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January 31 2009 teen [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
00:01:52
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
00:01:58
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website as her 21st birthday approached in 2008
00:02:11
Britt Catherine mail app Thorne asked her parents for just one present the biggest two troubled backpacks she could
00:02:18
carry Britt was planning a solo backpacking trip through Europe for the middle of the year taking the time off
00:02:25
to explore the world do a little soul-searching and find inspiration for her future career the RMIT University
00:02:33
student had been working hard at completing her international business degree that was looking forward to
00:02:39
spending some time away from the books after deferring a semester of her studies Britt was scheduled to fly out
00:02:46
of her home city of Melbourne Victoria in late June 2008 embarking on a four-month
00:02:52
solo backpacking track that would take her through multiple countries before returning home to Australia in
00:02:58
mid-october it came is absolutely no surprise to those who knew great luck thorne that she had itchy feet and was
00:03:06
seeking overseas adventure her passport read like an explorer's autobiography each stamp representing a wealth of
00:03:13
stories and experiences she had earned around the world when Britt was 8 years old her family
00:03:20
lived in China and by age 10 Britt was bartering with locals in Beijing's markets when she was 12 she was
00:03:28
navigating the ancient roads of use Becca stone by her early 20s Britt lap thorn had stepped foot on almost every
00:03:35
continent on the planet having traveled more in her twenty years than most would
00:03:40
in a lifetime she made it her mission to visit a new overseas destination every year
00:03:47
despite her wanderlust and thirst for adventure Britt loved coming back home to Australia she lived with her parents
00:03:54
Dale and Elka in the Victorian suburb of Eden Park a picturesque semi-rural Township 45 kilometers north of
00:04:02
Melbourne City at the end of each one of her trips Britt would collide all the knickknacks and photographs she had
00:04:10
collected along the way and display them on a pin board in her bedroom the board
00:04:15
was covered with photos of Britt with friends and two landmarks and with badges tickets pins lanyards and key
00:04:22
rings each item no matter how ordinary to others was a treasure Britt cherished when she was home Britt preferred a
00:04:33
low-key relaxed lifestyle she relished kicking her shoes off and getting into her comfiest old dressing-gown and
00:04:40
slippers settling in for a night on the couch watching television with her mom the mother and daughter bonded over
00:04:46
their passion for music and books and have loved indulging their shared sweet tooth together - Britt family was the
00:04:54
most important thing it was the foundation of her life she looked forward to family gatherings where she
00:05:01
took great pleasure in setting the dining table with the Lapp thorns best crockery glassware and candles Christmas
00:05:08
was her favorite holiday and her family celebrated inline with the traditions of
00:05:12
her mother's German heritage on Christmas Eve the luck thorns would share a delicious dinner and exchange
00:05:19
presents their after dessert was Britt's favorite cause she especially loved the
00:05:25
rich cheese cakes with berries the more decadent the better that's homeboy throughout her childhood
00:05:33
Britt grew up playing with her older brother Darrin and his friends she'd ride as a passenger on Darrin's pay way
00:05:39
bike an oversized helmet balanced on her head and two gum boots hanging off her feet
00:05:45
as Britain today lessons she became more interested in the typical teenage girl fascinations clothes makeup and perfume
00:05:54
but on breed got her driver's license her parents hardly saw her as she was always often her own independent
00:06:01
adventures in the family's old Sarkar despite trusting their daughter wholeheartedly Dale and oka would lay
00:06:09
awake at night until they heard the sob coming down the driveway finding peace only when they knew their daughter was
00:06:15
home safe Britt was an intelligent friendly and a loving young woman and it was her spark for life that charm thoth
00:06:23
boyfriend saw a minim burger he fully supported his girlfriend's free spirit referring to her or his trip thorn after
00:06:31
her love for travel as the departure date for bris European backpacking adventure approached she spent night
00:06:40
after night on her computer researching all the places she wanted to visit although she had a general idea of her
00:06:47
artillery she wanted the finer details to be spontaneous and unpredictable she planned to keep friends and family back
00:06:55
home updated through her Facebook page which she used as a travel log and virtual gallery littered with status
00:07:02
updates quirky stories and candid photos of her life abroad as such aside from her passport her most valued travel
00:07:11
companion was her Canon Powershot g9 camera although they would miss their daughter as she jets at it across the
00:07:20
globe Brits parents were proud of the head strong independent ambitious woman their little girl had grown up to be
00:07:27
Dale and Elka looked forward to reuniting with their daughter in Paris to celebrate her 21st birthday the month
00:07:34
after her departure before Brit headed off Dale and Elka presented her with an early birthday present it was the one
00:07:43
thing she had been asking them for and I leave in two black coloured black wolf brand backpack
00:07:51
the biggest one she could carry [Music] in late June 2008 equipped with her trusty camera brand-new backpack and
00:08:24
$5,000 in spending money Brit luck thorn departed Melbourne for Europe she arrived in Dortmund Germany in
00:08:33
industrial yet cosmopolitan city in the country's Northwest where her 25 year old brother Darrin was living at the
00:08:40
time Darrin was a professional cyclist who had been recruited by a German team after winning the 2007 Australian Road
00:08:49
Race championships the tulip thorn siblings had always been close Britt followed in her brother's footsteps they
00:08:58
both attended kilmore International School in their teens and later were both accepted into RMIT University in
00:09:05
Melbourne to study business the motivation and commitment his youngest sister showed towards her studies was
00:09:12
something Darrin greatly admired while his textbooks remained unopened until the evening before an exam Brits were
00:09:20
well worn bent and dogged from constant use she spoke of one day opening a spar business with several other friends but
00:09:29
hadn't yet decided what she wanted to do after graduating from University no matter what career path Britt decided to
00:09:37
follow Darrin had no doubt his sister was going to be incredibly successful boy early July Britt travelled to Paris
00:09:47
where she met up with her parents who had journeyed over to celebrate her upcoming 21st birthday
00:09:54
the family spent the lead-up to Britt's birthday experiencing the City of Lights
00:09:58
walking the beautiful streets and marveling over the striking Parisian architecture and history
00:10:05
Britt and Elka were left to explore the luge museum together walking arm-in-arm through the Grand Gallery admiring the
00:10:13
famous work of the great artists upon observing the Mona Lisa they pinched themselves with excitement Britt loved
00:10:22
films and was excited to see firsthand the masterpiece featured in the blockbuster movie The Da Vinci Code
00:10:29
the pair were sewing or of the sheer grandeur of the museum that they temporarily got lost in the seemingly
00:10:35
endless network of rooms and displays on July 13 the luck thorn celebrated Brits
00:10:43
21st birthday at a restaurant near the Arc de Triomphe a photograph captured Britain and doaker in a warm embrace at
00:10:51
an alfresco table their contentedness evident on their smiling faces the experience couldn't have been more
00:10:58
perfect they all described it as just happiness after Paris British courted her parents to Germany where the
00:11:09
close-knit family of four stayed in Darrin's small apartment with limited space they all slept on the couch whilst
00:11:17
Britain her mother lay head-to-toe in a single bed the pair found it rather humorous with Elka telling her daughter
00:11:24
quote this might sound corny Britt but this feels really special to feel your body next to mine cuz it may not happen
00:11:34
again by late July Dale and Elka lap thorn had farewell to their two children although it was only temporary as they'd
00:11:44
be saying Britt again in just a few months time when she returned home to Melbourne on October 15 by August Britt
00:11:52
solo backpacking journey had commenced and she made her way east to Poland it was easy for the friendly and
00:12:00
talkative Brit lap thorn to make friends on the road it was in Poland where she met a fellow was a backpacker named Tara
00:12:07
Reynolds and two the two enjoyed the sights together before Brit set out for her next destination the Czech Republic
00:12:14
Hungary and Austria followed soon after throughout her trip Brit kept friends and family in the loop of her travels by
00:12:24
periodically posting updates on her Facebook page although she had a mobile phone with her her social media site was
00:12:32
a much more affordable way to keep in touch on her tight budget Brits Facebook profile was littered with vibrant
00:12:39
photographs and excited status updates full of exclamation marks as she shared her travel plans and foreign experiences
00:12:47
dozens of photos captured the backpacker all smiles as she sampled new foods soaked up the views of sprawling cities
00:12:55
into partied with new friends she met along the way on September 5 Brit made the 300 kilometer journey south from
00:13:05
Vienna to Slovenia where she kayaked and swam in the pristine blue waters of Lake
00:13:10
Bled in the julian alps it was the highlight of her trip so far Brit logged into her Facebook account and posted a
00:13:18
status update there red Brit is in the best place she's seen in a while on September 9 after lapping up a couple
00:13:31
more days in Slovenia Brit made her way east to the Croatian capital of Zagreb a
00:13:37
