Australia's Azaria Chamberlain mystery solved: A dingo did it (+video) - CSMonitor.com Australia's Azaria Chamberlain mystery solved: A dingo did it (+video) Latest News A 32-year mystery over the death of baby Azaria Chamberlain ended Tuesday when an Australian coroner found a dingo killed the baby. By Maggie Lu YueYang, Reuters June 12, 2012 View Caption of Canberra — A 32-year legal mystery over the death of a baby in Australia 's outback came to an end on Tuesday when a coroner found a dingo was responsible for killing infant Azaria Chamberlain, a case that split national opinion and attracted global headlines. The coroner's finding ends a three-decade fight for justice by Azaria's parents, Michael Chamberlain and Lindy Chamberlain , who was jailed for three years over her daughter's death before she was later cleared. "This has been a terrifying battle, bitter at times, but now some healing, and a chance to put our daughter's spirit to rest," Michael Chamberlain told reporters in the Northern Territory capital Darwin after the coroner's ruling.

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 01/17 Azaria disappeared on Aug. 17, 1980 from a tent in a camping ground near Uluru, a towering, haunting monolith formerly known as Ayers Rock , one of central Australia's main tourist attractions. Azaria's body was never found. Her parents always maintained she was taken by a dingo, an Australian native wild dog. "Obviously we are relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga," Lindy Chamberlain, now known as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, told reporters outside the court. The dingo-baby case has been dramatized several times, and was turned into a Hollywood film "A Cry in the Dark", starring Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep as Lindy Chamberlain. TAKEN BY A DINGO Northern Territory Coroner Elizabeth Morris found evidence from the case proved a dingo or dingoes were responsible for 9-week-old Azaria's death and ruled that her death certificate should read "attacked and taken by a dingo".

"What occurred on 17th August, 1980, was that shortly after Mrs Chamberlain placed Azaria in the tent, a dingo or dingoes entered the tent, took Azaria and carried and dragged her from the immediate area," Morris said. In an emotional finding, Morris then offered her condolences to the Chamberlains and one of their sons, who were in the Darwin court room. "Please accept my sincere sympathy on the death of your special loved daughter and sister Azaria. I am so sorry for your loss," she said to the family. "Time does not remove the pain and sadness of the death of a child." A first inquest in 1981 supported the parents' account but, a second inquest in 1982 overturned that finding and recommended Lindy and Michael Chamberlain stand trial over Azaria's death. Lindy Chamberlain, then pregnant with her fourth child, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Michael Chamberlain was convicted of being an accessory and given a suspended sentence. A judicial inquiry, known as a Royal Commission, overturned the convictions in 1987, leading to Lindy Chamberlain's release.

A third inquest in 1995 returned an open verdict. The latest inquest, however, heard new evidence of several dingo attacks on humans, including details of how a nine-year old boy died in Queensland after being attacked in 2001. (Editing by Ron Popeski) Get the Monitor stories you care about delivered to your inbox. Daily Azaria Chamberlain case: Dingo DID take baby rules coroner | Daily Mail Online Next The dingo DID do it: Lindy Chamberlain in tears at verdict after 32 years Mother served six years in jail for murdering tot who disappeared in the night during a camping trip to Ayers Rock in 1980 She and her then husband had always maintained that a wild dog had snatched their child Baby's body was never found despite intensive searches by police, Aboriginal trackers and park rangers Her clothing was later found beside a dingo's lair at the base of the rock Incredible scenes as coroner fights back tears as she delivers the verdict at fourth inquest into the case A dingo DID kill Lindy’s baby – The Sun A SENSATIONAL tale of tragedy three decades in the telling finally drew to a close this week.

Dingo Ate My Baby headlines streamed round the world when nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain disappeared during a family camping trip to the Australian outback in 1982. It prompted a Hollywood film — and Azaria’s mum Lindy served five years in jail for murdering her baby. But yesterday — the day after what would have been Azaria’s 32nd birthday — the definitive truth was declared. An Australian coroner has ruled that a dingo — or dingoes — DID kill the poor tot. It does not end mum Lindy’s anguish. It does, however, finally clear her name. Before being jailed she was spat at in the street and she and grieving husband Michael were regarded by many as child killers, opportunistically blaming a wild dog for their crime. The case was one of the biggest in Australian history and divided a nation over how the baby could have disappeared. The story was made into a movie — A Cry In The Dark — in 1988, starring Meryl Streep. Now, after four inquests and countless hearings, the Chamberlains’ story that their daughter was the victim of a dingo has at last been officially accepted.

