forest isn’t. The trail that meanders its way through the mangroves and passes by a beach that has no lights, either. It’s possible that, when the conditions are right, visitors could come and go without being noticed.
And so the scene is set. It’s ready to be filled with sexy and diabolical intrigue. All I need to do is find a reason for two strangers to come together on a summer evening before a thunderstorm. In fiction, that’s not hard to do. Let’s say, it’s dead easy.
She uses dating sites. He’s victim hunting. Photography is their common interest. The conditions are right for a covert meeting to take place in an isolated area.
Okay, I’m evil and mentally deranged. I get that… but I write for the neo-noir genre. It teeters between psychological thriller, horror, erotica and murder mystery. That’s the deal.
So if you’re sick too and appreciate that kind of thing, pick up a copy of my book for your reading pleasure. It’s available as an e-book, downloadable right now!
–Michael (Dark fiction. Author of SEETHINGS (the first book), free for a limited time)
SEETHINGS II follows the return of the Storm Killer as a body on a secluded beach in Moreton Bay ignites fear and denial. While police dismiss the link, the media doesn’t. Mitchell Felding forms a dangerous bond with a man who understands his darkest impulses. When Natasha enters his life, carrying love letters from her murdered mother, intimacy deepens, and truth closes in. Some futures are inherited. Some are escaped.
‘Forman’s writing style is artful, with the protagonist Mitchell’s warped thought processes masterfully exposed. The author has a powerful and vivid command of language and his word pictures are stark and disturbingly real.’
Linda J Bettenay, author of ‘Secrets Mothers Keep’ and ‘Wishes For Starlight’
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
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