bustling city celebrated for its 18th and 19th century austro-hungarian architecture on September 11 she cut
00:13:46
across the border into Sarajevo Bosnia where she sent her boyfriend a summoning burger a message to let him know she had
00:13:53
arrived safely Hey just arrived in Sarajevo so tired took so long to get here on a dodgy scary train but it was
00:14:04
really ok just glad I made it during a long bus ride from Sarajevo to the scenic Bosnian city of Moscow Britt
00:14:15
met a fellow young female backpacker who shared her sense of adventure a Canadian
00:14:20
named Chris Noseworthy the two immediately hit it off and were thrilled to discover they were booked into the
00:14:27
same hostel in Moscow becoming instant travel buddies Kris and Britt explored mostar's medieval streets together and
00:14:36
after sampling some exotic local cuisine Britt logged into Facebook and posted drinking yummy coffee and a never eating
00:14:45
brains again she loved at the ancient city his location on the Neretva River and its
00:14:53
iconic 16th century bridge providing a fairytale like atmosphere in an online message to a uni friend back home Britt
00:15:02
described Moscow as one of the best places she had ever visited she expressed her wish to stay in Moscow for
00:15:09
a few more ways but had to keep moving as southern Italy beckoned her it was whilst in Moscow that Britt met Brad a
00:15:18
fellow traveler from her home city of Melbourne as the pair exchanged travel stories and upcoming plans Britt
00:15:26
mentioned that the Croatian coast was her next destination having made the coastal trip before Brad
00:15:33
warned Britt that his experience hadn't been entirely positive he had found of the locals to be quite unwelcoming and
00:15:40
inhospitable and had also heard some horror stories from other travelers about their time there one young woman
00:15:47
who ventured to a Croatian island had apparently woken up in a stranger's car with absolutely no recollection of how
00:15:54
she had gotten there Britt took Brad's warning seriously though she wasn't deterred by them having travelled
00:16:02
constantly throughout her life Britt was not unfamiliar with the dangers presented to solo female travelers in
00:16:09
foreign lands she taught Brad about one of her own unnerving experiences during a train
00:16:15
ride through the Balkans strangers kept coming into her carriage making her feel
00:16:19
unsafe Brad could tell Britt was a smart switched-on traveler and he was confident the girl could hold her own on
00:16:30
September 15 Britt ventured out on a hot rainy day trip to Croatia's Dalmatian coast a picturesque and narrow shoreline
00:16:38
framing the Adriatic Sea after yet another unforgettable day britt posted a status update on Facebook which read
00:16:48
Britt had the best day jumping off cliffs into water swimming under waterfalls and getting soaked in the
00:16:55
rain upon learning from a friend that the croatian coast was an ideal gateway to southern italy britt made the
00:17:04
croatian seaside city of Dubrovnik her next destination her new friend and travel buddy
00:17:11
Canadian backpacker Chris Noseworthy also had the location on her itinerary as she looked forward to scuba diving in
00:17:18
the clear and tranquil waters of the Adriatic Sea the pair decided to travel together and were joined by Dominic
00:17:26
dubrovensky a Polish American backpacker they had met at their hostel in Moscow on the morning of September 16 has Britt
00:17:35
lap Thorne's friends and family you logged into their Facebook accounts they were greeted with a status update from
00:17:41
the traveler revealing her next destination note read off to Dubrovnik Croatia located on the southern coast of Croatia
00:17:55
lost the port city of Dubrovnik a stunning medieval town nicknamed the pearl of the Adriatic the city has
00:18:03
earned a status as a UNESCO World Heritage listed site for its perfectly preserved Renaissance architecture which
00:18:10
includes a centuries old stone wall encircling the broth neck central hub that is withstood foreign Empire's
00:18:17
earthquakes and invaders there are only two entrances into the walled city leading into a dense maze of cobblestone
00:18:26
streets lined with a myriad of shops restaurants and bars although it's a relatively small quiet city with a
00:18:35
population of just over 40,000 Dubrovnik has become Croatia's most visited city the local economy depends heavily on the
00:18:44
millions of tourists who visit throughout the year drawn to the pristine blue waters of the Adriatic Sea
00:18:50
picturesque old town and surrounding rugged limestone mountains despite being an expensive place to visit Dubrovnik
00:19:00
has become a popular hotspot for backpackers due to its reputation as a safe laid-back destination which
00:19:06
provides seafaring access to some of Europe's other standout coastal towns Brit lap thorn arrived to Dubrovnik
00:19:14
accompanied by her travel companions Chris Noseworthy and de domine dubrovsky the trio checked in to the
00:19:22
dubrovnik backpackers club a multi-story hostel perched on a hill in the newer part of the see the small yet vibrant
00:19:30
hostel was made up of three guest rooms containing two sets of bunk beds each and included all the quintessential
00:19:37
backpacker facilities like a communal kitchen and recreation room with internet access a projector screen and a
00:19:44
selection of David days the Dubrovnik backpackers Club was privately run by the local Perkovic family who lived
00:19:53
on-site in the ground-floor apartment to oversee the hostels daily operations as
00:19:59
Britt and her travel partners checked in London backpacker Gareth Hopkins arrived
00:20:04
at the hostel and struck a conversation with the group they all hit it off and two hours later the new
00:20:10
arrivals headed to the homicide where they enjoyed a seafood meal together at a restaurant before embracing
00:20:16
Dubrovnik's nightlife the following day September 17 2008 Britt chris dominic and gareth spent the day exploring
00:20:26
dubrovnik old quarter strolling through the narrow streets and hanging out at a cafe in one of the sunlit squares later
00:20:35
that day chris Noseworthy parted ways with the group to attend a scuba diving course on a nearby island but she and
00:20:42
Britt planned to meet up again in a few weeks time to continue their journey together to the Croatian city of split
00:20:48
where Britt had plans to take her transit ferry west to Italy Britt was in good spirits as the two said their
00:20:55
goodbyes excited about their upcoming adventures that evening while hanging out in the hostel Britt made a quick
00:21:03
Facebook post advising everyone back home that she had made it safely to Dubrovnik that night the Dubrovnik
00:21:12
backpackers Club was a hive of activity as guests crowded in the small kitchen space to cook and share dinner guests
00:21:20
were from a melting pot of nationalities and ranged in ages from 20 to 30 mostly solo travelers who intended to
00:21:27
stay in Dubrovnik for a short while before departing for their next destination in a day or two his time
00:21:34
after dinner the enthusiastic group had some drinks and hung out in the hostels recreation room at around midnight there
00:21:43
were no closer to settling down for the night and to their antics drew the attention of the hostel owners who
00:21:48
requested they keep the noise to a minimum still full of energy and wanting to socialize a suggestion was made for
00:21:55
the group to head out on the town they had heard the local hotspot for backpackers was a lively night club
00:22:03
called Club Fuego and although it was a Wednesday night the club was operating outside of its usual weekend hours to
00:22:10
cater to the busy tourist season the well-established and popular Latin themed a night club had been a
00:22:16
backpackers haunt since 2001 having earned a positive reputation for its professional staff and affordable
00:22:23
prices open from 11:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. the club was the perfect place for late-night revelers Britt lap thorn
00:22:33
agreed to go check it out as did fellow Australians David Barbra lay Jason Levy and Olivia ham Brooke and
00:22:40
that the two men Britt had befriended over the previous days Dominic dubrovensky and gareth hopkins
00:22:47
they were also joined by Portuguese backpackers marina and Laura and a Gillian o al gusto after getting ready
00:22:58
the backpack is bought at a local bus to make the 3.8 kilometre journey to the nightclub at 12:30 8 a.m. they arrived
00:23:06
at club Fuego located near the main entrance of dubrovnik old town a stone's throw from the town's historic port
00:23:13
section the unassuming two-story building was marked by a large black sign depicting the figure of a dancing
00:23:22
female her pink dress billowing as she raised her arms in the air a banner painted across the front of the building
00:23:29
displayed the words Latino Club in bold yellow lettering and the mainstream dance music pumped from within club
00:23:38
Fuegos interior was dark with dim lighting throughout except for the bright neon lights flickering over the
00:23:45
massive dance floor there were crowds of people everywhere on both levels of the building with
00:23:51
around 200 other young club goers surrounding - 5 different bars milling around the standing tables and spilling
00:23:59
across the dance floor when Britt and her companions entered it wasn't long before they became separated through the
00:24:06
crowds the following morning of Thursday September 18 2008 a backpacker named in
00:24:16
Maria who was sharing a dorm room with Brit lap thorn at the Dubrovnik backpackers club hostel worked to find
00:24:22
at the Australian girls bed neat and unoccupied as though it hadn't been slept in overnight Maria had not
00:24:30
attended club Fuego with the rest of the group the night prior and assumed Brit must have had a big night and was still
00:24:36
out party despite Brett being the only club goer unaccounted for nothing about the behavior of the others in the hostel
00:24:45
indicated they were concerned about her absence therefore Maria didn't think there was
00:24:50
anything to worry about when nighttime descended Brit luck thorn had still not reappeared at the hostel and her
00:24:58
personal belongings including her 11 - black black wolf backpack remained untouched in her dorm room as the other
00:25:07