Northern Territory coroner Miss Elizabeth Morris was close to tears as she told the parents and their sons: “Please accept my sincere sympathy on the death of your special and loved daughter and sister. “I am so sorry for your loss. “Time does not remove the pain and sadness of the death of a child.” She told them a new certificate would be available showing the cause of Azaria’s death as “being attacked and taken by a dingo”. Miss Morris had argued existing “misadventure” verdicts, based on English law, were not adequate for Australia due to the number of animal-related deaths. She said: “While some of these could be classified as misadventure… a fall from a horse for example, others such as bee, snake, shark, crocodile, dog and jellyfish are the result of the animal’s own intention and/or inherent dangerousness.” On that fateful day in August, 1980, Lindy, Michael, young sons Aidan and Reagan, and Azaria, had travelled from their home in Queensland for a camping holiday at the Ayers Rock beauty spot (now known as Uluru).

Lindy was talking with Michael and others at a barbecue area one evening when one of the campers said she heard a baby cry. Lindy went to check on the children just in time to discover a dingo running from the tent. There was no sign of baby Azaria. Lindy’s anguished cry: “A dingo’s got my baby!” shattered the night air — and resonated with a largely unsympathetic world down the decades. A major search by police, Aboriginal trackers and rangers found no sign of the child until several days later when her babygrow was found beside a dingo lair at the base of Ayers Rock. There were no human remains. The inquest that followed was broadcast live on TV and attracted massive interest. The coroner ruled dingo attack was “the likely cause” but concluded the body was later taken from the dingo and disposed of “by a person or persons, unknown”. Amid widespread scepticism that a dingo could kill a child, and no evidence of dingo saliva on the babygrow, investigators ordered a second inquest.

Based on ultraviolet photos of the clothing, a British expert suggested there was evidence of a small adult’s handprint on the garment and, crucially, “an incised wound around the neck” — indicating a cut throat. It was 1981 and the Chamberlains were charged with their daughter’s murder. As the case was discussed endlessly, much was made of Lindy’s alleged lack of emotion. Fanciful allegations suggested she was a witch, that the couple believed in killing babies for religious reasons and that the name Azaria meant “sacrifice in the wilderness”. Prosecutors claimed Lindy had cut her baby’s throat in the front seat of the family car before hiding the body. They said she then shouted out that a dingo had killed the child and, while others searched for her, disposed of the body. They claimed to have found traces of baby blood on the car seat. Crucially there was no sign of the jacket Lindy said her daughter had been wearing. Evidence from a fellow camper who heard the baby cry after the time Lindy was alleged to have killed her was discounted by the jury. So was forensic evidence that the “baby blood” could equally well have been chocolate milkshake.

The jury also ignored witnesses saying that dingoes had been seen in the area on the night of Azaria’s disappearance and that a dingo had snatched a three-year-old girl from a car at the camp site weeks before, but the child’s parents rescued her. Lindy was convicted of murder in 1982 and given a life sentence. Michael was found guilty as an accessory and given an 18-month suspended sentence. Then, in 1986, police investigating the death of English tourist David Brett — he had fallen to his death from Ayers Rock — found Azaria’s jacket in an area full of dingo lairs. Lindy was released and all convictions were overturned following a 1987 royal commission. Compensation paid to the family two years later covered only a quarter of their legal expenses and Michael and Lindy then divorced in 1991, with Lindy remarrying and moving with her new husband to America before eventually returning to Australia. A third inquest in 1995 gave an open verdict, with cause of death “unknown”, doing nothing to stop the pointing fingers and lingering suspicions hanging over the family.

Then came the announcement last December that Northern Territory coroner Elizabeth Morris would hold a fourth inquest, in February this year. As well as reviewing the previous inquests, she heard details of three recent fatal attacks on children by dingoes before reaching her decisive conclusion. Lindy, now going by the surname Chamberlain-Creighton, said after her ruling: “Obviously we are relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga. “No longer will Australia be able to say that dingoes are not dangerous and only attack if provoked. “We live in a beautiful country but it is dangerous.” Michael, who rejoined his ex-wife in Darwin to hear the verdict, said: “This has been a terrifying battle, bitter at times. “This battle to get to the legal truth about what caused Azaria’s death has taken too long. “However, I am here to tell you you can get justice even when you think that all is lost. But truth must be on your side.” Australia asks _ again: Did a dingo kill the baby? Australia asks _ again: Did a dingo kill the baby? KRISTEN GELINEAU Share View photos FILE - In this Feb.

2, 1982, file photo, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain leave a courthouse in Alice Springs, Australia. "The dingo's got my baby!" With those panicked words, the mystery of Azaria Chamberlain's disappearance in the Australian Outback in 1980 became the most notorious, divisive and baffling legal drama in the country's history. Had a wild dog really taken the baby? Or had Azaria's mother, Lindy, slit her daughter's throat and buried her in the desert? Thirty-two years later, Australian officials hope to finally, definitively, determine how Azaria died when the Northern Territory coroner opens a fourth inquest on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. (AP Photo) More SYDNEY (AP) — The growl came first, low and throaty, piercing the darkness that had fallen across the remote Australian desert. A baby's cry followed, then abruptly went silent. Inside the tent, the infant girl had vanished.

