Body Found In Bushland Near Beach – Fine Adult Fiction

Another woman’s naked body was discovered by bird watchers 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 5.00am after a night of torrential thunderstorms. 

Police won’t speculate on her death and deny that this one has any link to the Storm Killer Murders reported in the media three years ago.

Despite the similarities between this and the five victims found in isolated areas of Brisbane’s outskirts, investigators are adamant that there are no connections. They’ve asked the community to remain calm.

Residents in the area have reported no suspicious activity in the area prior to the murder.

Joe Callim, a resident of Nudgee Beach, has a property adjacent to the forest that connects it to the beach where the body was located.

‘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. I can’t believe it.’

‘I doubt anyone would’ve heard her. The storm would’ve blocked out her screams.’

Mr Callim continued, ‘If it happened during the storm [that we had last night] 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 she was photographing or what happened to her after reaching the beach is still unknown.

Like the other victims three years ago, no attempt was made to conceal the body.

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Hi! It’s me!

I spent many hours around Nudgee Beach, fishing, sailing and photographing the area. When I wrote SEETHINGS 2, I knew I wanted to see a murder committed there. It’s a perfect place for it.

It’s reasonably close to Brisbane but, due to its obscure location, it’s an almost forgotten area due to its obscure location.

I used to take students there. We’d stand on the mud flats at low tide in the darkness waiting for the dawn light to colour the sky. I’ve lost count of how many shoes I muddied over the years showing them how to capture the perfect sunrise shot!

The walking trail mentioned in the novel is a real place too. My students enjoyed using it while shooting the birds that waded in the shallow waters for their early morning feeds.

At night, romantic couples often meet in and around the beach, car park, and Mangrove Forest. (Some are there to enjoy watching a perfect moon rise across Moreton Bay.😉. How boring!)

Although the central car park is well lit, a smaller one that’s nearby isn’t. The forest trail that meanders its way through the mangroves and passes by a beach hasn’t any lights at all.

It’s possible that, when the conditions are right, visitors could come and go without being noticed.

And so a perfect murder scene is set, ready to be filled with intrigue. All I need to do is find a reason for two people to come together on a summer evening just before a thunderstorm.

In fiction, that’s not hard to do.

She uses dating sites to find part-time lovers. He’s out shopping for another victim. Photography is their common interest. Both have their respective needs met near an isolated shoreline using photography as a ruse.

A camera bag is found with her phone still inside it, minus its SIM card. (He uses it for something quite gross. You’ll have to read the novel to find out what it is.)

Okay, I’m evil and mentally sick. I get it… but I write for the neo-noir genre, right? It teeters between psychological thriller, horror, erotica and murder mystery. It’s supposed to be evil. That’s the deal.

So if you’re a sick person too, pick up a copy of my book for your reading displeasure. It’s available as a paperback or an e-book.

–Michael Forman

‘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’