guests who had attended Clarke Wego in the early hours of September 18 pooled their recollections together they
00:25:13
determined that the last known sighting of Brit was inside the club at approximately 3:30 a.m. none of them had
00:25:21
seen Brit leave given Brits approachable and a talkative nature they considered the unnerving possibility that she might
00:25:30
have accepted a lift home from an ill intention to local or ran into danger while walking through the dark
00:25:35
unfamiliar streets alone when they tried calling Brits mobile phone it rang out and went unanswered and eventually it
00:25:44
stopped ringing him altogether the backpackers determined it was highly unlikely that Britt had moved on to her
00:25:51
next travel destination as her Australian passport was securely locked away in the hostel safe Libya ham Brooke
00:26:00
an Australian who had attended club Fuego became increasingly concerned when Brit still had not reappeared the
00:26:06
following day of Friday September 19 after a day out sightseeing Lydia returned to the hostel and noticed that
00:26:14
Brits belongings had been moved about relieved she assumed her friend had finally returned however she soon found
00:26:23
out Brits things had simply been shifted aside whilst the dorm room was being cleaned Brit lap Thorne's whereabouts
00:26:32
remained a mystery by the second night the backpackers discussed their next steps they each had plans to travel
00:26:40
onwards from Dubrovnik but it didn't feel right to just up and leave without knowing Brit was safe they decided to
00:26:48
inform the hostel owners of Britt's disappearance hoping they would know what to do when the Perkovic family were
00:26:57
informed that one of their guests had failed to return home two nights in a row they were immediately worried and
00:27:04
promised to keep an eye out for Brit at 2:00 a.m. hostel owner Milkha Perkovic a roast the
00:27:11
check if Brit was in her bed but it was still empty Milko expressed her increasing anxieties
00:27:19
about bread to her 33 year old son of itza he dismissed his mother's concerns telling her we will see in the morning
00:27:27
they just young crazy kids but the next morning there was still no sign of Brett
00:27:35
Chris Noseworthy Brits Canadian travel companion who was scheduled to meet up with Britt in a few weeks time logged
00:27:42
into her email account and was shocked to find an email from mutual travel friend Dominique de Brophy etske
00:27:48
notifying her that Britt hadn't returned to the hostel after an idea Dominic's email read she doesn't seem like the
00:27:58
kind of girl to just go home with some dude I'm really worried and desperately wracking my brains to see if I can
00:28:05
remember who she was with but so far no luck please get back to me Dominic's email triggered immediate alarm bells
00:28:14
for Chris she tried calling Brits mobile phone multiple times but it was switched off
00:28:20
so she proceeded to send private messages to Brits Facebook account desperately hoping for a response when
00:28:28
her messages remained unanswered her panicked Chris emailed Dominic looking for an update writing as she's
00:28:36
still not been found man I hope she's met back up with you guys by this point Dominic replied I'm crossing my fingers
00:28:45
that just some weird [ __ ] happened and she's okay I'll keep you updated concerned guests at the Dubrovnik
00:28:54
backpackers Club rifled through Britt's backpack looking for information to contact her family back in Australia
00:29:00
when they couldn't find anything they placed a phone call to the Australian Embassy in Croatia and explained the
00:29:07
situation an embassy official made numerous calls including to Dubrovnik law enforcement however local police
00:29:17
were hesitant to act as young tourists especially Australians were known to party hard in Dubrovnik they suspected
00:29:25
Britt was just another boozy backpacker on a bender who'd stumbled back to her still eventually nursing a hangover the
00:29:34
embassy official urged the Dubrovnik police to launch an inquiry into brittle up thorns disappearance but their
00:29:40
request was denied Brett laps thorns typically active Facebook feed had gone radio silent messages from friends
00:29:51
encouraging her to keep them in the loop of her plans when ignored back in Australia Brits boyfriend Simon in
00:29:59
burger had not heard from his travelin girlfriend so on September 21 Salman sent Brit a message which read
00:30:07
hey BAE hope dub down still rockin and to the bugs on his beak cape laugh and trip thorn Brits lack of contact had
00:30:18
been noticed by her parents as her regular calls home had also stopped the last time the luck thorns had spoken to
00:30:25
their daughter was a few days prior to her arrival in Dubrovnik when she phoned home to wish her father a happy birthday
00:30:32
they had teased her because the phone call was a day late but Britt had playfully brushed off their friendly
00:30:38
taunts saying mum I've been travelling on September 22 Elka laughs thorn wrote a message on her
00:30:47
daughter's Facebook page hoping to prompt a reply typing hybrid missing your travel log
00:30:56
meanwhile the luck thorns were completely unaware that their daughter had disappeared from a dubrovnik
00:31:01
nightclub days earlier it wasn't until September 24 when Brit lap thorn had been unaccounted for for a week that the
00:31:11
local Dubrovnik police were finally willing to formally consider her a missing person and initiate an
00:31:16
investigation they gave the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade permission to inform Brits family in Australia
00:31:25
distressed parents dial and alcala thorn were devastated that they hadn't been informed of their daughter's
00:31:31
disappearance sooner they all loved thorn quote I'm disappointed that the Australian Embassy knew about this on
00:31:40
September 19 and it took them until September 24 for us to be notified it's horrific
00:31:47
they were also shocked to learn that nothing had been done to find Brit during the first 72 hours of her
00:31:53
disappearance considered the most crucial time frame in solving a missing person case the odds of finding the
00:32:00
person safe and well dramatically decreased thereafter Dale and Elka feared their daughter had met with foul
00:32:08
play Britt was spontaneous and adventurous but also clever and self-aware far from the flaky naive
00:32:16
young traveler Dubrovnik police perceived her to be with Brits family now involved a missing person report was
00:32:24
issued by Victoria police and facts through to the Australian Federal Police have featured a picture of Brit lap
00:32:31
thorn her distinctive blonde bob haircut with a fringe framed her hazel eyes and
00:32:37
a trademark beaming smile the report described her as a white 21 year old female 152 centimeters tall weighing 47
00:32:48
kilograms with a light olive complexion and a start of nose piercing her last known whereabouts were listed as Club
00:32:56
Fuego in Dubrovnik with her attire described as summer clothing with black leggings
00:33:03
the report characterized bread as well-traveled worldly sensible friendly into talkative anyone with information
00:33:12
was urged to contact del collapse thorne or the Department of Foreign Affairs and
00:33:16
Trade in the dubrovnik backpackers club hostel brits cherished 21st birthday present her eleven green black wolf
00:33:26
backpack had been placed on a chair in the lobby alongside of ours of red and white roses left by well-wishers the
00:33:35
only items noted his missing were her wallet containing a small amount of cash and her beloved canon powershot g9
00:33:41
camera items it was believed she took with her to club Fuego her bank accounts passport and other travel documents had
00:33:50
not been accessed since her disappearance Tara Reynolds who had met Britt in Poland managed a website with
00:33:59
over 15,000 members dedicated to tracing the movements of global travelers upon learning of Britt's disappearance Tara
00:34:07
created an online group to help find Britt writing all we can do is spread awareness in the hope that someone
00:34:15
somewhere was around on that fateful night and may have seen her we are just hoping for clues and waiting for now I
00:34:23
miss Britt terribly especially since all my travel photos are constant reminders
00:34:28
of such a horrific thing to happen to such a beautiful soul it isn't me I worry about and so family I pray for her
00:34:36
safe return to them we are posting messages in Travel forums contacting hostels and doing everything we can on
00:34:43
the internet that we can possibly do the outrage for help in finding Britt like the one spread far beyond the stone
00:34:53
walls of dubrovnik Smiddy Havel City once the news that an Australian national was missing in a foreign
00:34:59
country made its way down under the Australian media rallied to raise awareness of the mounting search for
00:35:05
Britt dozens of Australian reporters and journalists arrived to Dubrovnik eager to cover the story there was a real-life
00:35:14
manifestation of fear straight out of popular Hollywood movies like austell and taken
00:35:19
in taken the protagonists daughter is abducted whilst traveling in France for the sole purpose of being sold on to the
00:35:27
sex trade mimicking a very real problem that plagued certain parts of the world the illegal trafficking of persons for
00:35:35
sex remains an ongoing issue in many South Eastern European countries including pro Asia as rumors circled
00:35:44
that Brit may have fallen prey to this fate Dale Luck thorn stated quite honestly that would be a good outcome
00:35:51
because I want my daughter back alive the overwhelming Australian media presence in the otherwise quiet and
00:36:01
sleepy coastal city rattled the local population Dubrovnik was well regarded for its low crime rate and serious
00:36:09
crimes were considered incredibly rare unlike other cities popular with budget backpackers that were often associated
00:36:16
with poverty and lawlessness Dubrovnik was a safe and affluent city protected and insulated within its defiant stone
00:36:24
walls the lap thorns believed the broth NYX low risk reputation may have caused bread to let her guard down and to
00:36:33
relinquish her usual cautious mindset while also being to blame for the hesitancy of the local police to take
00:36:40
her disappearance seriously Darren Locke thorne quote British street smart and a seasoned traveler but she