Outside, her mother was screaming: "The dingo's got my baby!" With those panicked words, the mystery of Azaria Chamberlain's disappearance in the Australian Outback in 1980 became the most notorious, divisive and baffling legal drama in the country's history. Had a wild dog really taken the baby? Or had Azaria's mother, Lindy, slit her daughter's throat and buried her in the desert? Thirty-two years later, Australian officials hope to finally, definitively, determine how Azaria died when the Northern Territory coroner opens a fourth inquest on Friday (Feb. 24). Lindy Chamberlain, who was convicted of murdering her daughter and later cleared, is still waiting for authorities to close the case that made her the most hated person in Australia. To the rest of the world, the case is largely known for its place in pop culture: countless books, an opera, the Meryl Streep movie "A Cry in the Dark," and the sitcom Seinfeld's spoof of Lindy's cry, "Maybe the dingo ate your baby!" But to Australians, the case is about much more than the guilt or innocence of one woman.

It is about the guilt or innocence of a nation — a nation that prides itself on the concept of a "fair go," an equal chance, for all. Did Lindy Chamberlain get a fair go? Or had Australians misjudged this woman? With doubts growing about just how fair and tolerant they truly were, many wondered if they had misjudged themselves. And so Australia will once again try to get to the bottom of one of the most painful chapters in its history. "It's a bit like a really bad war," says Tony Raymond, chief forensic scientist in an investigation that debunked much of the evidence used to convict Lindy. "You've got to learn from it and make sure it doesn't happen again." ___ The nightmare began on Aug. 17, 1980, during a family vacation to Ayers Rock, the sacred Outback monolith now known by its Aboriginal name Uluru. Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, their two sons and their 9-week-old daughter Azaria were settling in for the night at a campsite near the rock. Azaria was sleeping in a tent and Lindy and Michael making dinner nearby when a baby's cry rang out.

Lindy went to check on her daughter and says she saw a dingo slink out of the tent and disappear into the darkness. Azaria's bassinet was empty, the blankets still warm. There was an intense search, but Azaria was never found. The Chamberlains insisted the dingo snatched their daughter. Outside the tent were dingo tracks; inside were spots of blood. Fellow campers told officials they had heard a low growl, then a baby's cry. Azaria's torn, bloodied jumpsuit was found in the surrounding desert. There was no motive for a crime, no eyewitness, no body. But police and the public doubted a dingo was big or strong enough to drag away a 10-pound (4.5 kilogram) baby. Nobody could find documentation of a dingo killing a child before. While Australia is notorious for its deadly creatures — snakes, spiders, crocodiles — the humble dingo was considered a shy animal that posed little threat to people. And without the DNA testing available now, the forensic evidence looked damning. The dashboard in the Chamberlains' car was drenched in baby's blood, and a bloody hand print was found on Azaria's jumpsuit.

Years later, more sophisticated tests determined the "blood" was a combination of spilled milk and a chemical sprayed during manufacture. The "hand print" was not a hand print at all — and was made mostly of red desert dust. The prosecution said there was no dingo saliva on Azaria's jumpsuit, which Lindy put down to the jacket she had been wearing over it. But the jacket was missing, and police said she was lying. The daily details of the trial were picked over in pubs and debated around dinner tables, breeding a generation of armchair cops who analyzed every piece of evidence described in the morning papers and on the nightly news. Australians didn't like the Chamberlains. Their religious affiliation — Seventh-day Adventist — was too weird, and Lindy was too calm. Her clothes, her nasally voice, her cool demeanor — it was all wrong for a grieving mother. Australians didn't understand her stoicism and recoiled when she spoke of graphic evidence clinically and without tears. "They'll just peel it like an orange," she told one reporter, describing how a dingo slashes the skin of its prey. She began receiving death threats.

People spat at her, howled like a dingo outside her house, called her a bitch, a witch and worse. Lindy — heavily pregnant with her fourth child — was convicted of murder, accused of slashing her daughter's throat with nail scissors and making it look like a dingo attack. She was sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. Michael was convicted of being an accessory. Three years into Lindy's prison sentence, Azaria's jacket was found by chance — near a dingo den. Days later, Lindy was released from prison. A Royal Commission, the highest form of investigation in Australia, debunked much of the forensic evidence used at trial and her conviction was overturned. ___ The turnaround stunned Australians. It was a wrecking ball to the notion that the justice system protected good people. That an innocent woman — an innocent pregnant woman — could never be thrown in prison. That the courts were immune to prejudice. "The general public didn't want to believe it," says Anthea Gunn, curator at Australia's National Museum, home to a popular collection of Chamberlain memorabilia. "Because why would you?

