An Australian coroner, Elizabeth Morris, has ruled that infant Azaria Chamberlain was stolen by a dingo in the 32-year-old murder mystery, MSNBC is reporting. The ruling brings closure to a case that drew national headlines after Azaria was killed in the Australian outback.
The Northern Territory coroner told a courtroom that a dingo, a wild dog native to Australia, took Azaria from a campground near Uluru. Her parents always maintained that their daughter was taken by a dingo, even though her body was never found.
Azaria’s official cause of death remained undetermined until now. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, served three years for murder, in the 1980s. Her father, Michael Chamberlain, was given a suspended sentence for being an accessory.
Michael said the report is giving those involved in the case, which was made into a film, ‘A Cry in the Dark,’ in 1988 with Meryl Streep as Lindy, a chance to move on. Lindy, who is now divorced from Michael and goes by the name Lindy Chamerlain-Creighton, added that “Obviously we are relieved and delighted to come to the end of this.”
Morris found evidence that proved dingoes were responsible for nine-week-old Azaria’s death on August 17, 1980. After Lindy placed her daughter in the tent, a dingo or dingoes entered, took Azaria and dragged her from the immediate area.
Written by: Karen Benardello