00:36:49
came to Dubrovnik really relaxed she was at the point where she might have been a
00:36:53
bit more complacent about meeting people and I think someone could have seen that
00:36:57
weakness the Dubrovnik police forces week long delay in launching an investigation was heavily criticised in
00:37:07
the Australian media as it was the presumption by local police the Brit was just a foreign party girl who would
00:37:13
reappear unharmed at any moment Brits friends and family were quick to dispute this interpretation of Brit claiming she
00:37:21
was far from the person police were painting her to be those closest to Brit described her as a conservative drinker
00:37:28
and although she enjoyed the occasional night out partying and socialising like most people in their 20s her main focus
00:37:35
was on experiencing all the world had to offer her days abroad were not spent in
00:37:41
hungover Hayes's but on energetic adventures as she covered large distances in short timeframes and soaked
00:37:48
up as many new experiences as she possibly could Brits thirst for travel was not fueled by alcohol and a tendency
00:37:57
for reckless behavior she wanted to learn more about the world its history and how people from different cultures
00:38:04
lived sedale his daughter's willingness to visit places like Auschwitz was evidence of her strength of character
00:38:10
and Demeter 'ti quote she wanted to understand suffering to see and really get a feeling for the places she was
00:38:19
going in Bosnia she said she wanted to understand what happened to there when Brits older brother Darren learned of
00:38:29
his sister's disappearance he rushed from Germany to Croatia arriving in Dubrovnik to aid in the search upon
00:38:36
arrival he was shocked to discover that local police still won't taking his sister's case seriously and
00:38:42
overall were uncooperative and reluctant to help police told Darren there has never been crime in Dubrovnik
00:38:52
and - there can never be crime in Dubrovnik when Darren enquired about the scope of their investigation police said
00:39:03
they had only managed to interview one backpacker who had been a guest at the Dubrovnik backpackers club at the same
00:39:09
time as Brit the other guests had since moved on to other countries and Dubrovnik police refused to track them
00:39:16
down telling Darren no was outside of their jurisdiction Darren asked to view the
00:39:22
CCTV footage recorded in the proximity of Club Fuego at the time brit was present there were seven security
00:39:29
cameras located throughout the two-story nightclub building including one in the
00:39:34
entry foyer and another directly above the dance floor police informed Darren that observing this footage would be
00:39:41
impossible as a mysterious electrical fault had occurred on September 18 rendering all the club's interior
00:39:48
cameras defective when Darren pressed the police for proof of this alleged blackout they changed their story and
00:39:55
instead claimed a wiring issue had interfered with the performance of the cameras according to police the
00:40:03
corrupted footage had been sent to a lab in an attempt to salvage it but efforts
00:40:07
were unsuccessful the vital images had been lost forever nevertheless the police assured Darren that they had
00:40:17
visited club Faygo and spoken to the club's bartenders and staff about group darn later visited club juego only to
00:40:29
discover that he had been misled as the nightclub staff revealed they hadn't been spoken to by anyone about his
00:40:35
sister's disappearance Darin questioned to the club employees himself but given the time that it since elapsed their
00:40:43
recollections of the early hours of September 18 were fake hindering their efforts was the fact that the club's
00:40:50
clientele were mostly young foreigners who didn't stay in Dubrovnik long which made remembering Britt from the hundreds
00:40:57
of indistinguishable ever-changing patrons incredibly difficult there were faint recollections of Britt being
00:41:05
served at the bar but no worthwhile information was given that hinted at her whereabouts one thing was certain if
00:41:13
Britt was involved in some kind of altercation or incident the staff would remember as such occurrences were
00:41:20
unusual at their establishment club Fuego management disputed police claims that an electrical fault had rendered
00:41:28
their CCTV network ineffective insisting that all seven of their internal security cameras were functioning during
00:41:35
the early hours of September 18 they had previously handed all CCTV equipment to
00:41:41
police including a hard drive that stored all recorded footage over the time period Britt lap thorn was present
00:41:47
and that they had no reason to believe the footage was defective a club Fuego bouncer recalled seeing
00:41:57
someone fitting Britt's description leaving the club in the company of two males and five females this group had
00:42:04
two cars between them and held a lengthy discussion as to who would travel in which vehicle it was clear to the
00:42:10
bouncer that none of the women wanted to get in a car with the men but he didn't
00:42:15
know who ended up travelling with who if his sister had been within this group Darren believed she might have wound up
00:42:22
in the car with the unknown men and that they may have been involved in her disappearance a close friend of bread
00:42:29
life Thorne's told the Australian press quote I find it very unconvincing that Britt would have got into a car with
00:42:37
somebody she didn't know if that's the case there must have been some pressure Darren contacted his parents in
00:42:47
Australia frustrated and upset by the indifference of Dubrovnik law enforcement in helping find his sister
00:42:54
the Lapp thorns felt the broth Nick police were being dismissive of their concerns and were treating their family
00:43:01
with contempt sharing his son's disappointment day olap thorn told the Australian media Darren was extremely
00:43:10
depressed after yesterday seeing the police doing absolutely nothing obviously telling lies lies lies and to
00:43:18
just hoping it would go away in a Facebook post l collapsed thorn pled the police are doing nothing we are beyond
00:43:29
grief they have been given so much information into doing nothing with it please all locals in Dubrovnik help us
00:43:37
help us help us the criticism leveled against the broviac authorities bug rates of loved
00:43:46
ones was reported throughout the Croatian media rather than prompting them to accelerate their investigation
00:43:53
Dubrovnik police became tight-lipped and refused to publicly divulge any more information in relation to the BRIT lap
00:44:00
thorn case this left Phillip thorn family completely in the dark about how the search for their daughter was going
00:44:07
or whether the investigation was proceeding at all Dubrovnik deputy police chief Ivan Koch
00:44:14
Rica defended the police response to Britt's disappearance saying we are only human beings but we are treating this
00:44:22
case Bukka would be treated anywhere in the world I understand the worry of the family and I understand their criticism
00:44:29
and I understand that it will force us to do more quality work but we really are doing the best job we can right now
00:44:36
I can't tell you everything we have done but this has not been a slow investigation deputy police chief cook
00:44:47
Rica indicated he personally believed that Britt was still alive and would be found safe in 2008 there hadn't been a
00:44:55
single murder reported in Dubrovnik or at Syrians which the deputy attested to the fact that Dubrovnik was quote the
00:45:03
safest and most secure county in all of Croatia it wasn't just Croatian authorities who came under fire during
00:45:14
the investigation into bread lab Thorne's disappearance a visibly emotional day all that Thorne told
00:45:21
Australian media that he and his wife had been contacted by the Australian Federal Police and asked to be mindful
00:45:27
of Australia's relationship with Croatia when speaking publicly about their missing daughter the distressed couple
00:45:35
were confounded when the AFP gave them a list of rules and undertakings to follow
00:45:39
to ensure they wouldn't create tension between the two countries they all at thorne quote I just got furious we
00:45:49
screamed at them on the phone we said you were public servants of Australia we are Australian citizens and we are not
00:45:57
going to allow you to sacrifice my daughter's life for the sake of relations the outcry prompted a response
00:46:05
from Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Prime Minister Rudd empathized with the lap thorns and other families who
00:46:13
have had a loved one go missing overseas quote we take every case seriously because it
00:46:20
could be our kids any day at any one time there are a million Australians offshore our job is to do whatever we
00:46:28
can to help families who find themselves in these horrible circumstances we will
00:46:34
leave no stone unturned through the Federal Police through our diplomats through consular officials through our
00:46:40
political contact with the government to do whatever we can do to assist in this
00:46:45
really hard and difficult matter in Dubrovnik Darrin lap thorn was still seeking out any clue that might lead him
00:46:54
to his sister he spent his days trawling the city streets plastering up missing person posters written in both English
00:47:02
and Croatian along the way he logged on the Brits Facebook account contacting the friends she had recently added or
00:47:09
accepted to see what information they could provide desperate for answers Darren visited a local clairvoyant
00:47:17
seeking guidance as to where to focus his search the clairvoyant revealed their mystic vision that Brits case
00:47:24
would be solved when investigators located two men aged 21 to 31 years old the disappearance of Brett life thorns
00:47:34
swept mythical dogma throughout Dubrovnik as the lack of information about her whereabouts led concerned
00:47:40
residents to seek answers from higher collars superstitious locals spoke darkly of the Croatian belief in the
00:47:48
energy carried by Bora winds draw cool northern gusts the sweep / develop a mountain range out to the adriatic sea
00:47:56
when bora comes in had drives debris further north and clears up the sky providing uninterrupted panoramic views