You want to believe those places are above reproach." Australia is a nation that was, in many ways, born out of judgment, when Britain began sending its unwanted convicts to the continent in the 1700s. These social outcasts fought against what they considered the elitism of the British class system, cheered for the underdog and honed a sharp sense of injustice. Australia proudly dubbed itself "the land of the fair go." Today, the "fair go" is a key part of Australian identity, a phrase that shows up in politics, popular culture and everyday life. Prime Minister Julia Gillard once declared, "We will hang on to our Aussie mateship and our Aussie fair go in the worst times and in the best." Virgin Mobile ran a "Fair Go For All" ad campaign featuring a character named "Robin da Hood." A perceived injustice, such as a parking ticket, is often greeted with a frustrated grumble of "Fair go!" But the fair go mentality didn't seem to apply to the Chamberlains, with their little-known religion. Michael Chamberlain was a pastor with the Seventh-day Adventist church, a Protestant denomination that few Australians understood.

In the absence of fact came rumors that spread with frightening ferocity, of child sacrifice, witchcraft, even Satanism. Had Lindy killed Azaria as part of a twisted religious ritual? Did the name Azaria really mean "sacrifice in the wilderness?" (It is a Hebrew name that means "helped by God.") The hysteria was reminiscent of the Salem witch trials in the U.S. Even a black dress once worn by Azaria was seen as proof that Lindy was an evil murderess — because what kind of mother dresses her baby in black? Michael Chamberlain, who was divorced from Lindy in 1991, is now an author in a small town north of Sydney. When asked about the case, he is both weary and wary, carefully limiting what he says ahead of the inquest as he waits to see whether the system will give him a chance. "The church got so smashed up, erroneously, and all through, really, a nasty dose of prejudice," Chamberlain says.

"I can say that I think our religion definitely impacted quite strongly on the attitude that many Australians developed." The growing evidence that they had unfairly judged the Chamberlains was a bitter pill for Australians to swallow, says John Bryson, author of "Evil Angels," the definitive book on Azaria's disappearance. "Australians always thought of themselves, and this country, as being the country of fair play," Bryson says. "That certainly wasn't the case." ___ As the evidence shifted in favor of Lindy's innocence, public guilt grew. Three decades later, it remains. "We can't let it go," says Michelle Arrow, a cultural historian who helped edit the book, "The Chamberlain Case: Nation, Law, Memory." ''I feel a bit embarrassed that I did think she was guilty when I was a 9-year-old, just reading the tabloids and watching TV. And I think a lot of people are still in the same boat." Faith in the system was shattered. The National Institute of Forensic Science was later established to ensure better scrutiny of evidence. Still, many Australians now cast a more skeptical eye on judicial proceedings. "People became a little more cynical," says Raymond, the Royal Commission's chief scientist.

"People test the evidence a lot better now. Up 'til then, it was, 'Believe me, I'm a scientist.'" Not all Australians believe a dingo killed Azaria. Even recent polls show a deep divide in opinions. Graeme Charlwood, the former Northern Territory cop who led the investigation and eventually arrested Lindy, is 60 now and has left the police force. When asked what he now believes happened the night Azaria vanished, he sighs. "I've probably given up analyzing it," he says. "I, as a policeman, always accepted the rule of law. If a court or jury made a finding, then I accepted it whether or not it aligned with my private view. Sometimes juries got it wrong, sometimes they didn't. It's not a perfect system." It's a careful response, and when asked to clarify exactly what he believes happened, he demurs. "I'm not going to share it publicly," he says with a tired chuckle. "I'll get into a heap of trouble." Ten years ago, there was a series of dingo attacks on Australia's Fraser Island, including the fatal mauling of a 9-year-old boy.

That was a turning point for some Australians who had, until then, maintained Lindy killed Azaria. Around that time, staff at the National Museum set up a video camera near the Chamberlain exhibit and invited the public to record messages. The video became something of a confessional, curator Sophie Jensen says, with several visitors apologizing for doubting Lindy. In 2007, Lindy agreed to be interviewed by Jensen at the museum. All 180 audience seats were filled. Many in the crowd wept. "I'm one of the many mothers who had kids at the same time," one woman told Lindy, and began to cry. "I identified with you. I felt the injustices with you, and the powerlessness and the joys when you were released. ... I'm so ashamed to be Australian at that period of time. I think if anyone deserves an apology from the government, it's you." Thunderous applause filled the room. Despite the increased public support, Azaria's death certificate remains incomplete. Three coroner's inquests held to determine a cause of death have returned conflicting results. On Friday, Northern Territory Coroner Elizabeth Morris will examine fresh evidence of dingo attacks before issuing a finding on how Azaria died.

