A man who accused his father of murdering a young girl could also have been involved in her disappearance, but there was insufficient evidence against either man, a coroner has found.
Sharron Phillips disappeared on May 8, 1986, while waiting for her boyfriend after running out of gas in Wacol, southwest of Brisbane.
Queensland state coroner Terry Ryan has reopened the investigation into the 20-year-old’s disappearance after police identified taxi driver Raymond Peter Mulvihill as the number one suspect.
On Monday, Ryan ruled that Ms. Phillips was dead and that the cause and precise circumstances were unknown, and that the person or persons responsible could not be identified.
Mulvihill’s stepson, Ian Seeley, testified during the 2020 and 2021 hearings that he contacted a former detective in 2016 and said his father was responsible for kidnapping and killing Ms. Phillips.
Ryan said Seeley was an unreliable witness and that his evidence was not sufficient to support his allegations against Mulvihill.
Sharron Phillips, 20, disappeared on May 8, 1986 while waiting for her boyfriend after running out of gas in Wacol, southwest of Brisbane. Mrs. Phillips appears in the photo.
“Given the inconsistencies and lack of credibility that can be given to Mr. Seeley and the absence of further reliable evidence… I cannot conclude that Mr. Mulvihill played a role in Sharron’s disappearance to the level necessary,” the judge said. Mr. Ryan.
Mulvihill died of cancer in 2002 and Queensland Police told the coroner’s court in 2017 that, based on available evidence, he would have been arrested for Phillips’ murder if he were still alive.
Ryan said Seeley claimed in hearings that Mulvihill threatened him with a knife after realizing his father had placed a captive person in the trunk of his car.
“It is significant for the reliability of this new allegation that Mr Seeley only suggested that an assault had occurred after admitting that he knew there was someone in the boot but continued driving,” Mr Ryan said.
The coroner said there was evidence to support Seeley and Mulvihill were in the Wacol area when Ms Phillips disappeared.
Coroner Terry Ryan reopened an investigation into the disappearance of Sharron Phillips after police identified taxi driver Raymond Peter Mulvihill (above) as suspect number one.
Pictured is Raymond Peter Mulvihill’s Ascot taxi, which police believe was parked behind the shop where Ms Phillips was last seen.
However, Ryan discovered that Seeley had a commercial motive for lying to benefit his podcast about the case and had made unsubstantiated claims, including that his father had murdered at least 10 other women and hidden the bodies in a drain. along with Mrs. Phillips.
“It is possible that both Mr Mulvihill and Mr Seeley had some involvement in Sharron’s disappearance,” Mr Ryan said.
Ryan recommended to police that Phillips’ death remain in the hands of the cold case investigation team to review and monitor any new information.
“I acknowledge Sharron’s family, who have lived with ongoing and unresolved pain for more than 38 years,” Mr Ryan said.
Following Mr Ryan’s findings, Owen Lockett, who had given evidence during the inquest, shared his disappointment at the uncertainty surrounding Ms Phillips’ death.
Lockett said he had encountered Mulvihill coming out of the bush with a shovel on May 10, 1986.
Raymond Pegter Mulvihill’s stepson, Ian Seeley (above), testified during the 2020 and 2021 hearings that he told police in 2016 that his father was responsible for kidnapping and killing Ms. Phillips.
Lockett had stopped with his now wife to see if Mulvihill needed help after seeing the taxi on the side of a dirt road with the back doors open.
He said that when he saw Mr Mulvihill walking towards him from the dark tree line, he got “chills” and knew something was suspicious.
Lockett claimed Mulvihill dismissed her concerns and told her: “Can’t a man have sex?” before walking away.
Lockett said that despite calling police about the incident, he felt his evidence had been “ignored” during the investigation.
“For 38 years we thought something would happen, but they haven’t done anything,” Lockett said.
‘It’s heartbreaking. It has been very hard. It’s almost double her life and we’ve been looking to help her but no one cares.
‘Ultimately, we wanted them to look for that site and if they found remains, they would find the girl.
“It took us three years to find nothing and here we are today, 38 years later and we have found nothing.”
In 2016, forensic police began excavating land at Carole Park in Ipswich (above) after receiving information about the alleged murder of Sharron Phillips in 1986.
In March 2021, an emotional Mr Seeley fought back tears as he claimed his father was a “mass killer” who had begged him to “give the girls back” days before his death.
‘For him, for my father, it was quick, easy and simple. It was one of the simplest jobs he had ever done,” Mr Seeley told the inquest.
‘Everything was in order that day. It was not premeditated. He didn’t harass her. She approached him.
Asked how Mrs Phillips died, Mr Seeley said: “He strangled her.” He strangled them all.
On the night Phillips disappeared, Seeley said he arrived at the taxi base to pick up his father when Mulvihill jumped out to stop him, saying: “I’ve got something to put in the car.”
Mulvihill ordered his stepson to “wait in front” before reversing the car around the back of the base.
Seeley told the court he waited next to a telephone box Phillips had used to call for help.
Police said a “credible witness” came forward in 2016 with information about the location of Ms Phillips’ body, leading to an extensive new search (above).
A short time later a police patrol arrived demanding to know what he was doing there.
“I told them it was none of their business. “This is harassment and I told them to go fuck themselves.”
While police were talking to him, Seeley said he heard his father mutter, “Get in there or I’ll kill you,” followed by the sound of two trunks slamming.
He said the officers were probably “only 20 meters away” and asked what the noise was.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Seeley told police. ‘Why don’t you go take a look?’
The agents did not investigate.
Phillips’ sister, Donna Anderson, had suggested that her late father, Bob Phillips, was involved in her daughter’s disappearance, but he was ruled out as a suspect. Mrs. Phillips appears in the photo.
It was on the way home that Seeley said he began to suspect there might be someone in the trunk.
“I heard a bang and I said to my father, ‘What the hell have you gotten me into?’ he said at the inquest.
“I didn’t know there was a woman in the trunk… but I started to get suspicious.”
When the couple arrived home, Seeley claimed his father held a knife to his throat, cut him under the chin before ordering him out of the car and drove off alone.
‘I’m sorry. I gave up. I gave up. “I was a coward,” Mr Seeley said.
“I’m not asking for anyone’s sympathy, but it was bullshit.” The guy is a mass murderer.
Days after Phillips disappeared, Seeley claimed his father mocked media reports by saying, “You can say what you want, but they won’t catch me.” I am the gingerbread man.
Mr Seeley has never been charged with any crime in relation to Ms Phillips’ disappearance.
In May 2016, police were unable to find Ms Phillips’ remains after digging around a stream in Carole Park, Ipswich, after receiving information from a “credible witness”.
Phillips’ sister, Donna Anderson, had suggested that her late father, Bob Phillips, was involved in her daughter’s disappearance, but he was ruled out as a suspect.