00:48:04
from the mountains all the way to italy locals believed that when this change in
00:48:10
weather finally occurred the mystery of brittle up thorns disappearance would be
00:48:15
solved back in Australia porch lights in Melbourne zyada suburban streets were kept on as an expression of solidarity
00:48:24
for Braille up the once safe return from the Latvian family home in Eden Park her
00:48:30
parents were doing their best to remain positive Elka lap thorn quote every morning I wake up and I feel there is
00:48:39
still a glimmer of hope that British still alive and that's what's keeping us going but the Lapp thorns hope was
00:48:47
severely put to the test as time passed and still there were no answers as to what happened to their daughter they
00:48:54
compiled a reward of 100,000 euros and offered to sell their house to boost the Sun hoping it would compel someone to
00:49:01
come forward with information that would lead to bread frustrated by the lack of
00:49:07
progress in finding his missing daughter Dale lap thorn boarded a flight to Croatia to conduct an investigation of
00:49:14
his own joined by Brits boyfriend Simon on October 3 the pair arrived to the broth neck with Dale vowing not to leave
00:49:24
the city without his daughter refusing to give up hope that Brit might still be alive
00:49:29
quote I would like to think she's probably being held against her will I just couldn't imagine other than for
00:49:39
Darren and Brit there's no purpose in living their everything upon his arrival to Dubrovnik Dale was confronted by
00:49:49
dramatic scenes as police helicopters flew over the surrounding mountains and officers with tracker dogs trolled
00:49:56
outlying rural fields police tape was strung up around key areas related to Britt's disappearance whilst forensic
00:50:04
investigators searched the dubrovnik backpackers club hostel it was far from the idol investigation Darren had
00:50:12
anticipated and his spirits were lifted upon realizing police were taking efforts to find his daughter seriously
00:50:20
however the actions of police were viewed with skepticism as some found a suspicious that law enforcement had
00:50:27
suddenly ramped up their search efforts to coincide with dial-up Thorne's presence
00:50:32
in town the prophetic officials were unwilling to explain why this intensive search hadn't occurred much earlier with
00:50:41
local reporters suggesting police had finally succumbed to the pressure arising from the Australian media and
00:50:47
Aussie citizens critics believed the grant efforts displayed by the broth leak law enforcement were all for show
00:50:54
and today hadn't really escalated the investigation into Brett luck thorns disappearance at all
00:51:03
the profiting police vehemently defended what they ensured was now a full-scale investigation into Brett luck Thorne's
00:51:11
disappearance adamant they were doing all they could to wade with the search although admitting they had no leads in
00:51:18
the case Dubrovnik deputy police chief Ivan cook Rica stood firm in his belief that Brit
00:51:24
would be found alive certain they were investigating a disappearance not a murder he once again justified the slow
00:51:32
pace of the investigation stating this is not a crime movie where you quickly arrive at any answer the police are
00:51:40
doing everything they can these sorts of problems cannot be solved in a day or two as people may expect but
00:51:47
systematically as their appeal for information cast a wide international net the broth Nick police issued a phone
00:51:56
number for anyone anywhere to come forward with details that could lead to Brits whereabouts relieved Dubrovnik
00:52:04
police were finally taking their daughter's disappearance seriously the Lapp thorns still harbored resentment
00:52:09
that the effort hadn't been made sooner Darren lap thorn quote if Brit is still alive she might be on her last breath so
00:52:20
everything possible should be sped up it was evident that Dubrovnik law enforcement were way out of their depth
00:52:28
deputy police chief avantco Creek I didn't even have a computer in his office and was frustrated to discover
00:52:35
that most tip-offs were imparted to the media instead of the authorities even the locals didn't seem to be taking the
00:52:42
police work seriously trudging through areas cordoned off by crime scene tape with no suspects or useful leads deputy
00:52:52
police chief cook Rica narrowed his focus on the group of international backpackers Brit adventured two o'clock
00:52:57
fuego with on the night she vanished he was curious to find out why the group had seemingly left the club without
00:53:04
their friend and also found a suspicious that many of them had departed Dubrovnik
00:53:09
within days of Brits disappearance the deputy requested help in locating the seven backpackers from global police
00:53:17
organization Interpol but the failures of Dubrovnik Police were highlighted once more when it was revealed that many
00:53:24
of the backpackers had already provided their accounts of the night via the press or social media frustrated by the
00:53:32
lack of contact from authorities the individuals took it upon themselves to publicly share any relevant information
00:53:38
they had in the hopes that would lead to bread reports from Brits fellow club goers were hindered by patchy
00:53:49
recollections there's many admitted to consuming large amounts of alcohol throughout the night in question the
00:53:56
group spent most of the night scattered separately throughout the venue bumping into one another every so often and it
00:54:02
was through these interactions that a fairly uniform series of events was collided the group shared a collective
00:54:10
sentiment the BRIT lap thorn was in good spirits during her time at Club Fuego on
00:54:15
the ground floor of the nightclub British backpacker Gareth Hopkins looked across the room and witnessed Brit lap
00:54:21
thorn chatting happily with a group of people he didn't recognize Portuguese backpacker marina Moore era also saw
00:54:29
Brit talking to a group of strangers who she described as mostly tall men at one point during the night marina saw
00:54:38
Britt enter what looked like a star family door near the club's main bar area only to re-emerge a few minutes
00:54:44
later polish-american backpacker Dominic dubrovensky who had accompanied Bread on
00:54:51
the journey from Moscow to Dubrovnik crossed paths with Britt several times throughout the night usually on the
00:54:57
dance floor whether to acknowledged each other with a quick hello Dominic said I
00:55:03
could tell she was drunk but she looked happy I did not see her dancing with anyone in particular and when I saw her
00:55:11
talking to people it was with people from our hostel and approximately 2:00 a.m. several witnesses saw Britt drop a
00:55:20
glass on the dance floor causing it to shatter club Fuego employees confronted Britt over the breakage and requested
00:55:28
that she leave the premises Britt did leave but some 10 minutes later she was seen inside the nightclub
00:55:34
again here there having been let back or snuck back in at this point she ran into Gareth
00:55:42
Hopkins and asked him quote we're at the Croatians followed by something else he
00:55:48
couldn't hear over the loud music in the club Garrett wasn't sure who Britt was talking about but noticed she was
00:55:55
slurring her words the dubrovnik backpackers club crew slowly filtered out of club fuego in dribs and drabs and
00:56:05
made their way back to the hostel some reported asking British she wanted to share a cab but she wasn't ready to
00:56:11
leave yet so they departed without her the following morning the hazy revelers arose with foggy recollections of benign
00:56:21
when the realization dawned that Britt hadn't returned to the hostel they quickly pieced together what memories
00:56:28
they retained to try and work out where she may have wound up it was soon determined that the last anyone saw her
00:56:36
Britt lap thorn was in club Fuego at approximately 3:30 a.m. on the morning of Thursday September 18 2008 with some
00:56:44
reports stating there were three unknown males crowded around her at the time although it wasn't immediately noticed -
00:56:54
during initial searches of Britt lab Thorne's belongings Britt's mobile phone was later found in her dorm room at the
00:57:00
Dubrovnik backpackers club indicating she had left her behind the night she went near an inspection of her phone
00:57:07
records revealed a call had been made at 2:57 a.m. on September 18 just half an hour before she was last sighted at Club
00:57:15
Fuego the call was placed to a mobile phone belonging to a Vista Perkovic the 33 year old living manager of the
00:57:24
Dubrovnik backpackers club who operated the hostel with his parents this phone call immediately cast suspicions on a
00:57:32
Visa Perkovic who had left the country in the days after Britt disappeared on what he insisted was a work-related trip
00:57:40
whilst abroad Dubrovnik police contacted Perkovic and to request that he returned
00:57:45
to the city so they could speak to him in relation to Bria lap thorn Perkovic claimed he barely knew bread
00:57:51
having only met her briefly in the hostels recreation room at around 10:30 p.m. on September 17 the two had a brief
00:58:00
conversation about Australia his Perkovic hoped to travel there one day after this interaction Perkovic retired
00:58:08
the bed and later arose to complain to his mother that the reality group of backpackers were making too much noise
00:58:13
and keeping him awake as Perkovic lacked the confidence to confront them his mother spoke to the guests and asked
00:58:21
them to quiet down this prompted several of the guests including Britta thorne to
00:58:27
make the trip to clop Faygo several hours later the 257 a.m. call came through from Brits mobile phone Perkovic
00:58:38
claimed he was asleep at the time and his mobile phone was on silent so he was unaware of the call and a went
00:58:44
unanswered although he could often no explanation as to why Brett was trying to contact him he explained that his
00:58:51
mobile phone number was used as the main business line for the dubrovnik backpackers club a number of guests were
00:58:58
given upon checking in and told to ring should they need hope with bookings inquiries or emergencies adding another
00:59:07
layer to the mystery was the lack of explanation as to how exactly Britt's mobile phone wound up at the hostel the