Lindy declined an interview request, but in an open letter on the 30th anniversary of Azaria's disappearance, she wrote that she was fighting for her daughter. "Our family will always remember today as the day truth was dragged in the dirt and trampled upon, but more than that it is the day our family was torn apart forever because we lost our beautiful little Azaria," Lindy wrote. "She deserves justice." ___ Perhaps no one exemplifies the shifting opinions, uncertainty and nagging guilt of Australians more than Yvonne Cain, one of the jurors who voted to convict Lindy. At first, she empathized with the woman on trial: Cain's own son was bitten by a dingo when he was just a baby. But the prosecution's forensics looked strong, and the defense looked weak. When the verdict was announced, Cain couldn't look at Lindy, and wept as she was sentenced. "I'll never forget the judge saying that Lindy would be put into jail for life with hard labor," says Cain, now 63 and living in the southern city of Adelaide. "I imagined her smashing rocks, like in the old days." After the trial, Cain was shattered. Had she gotten it wrong?

Her sleep was riddled with nightmares. She daydreamed about smuggling Lindy out of jail. She grew convinced she had made a horrible mistake. Soon after Lindy's release, the two women met, in a moment captured on video. Cain couldn't stop crying as she hugged Lindy. "Are you all right, now that it's all finished?" she asked. "It's not finished yet," Lindy replied. "We've got a fight to go." The two are now friends. But Cain still struggles with her conscience. The guilt will probably always plague her, she says. She believes it should plague all Australians who condemned Lindy. Because if the dingo is guilty, then so is Australia. "I never, ever got over it," Cain says, her voice shaking. "I'm guilty for calling her guilty. ... I keep thinking back to the time when we were deliberating.

If only — if only — I'd have said no, I don't think she's guilty." "That woman was as innocent as you and me." Reblog ‘The Dingo’s Got My Baby!’ Case Reopened, A Fourth Inquest Is Announced In Australia | Radar Online ‘The Dingo’s Got My Baby!’ Case Reopened, A Fourth Inquest Is Announced In Australia By Debbie Emery – Radar Reporter A tragedy in the Australian outback 32 years ago involving a missing baby has turned into a hit movie and long-running joke despite the mystery of Azaria Chamberlain’s disappearance never being solved. From the unforgettable scream by Meryl Streep in A Cry In The Dark, to the Seinfeld spoof line, “Maybe the dingo ate your baby!” mother Lindy Chamberlain’s legendary cry of “A dingo’s got my baby!” has gone down in pop culture history. PHOTOS: Celebrities We Lost In 2011 Now the world’s focus has returned to the original incident as a coroner in the Northern Territory of Australia prepares to launch a fourth inquest on February 24 to finally answer how nine-week old Azaria really died.

The little girl went missing on the night of August 17, 1980 when her parents were camping at Ulura (also known as Ayers Rock) in the outback with Azaria and her two brothers. PHOTOS: Celebs Who Have Done Jail Time Her parents Lindy and Michael Chamberlain told police that their daughter had been snatched from their tent by a wild dingo while they were cooking dinner nearby, but from the onset their story was met with disbelief from both investigators and the public, amidst speculation that the mother slit the baby’s throat and buried her little body in the desert, before “crying dingo.” After a high-profile trial that captured the attention of the nation, Lindy – heavily pregnant at the time – was tried and convicted of murder in 1982 and sentenced to life. Husband Michael was convicted as an accessory and given a suspended sentence. PHOTOS: Most Notorious American Murder Trials A chance discovery of a piece of child’s clothing after a climber fell to his death in 1986 turned into a crucial piece of evidence when it was identified as Azaria’s missing jacket, which had been absent from her other garments and become a crucial aspect of the trial.

The case was immediately reopened and the NT Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously overturned all convictions against the Chamberlains, and put under scrutiny the use of expert testimony in criminal cases. Two years after they were released, the couple was awarded 1.3 million Australian dollars in compensation for wrongful imprisonment. PHOTOS: Celebs Who Died Young The case goes down in Australia’s history as one of its most painful chapters, as the nation who prides itself on giving everyone a “fair go” sent a seemingly innocent, pregnant, mourning mother to prison based on shaky evidence and her dislikeable demeanor (the Chamberlain’s Seventh-day Adventist religion was deemed weird, and Lindy thought to be too calm in the face of tragedy). “It’s a bit like a really bad war,” explained Tony Raymond, chief forensic scientist in an investigation that debunked much of the evidence used to convict Lindy, reported NPR.org.

“You’ve got to learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” PHOTOS: Stars Who Died In Bizarre Ways The Chamberlains’ marriage ended in 1991, but the public’s feeling of guilt over the case remains, and was intensified in light of a series of fatal dingo attacks on Australia’s Fraser Island 10 years ago, including one that killed a nine-year-old boy and made many realize the danger of the wild dogs. When the fourth inquest begins, coroner Elizabeth Morris is expected to make announcements regarding the Fraser Island attacks in front of an audience that will include Michael Chamberlain and his lawyer, and Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, who lives in Western Australia with new husband, Rick Creighton.