00:59:14
lap thorns believed with utmost certainty that Britt would not go out with the auto mobile phone if she had
00:59:21
accidentally left the device at the hostel before she left for club Fuego had begged the question as to who made
00:59:27
the 2:57 a.m. call to a visa Perkovic and Dwyer if Britt did have her phone with her at the nightclub there was no
00:59:36
explanation as to why it was used to make a call to admits at Perkovic half an hour before she was last seen nor how
00:59:44
the phone ended up back in her dorm deputy police chief Arvind cook Rika confirmed that the phone call made from
00:59:52
Britt's mobile on the evening of her disappearance was of great interest but insisted the key to the mystery lay with
00:59:58
the backpackers who was with the club Fuego as such after 36 hours of questioning
01:00:04
haveta Perkovic was released from custody with police officially ruling he was no longer being viewed as a suspect
01:00:11
in the case upon his release evita Perkovic told a croatian newspaper that none of the other guests who had
01:00:20
attended club fuego with Brett luck thorn were at all worried when she didn't return from the club quote they
01:00:28
thought she was that kind of person he claimed to have spoken to staff at other hostels Britt had stayed in during
01:00:37
her travels and he said they described the 21 year old has a very kind polite person but with a reckless side
01:00:47
upon learning of Avensis comments he'll collapse Thorne was heartbroken and warned defeat sir to be careful quote
01:00:55
every mother knows their little girl I know my little girl and she's not that kind of girl I think he's being very
01:01:04
clever in trying to put the blame on Britt Tara Reynolds who had traveled with Britt in Poland said I'm very angry
01:01:13
and upset for Perkovic to say such things in one breath he says he doesn't know her and in another makes these
01:01:20
assumptions about her and makes me suspicious very suspicious Evita was not the only member of the perk of each
01:01:30
family that exhibited suspicious behavior during the Britt lap the one investigation as the search for Britt
01:01:37
continued the lap thorns received an anonymous phone call in their Dubrovnik hotel from a local who claimed to asine
01:01:44
Evita Perkovic his mother Nilka at the post office on the day of Britt's disappearance Milka Perkovic was
01:01:52
attempting to mail a passport to australia but left after being advised passports could not be sent through the
01:01:58
post the caller alleged the passport belonged to brittle ab thorn this information
01:02:06
although seemingly compelling could not be verified and to the luck thorns never
01:02:11
heard from the caller again the official investigation conducted by Dubrovnik law
01:02:18
enforcement in to Britt lap thorns disappearance lasted just 10 days and resulted in a brief two-page report
01:02:25
detailing their limited findings one new piece of information came from a Croatian witness who claimed to have
01:02:33
seen Britt lap thorn laughing and dancing with an English speaking man at Club juego throughout the night of her
01:02:38
disappearance it was unclear if this was someone unknown to breathe or one of her
01:02:44
companions from the dubrovnik backpackers club hostel it was the chief of the dubrovnik police
01:02:50
force ivan critic who fronted the meteor at a press conference after the release
01:02:55
of the report although the report provided no answers as to what could have happened to brit laughs Thorne
01:03:01
cressie was confident that Dubrovnik police would still locate the young australian alive quote we are not
01:03:09
searching for a body we are searching for a girl it is now a matter of time until we find an answer to the mystery
01:03:16
but I am sure that we will answer all the questions as to what happened and I will do everything as a human being and
01:03:23
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since day all apps Lewin arrived to the city of Dubrovnik it had been a hellish 18 days for the father a physically and
01:08:26
emotionally exhausting experience hindered by deficient police work and complex diplomacy despite all the
01:08:34
obstacles thrown his way Dale was fueled by unwavering determination to bring his daughter home
01:08:41
just a few hundred meters east from the entrance of Club Fuego is Dubrovnik's West harbour situated in a spectacular
01:08:49
stretch of shoreline known as Bona novo Bay the scenic bay is sheltered by a soaring 40 meter cliff face which frames
01:08:58
the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic Sea the beach below is accessible via a
01:09:04
steep set of stairs with metal ladders affixed to concrete platforms that allow swimmers to exit the water after
01:09:10
launching off from one of the many dive spots the area is surrounded by holiday homes and five-star resorts popular with
01:09:19
tourists and locals alike who gather to sunbathe play cards will cook barbecues while admiring the picturesque coastal
01:09:26
views the serene deep waters of the bay hosts the variety of marine life making it an ideal location for boating and
01:09:35
fishing as eleven o'clock approach than the morning of October 6 local fisherman
01:09:42
boating off a cove near Bona novo Bay caught sight of something floating on the surface of the sea
01:09:48
upon realizing what they had come across they immediately contacted Dubrovnik law
01:09:54
enforcement water police arrived to the location where they found at the partial
01:09:59
remains of a human body in an advanced state of decomposition the remains were so severely damaged authorities were
01:10:07
unable to determine whether there were those of a male or a female making an immediate identification impossible
01:10:15
Dubrovnik police withheld news of the discovery from the public but it didn't take long for word of the body found
01:10:22
near Bona novo Bay - leaked to the press Dale and Darren lap thorn were still deep in their search for Brett when the
01:10:30
news of the body reached them they were immediately struck with overwhelming emotion assuming the body had to be hers
01:10:39
to make the situation even more traumatizing for the family they heard about the grim breakthrough via the
01:10:45
media instead of being personally informed by officials although the body had yet to be identified
01:10:52
they all that Thorne made the difficult call to his wife in Australia informing her their daughter may have finally been
01:10:58
found Elka lap thorn quote I don't know whether it was relief I sort of felt a calmness there because I said to Dale
01:11:08
and Darren I'm sure it's Brit we just have to be prepared for that however Dubrovnik police were quick to deny the
01:11:18
body was that of the Australian backpacker as Brit had only been missing for 18 days and the state of the human
01:11:25
remains found on Bona novo Bay indicated the body had been in the water for months deputy police chief Ivan cook
01:11:33
Rica held a press conference where he stated we can almost for sure tell that the body is not Britt's body he
01:11:42
explained the remains were more likely those of an illegal immigrant from Albania or Montenegro who had been
01:11:48
dumped or fallen over the side of a boat sometime ago whoo Creek is statements reignited hopes
01:11:56
Britt like thorne could still be found alive back home her mother told the press every day it's getting worse and
01:12:04
worse and I wonder what else we are going to hear why hasn't Britt been found for heaven's sake for dialup
01:12:14
thorne the discovery of the body almost brought an end to the painful mystery of
01:12:18
what happened to his daughter quote it is just extraordinary it is your worst nightmare in many ways with this body we
01:12:27
almost had some closure you know some closure I can at least say I'm going home with
01:12:33
Britt but now we are back to square one as the search for burlap thorne continued her father wrote a letter to
01:12:46
the public titled please help me find my bread which was published by Estrella newspaper The Daily Telegraph in a Dale
01:12:55
wrote my daughter Britt lap Thorne is missing there are no hires for our family right now
01:13:03
it's just lows too extreme lows I feel shattered I feel exhausted I feel broken and I
01:13:11
wonder if I will be able to go on the next day in this situation I just have to keep on
01:13:17
driving our family have got to do everything we can to find bread my son Darren and I ask how can we go home
01:13:26
without her the answer is we can not we are still discovering bit by bit what happened the night she disappeared there
01:13:36
are so many conflicting reports that make it difficult to get a true picture yet this case should be so simple hostel
01:13:44
night club the distance between a populated place lots of traffic it begs the question why is this so difficult to
01:13:54
solve she hasn't just vanished off the face of the earth that's just not bread she
01:14:01
hasn't done a runner there was no reason to she loved her life she loved being home
01:14:07
she loved her friends bridge story has touched the hearts of many people anyone who loves their family can relate to it
01:14:16
they relate to the fear of losing a loved one a child I am very thankful for the huge level of public support I have
01:14:27
only one goal and that's to find my daughter I will use every tool possible to do that I will not say I should have
01:14:35
nor will I say I could have despite the confidence of dubrovnik police that the body found floating in
01:14:46
the waters near Bona novo Bay was not bread lap thorn her family provided them with blood tests dental records and DNA
01:14:53
samples in order to rule out the possibility that it could be their daughter four days later an analysis
01:15:02
conducted by Croatian forensics determined the luck Thorne's worst fears to be true it had been 22 days since
01:15:10
their daughter mysteriously vanished from club fuego in the early hours of September 18 but finally Brit Luck thorn
01:15:19
had been found after taking time to address his overwhelming grief they all that thorn fronted the media quote I
01:15:31
came to Dubrovnik to bring bread home we did not achieve our main objective which
01:15:37
was to bring her home alive but we have the consolation that we are taking her home we go home with bread on her last
01:15:46
journey with us that is better than no closure at all it's a very shallow closure and one we
01:15:53
will never get over but we have something we have failed that we have not totally failed forensic experts
01:16:05
deemed it lucky that Britt's body had been discovered at all given there was very little tissue remaining to keep it
01:16:11
afloat only approximately 40% of Britt's remains were recovered with several organs and limbs missing as well as most
01:16:20
of her teeth and hair Deputy Chief of Police Ivan kukri confronted the press stating I have to admit that I had based
01:16:31
on the state the body was in really thought that it was not Brett this left the Croatian authorities to believe the
01:16:40
Australian must have been in the water for the duration of her disappearance an assumption which only raised more
01:16:46
perplexing questions for the lab thorns even if Brett had been floating in the water for the whole
01:16:53
eighteen days she was missing the timing didn't correspond with the severe extent
01:16:57
of decay and destruction sustained to her body the fact that no one saw Britt's body
01:17:03
during that time was even more baffling to her family given that bond an oboe bay was a high-traffic area popular with
01:17:11
swimmers and boaters and overlooked by an observation area visited by hundreds of tourists daily these considerations
01:17:19
further substantiated dayal that thorn suspicions that foul play was involved in Britt's death quote Britt did not
01:17:28
jump off a cliff cut her legs off on the way down and do something else to decompose herself as an explanation for
01:17:37
the rapid decomposition of Britt's body they all developed the theory that Britt
01:17:42
may have been killed and dumped at sea the perpetrators weighing her body down by stirring rocks in her clothing her
01:17:50
remains may have only recently arisen to the surface after the rocks became dislodged dales theory wasn't without
01:17:59
precedent an incident three years earlier in 2005 bore striking similarities to the Britt life Thorne
01:18:06
case when a badly decomposed body was found floating in the waters of Croatia's Istrian Peninsula
01:18:14
local police were adamant the body had been in the water for at least eight months ruling out the possibility it was
01:18:20
30 year old British tourist Peter Rushton who had gone missing from a nightclub in the croatian town of porec
01:18:27
five weeks earlier however the remains were later identified to be those of Peter Rushton
01:18:35
decomposition was accelerated due to the fact his badly beaten body had been put
01:18:39
in a sack filled with fishing weights before being thrown overboard two croatian men were later charged with his
01:18:46
murder upon the discovery of Brett lab Thorne's body rumours ran right over the circumstances leading to her death
01:18:59
some believe Britt had stumbled through the dark towards the West Harbor and accidentally fallen from the coastal
01:19:05
cliffs others suspected she may have participated in a late night swim before accidentally drowning in the surf others
01:19:14
shared the sentiments of the luck thorn family and were convinced that backpacker had met with foul play to
01:19:21
determine Brett's cause of death experts aimed to clarify key factors including the location where she had
01:19:28
entered the sea but this was soon deemed impossible as the area of water where Britt's body was found was characterized
01:19:36
by strong winds and powerful currents meaning the exact entry point could not be identified
01:19:43
to establish whether Britt fell from a high or entered the water at sea level experts studied her skeletal remains
01:19:51
however as the coastline framing Bona novo be featured steep jagged cliffs deep sea shells and rocky outcroppings
01:19:59
the cause of bone fractures could be from a multitude of possible sources breakages would appear the same
01:20:07
regardless of whether Britt fell from a cliff was thrown in or the current dragged her body into the cliff face the
01:20:15
rapid decomposition of Britt's remains only added more complexities to the yet to be determined cause of death the
01:20:23
profit police told de OLAP thorn the reason his daughter's body was so badly decomposed was because quote the water
01:20:30
was warm but the temperature of Bona novo Bayswater in late September and early October could vary anywhere
01:20:37
between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius significantly colder than the oceans mid year temperatures which peaked at 28
01:20:45
degrees prolonged water based the decomposition can cause hair and skin to come away from the body but experts were
01:20:55
at a loss to explain how most of Britt's teeth were missing including the more resilient molars although not an
01:21:02
impossible result of decomposition the loss of her molar teeth was highly unusual the possibility the marine life
01:21:11
played a part also seemed unlikely Croatian waters are home to a variety of marine life but very few would be
01:21:19
capable of removing human limbs sharks had been known to swim through the Adriatic Sea but their presence was
01:21:26
extremely rare a cursory search of the Bona novo Bay area only uncovered one of Britt's
01:21:35
personal belongings the shirt she had been wearing on the night of her disappearance which was found floating
01:21:40
in the sea a short distance away from her body the other items Brett had on her including her wallet Canon Powershot
01:21:49
g9 camera enter the remainder of her clothing including her leggings and shoes were not found the possibility
01:21:57
that Britt drowned couldn't be ruled out but it couldn't be confirmed either as her lungs were never recovered it was a
01:22:05
topic of debate as Britt's body was found unclothed which is unusual for drowning victims rumors she could have
01:22:13
gone skinny-dipping were refuted by those closest to Britt who described her as conservative and given the remainder
01:22:20
of her clothing was not located at the water's edge it seemed unlikely yet some suggest that her clothing may have been
01:22:28
blown away by the strong Bora winds the cliffs above Bona novo Bay were a local suicide spot but Britt had no history of
01:22:39
suicidal thoughts or self harming tendencies on the contrary she was consistently described as happy and
01:22:46
secure with many positive elements in her life including her travels studies friends family and a boyfriend
01:22:54
one of the last postcards Brits sent to her parents in Australia noted she wasn't ready to go home yet as she was
01:23:01
having so much fun longing for answers the luck thorn family anxiously awaited the results of
01:23:09
an autopsy certain would put an end to the speculation and to reveal the indisputable truth of what happened to
01:23:16
Brit it took a week for Dubrovnik forensic officials to complete the post-mortem examination of gridlock
01:23:26
Thorne's body the accompanying report immediately drew outrage from the luck thorn family the Australian media and
01:23:34
members of the public at just two pages along the autopsy report was noticeably underwritten and contained an obvious
01:23:43
lack of insight it described the damage sustained to Britt's body but made no attempt to explain how such damage had
01:23:51
occurred the report blamed to the lack of detailed information on the poor state the body was in but provided no
01:23:59
explanation as to why the remains had deteriorated so rapidly in one final blow the report indicated that no
01:24:08
further comprehensive scientific testing had been undertaken and simply ruled a print like Thorne's cause of death as
01:24:15
unknown a disappointed day all that Thorne slammed the autopsy report as childish stating quote a grade 12
01:24:27
student could do a better job than this up until this point the broth NIC law enforcement perceived in confidence had
01:24:35
been attributed to their lack of experience in dealing with a case of this nature but now their indifference
01:24:41
in determining what happened to Brit luck Thorne was being viewed as intentional Australians believed at the
01:24:49
Dubrovnik police were going to great lengths to sweep the case under the rug to ensure their city's positive
01:24:55
reputation would not be damaged by word of a foreign tourists being murdered on their streets
01:25:02
after the release of the Croatian autopsy report it was announced that the BRIT lab Thorne's body would be
01:25:08
re-examined in Australia by a Victorian coroner the lap thorns found solace in this decision with Dale telling the
01:25:17
media quote if it concurs with what has been investigated in Croatia fine and good I accept that I asked the Croatian
01:25:26
people not to see this as an insult or anything it's just a family right to be able to have a second opinion and for us
01:25:33
to rest peacefully in that the correct assessment was done before returning to Australia Dale and Daren lap thorn
01:25:43
boated in Bona novo Bay scouring the rocky bays and inlets near the location Britt's body was found when asked what
01:25:51
they were looking for they all said he didn't want to sound gruesome but they were worried something had been missed
01:25:57
like a leg or an arm despite their efforts no further remains were recovered at dawn on October 17 Dale and
01:26:10
Darren lap thorn together with Brits boyfriend Simon sailed out into the cool morning mists of Bona novo Bay where
01:26:18
they laid a wreath and scattered white rose petals upon the water where Britt's body was found mansard roof a song by
01:26:26
indie rock band Vampire Weekend was played from Brett so iPod the upbeat song bringing the essence of her vibrant
01:26:33
spirit to the somber occasion promising to remember breed as the vivacious young
01:26:39
woman she was they all loved or once dated the pain we can not bear is all those things that she wanted to do and
01:26:47
we'll never get the chance the following day October 18 marked a month to the day since Britt lap thorn
01:26:56
went missing that night more than 1,000 people gathered at Flagstaff gardens in Brett's home city of Melbourne Australia
01:27:04
to hold a candlelight vigil in her honor and pay their respects to her family Britt's friends relatives classmates and
01:27:14
strangers sat on picnic blankets watching in silence as the Sun set in the springtime sky as night fell the
01:27:22
parklands were illuminated by hundreds of flickering candles Nilka lap thorn told the crowd of
01:27:29