RELATED STORIES: Azaria Chamberlain's father sells yellow Torana at centre of 'dingo's got my baby' case | Daily Mail Online Next Father of Azaria Chamberlain sells notorious yellow Torana at centre of Australia's most infamous 'dingo's got my baby' case to national museum with rego '4ENSIC' The yellow Holden Torana at the centre of Australia's most sensational murder trial has been sold to the national museum Nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain disappeared in the Australian outback 34 years ago and has never been found The infamous 'dingo's got my baby case' of missing Azaria made world headlines The yellow V8 hatchback was said to have been sprayed with baby Azaria's blood Azaria's father, former church pastor, Michael Chamberlain, spent years getting the car back from police He change the number plates to '4ENSIC' and the family used it as a recreational vehicle A Cry in the Dark (1988) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.

Error A Cry in the Dark ( 1988 ) Evil Angels (original title) A mother whose child was killed in a Dingo attack in the Australian outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 26 titles created 08 May 2014 a list of 25 titles created 23 Jul 2014 a list of 21 titles created 22 Feb 2015 a list of 42 titles created 26 Dec 2015 a list of 22 titles created 9 months ago Title: A Cry in the Dark (1988) 6.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards » Photos The story of Karen Silkwood, a metallurgy worker at a plutonium processing plant who was purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing blatant worker safety violations at the plant.

Director: Mike Nichols A young Englishwoman spends 20 years to make whatever kind of life for herself at the expense of others around her in post-World War 2 England. Director: Fred Schepisi An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his home town of Albany, NY after returning there for the first time in decades. Director: Hector Babenco A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married, but who falls in love with outcast Sarah, whose melancholy makes her ... See full summary » Director: Karel Reisz A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she is forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment. Director: Mike Nichols A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother. Director: Carl Franklin Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids. Director: Wes Craven After spending time with his new neighbors, an aspiring writer realizes they are harboring deep secrets that will forever change him. Director: Alan J. Pakula Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

Director: Barbet Schroeder An autobiographical look at the breakup of Ephron's marriage to Carl "All the President's Men" Bernstein that was also a best-selling novel. The Ephron character, Rachel is a food writer at... See full summary » Director: Mike Nichols A Manhattan psychiatrist probes a patient's murder and falls for the victim's mysterious mistress. Director: Robert Benton In an afterlife way station resembling a block of hotels, the lives of the recently-deceased are examined in a court-like setting. Director: Albert Brooks Edit Storyline Based on the true story of Lindy Chamberlain. During a camping trip to Ayers Rock in outback Australia, she claimed that she witnessed a dingo stealing her baby daughter, Azaria, from the family tent. Azaria's body was never found. Police noted some apparent inconsistencies in her story, and she was charged with murder. The case attracted a lot of attention, turning an investigation into a media circus, with the public divided in their opinions. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au> A family torn apart. A public filled with outrage. A woman accused of murder.

Genres: 11 November 1988 (USA) See more » Also Known As: A Cry in the Dark See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Lindy Chamberlain refers to a case in which expert testimony wrongly sent three boys to prison. She's referring to the 1972 murder of 26-year-old Maxwell Confait in southeast London. Confait was strangled, and the building he lived in was burned down. Eighteen-year-old Colin Lattimore, 15-year-old Ronnie Leighton, and 14-year-old Ahmet Salih were arrested and charged with murder and arson. All three had alibis, but three prominent forensic pathologists testified to the time of death. One, Dr. Cameron, changed his mind on the stand and said Confait could have died at a time when the boys were not covered by their alibi. The boys were convicted and sentenced to prison. Two years later, the convictions were overturned. It turned out that Confait had been dead more than 48 hours before the fire, and the forensic pathologists were wrong about the fire speeding up the onset of rigor mortis.

In 1980, Douglas Franklin was found to be the true murderer. See more » Goofs In the end credits, the movie's copyright year is 1988. In Roman numerals, it would be MCMLXXXVIII. Instead, the year is MCMLXXXIII, 1983. See more » Quotes Michael Chamberlain : No, you're right, it's exactly the same model as mine. Les Smith : Have a look at what Webber found under the dash! (Hamilton, Australia) – See all my reviews If there is any Australian that I feel sorrier for, it would have to be Lindy Chamberlain. Her compelling story is one of the more famous court cases in Australian history. Also known as A cry in the dark', Evil Angel' shows how divided the Australian public really were towards this case and how the media can manipulate a story, by favouring just one side of a story that they believe is the whole truth. When I hear the cry The dingo's got my baby', it brings back memories from along time ago. During a camping trip, an infant disappears from her family's tent.

When the child's mother spies a dingo nearby, authorities launch a frantic search, but all they find is a torn, bloodied garment. The press, distressed by the mother's seeming "lack of emotion", and suspicious of her religious beliefs, begin to accuse her of murdering the baby. The sentiment against her begins to grow, and soon the whole continent is talking about the case. Despite the lack of evidence, the woman is imprisoned; although investigators eventually re-examine her story, the damage is done: the innocent mother's relationship with her husband has been irreparably destroyed. This is the documentary style film adaptation of the true story of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. This film has some truly amazing performance in it. Meryl Streep is a wonderful actress, but in this film she does so much that you just have to like. She really becomes Lindy' and embodies what she actually went through. I remember reading that Streep had to have speaking classes, so she could sound Australian', which she does very well. But it is her persona I like the most.

Streep performance as Chamberlain is so flawless, as she shows no emotion when she is going in and out of court, which is what the real Lindy Chamberlain did. It is understandable that the general public would think that Lindy is guilty of murder, which is again testament to Streep's masterful performance. However in court Lindy is visibly upset, when she has to recall the night a dingo took her baby. The other performance which is most noteworthy is that of Sam Neill. While Neill has gone on to do many big performances in Hollywood blockbusters such as Jurassic Park' and the Aussie favourite The Dish', this is one film I continue to remember him from. I like how we see that Michael is visibly distressed by the whole court case scenario, with him stumbling through the interrogation when he is on the stand. It is also most taxing on the couple's personal life, with Michael the first one to crack. Yet there are some famous Australian cameos from many actors in Evil Angel'. Look at these for names; Maurie Fields, Charles Bud' Tingwell, John Howard, Frankie J.

Holden, Mark Little, Mark Mitchell, Glenn Robbins and Kym Gyngell. All of them are well known personalities in Australian TV, and it is of great significance to this story to have such great fame among the cast of this film. Director/Screenwriter of Evil Angel' Fred Schepisi does justice to this story in many ways. Firstly, Schepisi and co screenwriter Robert Caswell stuck very close to the story written by John Bryson. Then Schepisi directs this film in quite a unique way. He points the story in many ways, showing the Chamberlain's in one shot, then to the media, then to the general public. This amount of change gives the film great variety, which is good. If it was fixated with just the Chamberlains, this movie could have had major problems. I also like the many shots of Australia that this film shows off. Having this tragedy take place in the Northern territory, certainly gave that state and its famous attraction Ayers Rock (Uluru) some sort reputation, as this film does too. Yet there are some excellent shots in Alice Springs, Darwin and in the Chamberlain's home-town (for some time) of Mt. Isa in Queensland.

This is good work of cinematographer Ian Baker. So with all those factors taken into consideration, this film looks deep into what it must be like to go through the loss of a baby child, taken by a wild animal. It also a fascinating insight into what the media can do to turn a story and how merciless people can be towards someone that in all possibility could be innocent'. Although it is 22 years since this horrible event has happened, I realise that Chamberlain's lives were, and probably never will be the same again. Michael and Lindy had to go through the most painful of divorces, and their children had to go grow up with a large amount of innuendo attached to their lives. I am thankful that Lindy Chamberlain was released from prison, after serving three and a half years of a life imprisonment sentence for a crime which she did not commit. CMRS gives Evil Angel': 4 (Very Good Film) 25 of 28 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Three other dingo attacks helped solve mystery of Azaria Chamberlain's death (+video) - CSMonitor.com Three other dingo attacks helped solve mystery of Azaria Chamberlain's death (+video) Latest News After 32 years and four inquests, an Australian coroner ruled a dingo killed baby Azaria Chamberlain. Three attacks on children in Australia countered original arguments that a dingo would never kill a child. By Rod McGuirk, Associated Press June 12, 2012 Save for later Saved Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton speaks to the media outside a coroner's court in Darwin, Australia, Tuesday, June 12, 2012. After the notorious 1980 case that split the nation and led to a mistaken conviction, an Australian coroner ruled that a dingo took a baby from a campsite in the Outback, just as her mother said from the beginning. (AP Photo/AAP, Patrina Malone) of Canberra, Australia — The dingo really did take the baby.

Thirty-two years after a 9-week-old infant vanished from an Outback campsite in a case that bitterly divided Australians and inspired a Meryl Streep film, the nation overwhelmingly welcomed a ruling that finally closed the mystery. A coroner in the northern city of Darwin concluded Tuesday that a dingo, or wild dog, had taken Azaria Chamberlain from her parents' tent near Ayers Rock , the red monolith in the Australian desert now known by its Aboriginal name Uluru. Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 01/19 That is what her parents, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and Michael Chamberlain, had maintained from the beginning. The eyes of the parents welled with tears as the findings of the fourth inquest into their daughter's disappearance were announced, watched by people around Australia on live television. "We're relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga," a tearful but smiling Chamberlain-Creighton, since divorced and remarried, told reporters outside the court. The first inquest in 1981 had also blamed a dingo. But a second inquest a year later charged Chamberlain-Creighton with murder and her husband with being an accessory after the fact.

She was convicted and served more than three years in prison before that decision was overturned. A third inquest in 1995 left the cause of death open. "The dingo has done it. I'm absolutely thrilled to bits," said Yvonne Cain, one of the 12 jurors in the 1982 trial that convicted a then-pregnant Chamberlain-Creighton of murder. "I'd always had my doubts and have become certain she's innocent." Cain said she still encounters people who doubt the couple's innocence, but they inevitably misunderstand what evidence there was against them. "When people say she's guilty, I say: 'You have no idea what they're talking about — I was there,'" she said. The case became famous internationally through the 1988 movie "A Cry in the Dark," in which Streep played the mother. Many Australians initially did not believe that a dingo was strong enough to take away the baby, whose body has never been recovered. Public opinion swayed harshly against the couple; some even spat on Chamberlain-Creighton and howled like dingoes outside her house.

No similar dingo attack had been documented at the time, but in recent years the wild dogs native to Australia have been blamed for three attacks on children. In 2001, a 9-year old boy was attacked and killed by two dingoes on Fraser Island . In 2007, a 4-year old girl was also attacked , and survived, on Fraser Island. In 1998, a 13-month old old girl was grabbed by a dingo, which began to drag her away until her father intervened.This also was reported to have occurred at a camping area on Fraser Island. Few doubt the couple's story today, but the latest inquest — which the family had fought to get — made it official that Azaria was killed in a dingo attack. An expert on dingo behavior, Brad Purcell, said he was not surprised that a dingo would enter a tent and take a baby while older siblings slept. Purcell suspects that many people blamed Chamberlain-Creighton for leaving the baby in a tent where a dingo could have been attracted by her crying. "She was almost being condemned because she wasn't acting as a responsible parent," Purcell told Australian Broadcasting Corp .

But not all Australians accept the latest ruling. A policeman who was at Uluru the night Azaria disappeared said he still believes the first coroner's finding that there was some human intervention. Frank Morris, who has since retired from the police force, said while he was not trying to blame the parents, he thought someone played a part in moving clothing Azaria wore that night. "We don't know who. That is the $64,000 question," Morris said. "If you go to court enough times, you are bound to get a win sooner or later," Morris added of the parents' victory Tuesday. The parents and the eldest of their three surviving children, Aiden Chamberlain, 38, on Tuesday collected Azaria's new death certificate. The son made national news in 2006 when he used as his wedding car the same yellow sedan that took the family to Uluru in 1980 and that a forensic scientist wrongly determined was spattered with an infant's blood. Years later, more sophisticated tests determined the "blood" was a combination of spilled milk and a chemical sprayed during manufacture under the car's dashboard.

"We're relieved and delighted to come to the end of this saga," a tearful but smiling Chamberlain-Creighton told reporters outside the court. She later said she was undecided whether the coroner's finding was a cause for celebration. "I celebrate the final triumph of truth, but I don't celebrate her death and the two are so intertwined — I have no idea what I feel about that," she told Nine Network television in a paid exclusive interview. Coroner Elizabeth Morris said she was "satisfied that the evidence is sufficiently adequate, clear, cogent and exact and that the evidence excludes all other reasonable possibilities." The findings mirror those of the first coroner's inquest in 1981. But that inquest found that somebody had later interfered with Azaria's clothing, which was later found relatively unscathed in the desert. A second coroner's inquest triggered a Northern Territory Supreme Court trial that resulted in Chamberlain-Creighton being found guilty of slashing her daughter's throat and making it look like a dingo attack. She was convicted in 1982 and sentenced to life in prison with hard labor.

She was released in 1986 after evidence was found that backed up her version of events: the baby's jacket, found near a dingo den, which helped explain the condition of the rest of the baby's clothing. A Royal Commission, the highest form of investigation in Australia, debunked much of the forensic evidence used at her trial and her conviction was overturned. A third inquest could not determine the cause of death. The fourth inquest heard new evidence of dingo attacks, including three attacks on children since the third inquest. Morris, the coroner, noted that dingo experts disagree on whether a dingo could have removed the clothing so neatly and without causing more damage. "It would have been very difficult for a dingo to have removed Azaria from her clothing without causing more damage than what was observed on it, however it would have been possible for it to have done so," she said. Michael Chamberlain had threatened to go the Northern Territory Supreme Court to force another inquest if Morris had not agreed to reopen the case. Another coroner had rejected his application in 2004 for a fourth inquest to challenge the 1995 finding.

"This has been a terrifying battle, bitter at times, but now some healing and a chance to put our daughter's spirit to rest," Chamberlain told reporters. He said his quest for a death certificate that acknowledged his daughter had been killed by a dingo had seemed to be a "mission impossible." "This battle to get to the legal truth about what caused Azaria's death has taken too long," Chamberlain said. "However, I am here to tell you that you can get justice even when you think that all is lost. But truth must be on your side." Get the Monitor stories you care about delivered to your inbox. Daily

Question: What type of animal ate Lindy Chamberlain's baby, in the Australian outback?
Answer: a Dingo