mourners quote I think people especially backpackers should get on with their adventures and experiences but just look
01:27:38
after each other a bit more I think Britt possibly was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person
01:27:45
and it just should not have happened not to Britt not to anyone else the next day
01:27:55
the entire luck thorn family were reunited after a challenging and painful period apart a formal memorial service
01:28:04
titled a ceremony of love for Britt was held in South Morang with over 600 mourners in attendance wearing ribbons
01:28:12
of Britt's favorite color purple the programs were covered with purple stars and featured a picture of Britt
01:28:20
her contagious smile and enthusiastic thumbs up perfectly encapsulating her lively personality stories of Britt's
01:28:29
idyllic childhood and adolescence were retold by loved ones including the time at age five she attempted to leave home
01:28:36
but only made it as far as halfway down her driveway another story revealed that Britt's
01:28:42
first ever mobile phone bill totaled more than $1,200 much to the horror of her father at age 15 the industrious
01:28:51
Brits sought out her first job in a local charcoal chicken takeaway food shop each tale was told with humor and
01:29:00
warmth and accompanied by a photo montage reflecting the full and adventurous life Britt created for
01:29:06
herself after the ceremony 21 purple balloons were released each one symbolizing a
01:29:15
year Britt's life day or Luck thorn thanked the crowd for their ongoing support during this
01:29:20
unspeakable tragedy and employed everyone to appreciate the preciousness of life and value their family a private
01:29:30
burial was postponed as Britt's family awaited the results of a second autopsy the second post-mortem of Britt lap
01:29:40
Dawn's body was conducted by David Ranson an associate professor from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
01:29:47
this examination incorporated a series of tests that the initial autopsy had failed to conduct including a
01:29:55
toxicological analysis that revealed no alcohol or any other common drugs or poisons were present in Britt system
01:30:03
the small amount of body tissue that remained was thoroughly examined and no bruises abrasions lacerations or
01:30:10
incisions were identified based on the damage to her skeletal remains it was determined that the trauma sustained to
01:30:19
Britt's long bones was consistent with wave and tidal action against rocky surfaces rib fractures were also present
01:30:27
although it couldn't be determined whether these occurred whilst Britt was alive or post-mortem damage to other
01:30:33
parts of the skeletal structure was attributed to scavenging marine life according to Professor ransom the
01:30:41
absence of trauma to Britt's skull and upper limbs suggested that she might have entered the water at sea level the
01:30:49
significant decomposition of Britt's body coupled with the absence of crucial remains led to Professor ransom
01:30:55
concluding that neither a time of death or a cause of death could be unequivocally ascertained although his
01:31:02
post-mortem report was significantly more thorough than the first Branson ultimately agreed with the results of
01:31:09
the croatian autopsy and ruled the cause of Britta Thorne's death as unknown on October 29 2008 the police chief in
01:31:20
charge of the Britt luck Thorne investigation Ivan kravec was fired according to a police
01:31:27
spokesperson CREZ extermination was part of a new direction for the county's police designed to curb the police
01:31:34
inaction the prolonged failings of the Dubrovnik police had been highlighted since the heavily publicized Brent Lapp
01:31:41
thorn investigation with the police spokesperson telling the media quote we weren't satisfied with the speed of
01:31:49
police reaction in the case of Britt lap thorn although the fact remains that she
01:31:54
would not have been saved with a faster police reaction somebody has to take responsibility for the fact that there
01:32:00
was a 5 to 6 day delay before a serious investigation and quality action was undertaken by leading police
01:32:09
these internal changes led to a total turnaround in the dubrovnik police forces conduct regarding the BRIT lap
01:32:16
thorn investigation by November 2008 they all upped the one told the press he felt the languishing investigation was
01:32:24
now being fast-tracked and believed police efforts had improved outstandingly key witnesses and to the
01:32:32
group of backpackers who had been a club fuego with Brett on the night of her disappearance had been tracked down and
01:32:37
questioned at length concise credible reports were distributed to the lap thorns on a weekly basis keeping the
01:32:45
family in the loop of any new developments in a much-anticipated move Dubrovnik police divers finally entered
01:32:55
the waters of bananas obey to conduct an extensive underwater search for Britt's
01:32:59
missing belongings including her wallet camera and a clothing a police spokesperson claimed to the dive mission
01:33:08
had been planned to long ago but blamed the delay on unfavorable weather conditions nevertheless the dive was
01:33:16
long overdue as a luck thorn family who hoped above all else that Britt's camera
01:33:21
would be fair on believing it held vital clues as to what happened to her the night she went missing
01:33:28
however the divers emerged from the waters of Bona novo Bay and be handed in late December 2008 Dubrovnik police
01:33:42
granted the Lapp Thorne's full access to CCTV footage captured in the vicinity of
01:33:47
Club fuego over the night Brett had attended although the footage from the club's seven internal security cameras
01:33:54
had allegedly been lost due to an electrical fault an adjacent War Memorial was overseen by four high-tech
01:34:00
cameras one of which faced Club Fuegos entrance this camera should have provided clear footage of all persons
01:34:08
entering and exiting the venue but upon being retrieved from the council it was discovered that this key camera was also
01:34:15
dysfunctional between the critical dates of September 17 and 18 the only viable existing footage of Club Fuego was
01:34:24
obtained from a council owned street camera located 50 metres down the road it didn't provide a direct view of the
01:34:31
club's entrance but did pick up the darkened silhouettes of the few people moving about in the area the grainy
01:34:38
footage showed a one-way palm-lined road with Club Fuego on the left and a large
01:34:43
block of apartments on the opposite side Dubrovnik police determined that the footage captured nothing of importance
01:34:53
whilst tirelessly reviewing this footage the luck thorns noted an occurrence at 446 a.m. on September 18 when a dark
01:35:02
blue van emerged from a side street and came to a stop at the front entrance of Club Fuego a person exited the club and
01:35:10
quickly climbed into the van before it sped off out of shot due to the low quality of the dark footage it was
01:35:18
impossible to make out the finer details of the vehicle or identify those inside
01:35:22
but given that Britt was last sighted in the club approximately an hour before the van arrived the lap thorns
01:35:29
considered the unnerving possibility that the figure getting into the vehicle could have been their daughter
01:35:36
their theory was substantiated by a post on an internet forum that had appeared in September just days after Britt went
01:35:44
missing warning club Fuego patrons to be on high alert as two unknown men had been acting
01:35:50
menacingly and preying on partygoers in the area in a bid to lure young foreign women into their vehicle the suspicious
01:36:00
man claimed to be police officers the forum post read quote a blue van stops two special police get out they showed
01:36:11
their ID and to then try and put you in the van on behalf of Australia's channel
01:36:19
7 current affairs program Sunday night veteran investigative reporter Ross Coulthard began independent
01:36:25
investigations into the Britt life thorne case cooled Hart's inquiries led him to Dubrovnik where he uncovered an
01:36:34
ominous pattern of ingrained criminal activity hidden deep behind the esteemed city's walls in 2007 an Australian
01:36:42
tourist was enjoying a night out at Club juego when she accepted a ride from two
01:36:47
local men driving a dark blue van when the woman realized she was being driven out of the city and away from her
01:36:54
destination she questioned where they were going but the men remained silent sensing she was in danger the woman left
01:37:02
from the moving vehicle and ran down the hillside with the men chasing close behind upon reaching a main road she was
01:37:10
rescued by a security guard and taken to hospital where her ordeal was formally reported to Dubrovnik authorities
01:37:19
in September 2008 an Australian tourist the left Club Fuego at around 2 a.m. and
01:37:25
began the short walk to the harbour where her cruise ship was docked for the night suddenly a dark blue van carrying
01:37:33
several men accelerated towards her her passenger hanging out the open side door
01:37:38
attempted to pull the woman into the vehicle but she escaped taking refuge in an isolated area away from the road
01:37:46
seemingly out of nowhere a group of five to seven armed men emerged and crowded around her
01:37:52
chanting police police she immediately recognized one of the men as the passenger in the blue van who had tried
01:38:00
to snatch her moments earlier the woman's friends rushed to help causing the group of men to scatter this
01:38:09
incident occurred just five days before Brett luck thorn vanished and it was reported to both the Australian Federal
01:38:16
Police and dubrovnik officials in the following month of october 2008 an American tourist was approached by two
01:38:25
local men inside klog Fuego who flashed what appeared to be a police badge they told the woman she was under arrest and
01:38:32
demanded she leave with them immediately when she refused the pair proceeded to beat up her male companion other
01:38:41
nightclub patrons intervened enter the attackers fled the club in the company of several other men
01:38:47
this occurred just 10 days after Brett lab Thorne's disappearance in another incident a solo female tourists
01:38:57
disembarked a bus at 3 a.m. in Dubrovnik Western port area a short walk from Club
01:39:03
Fuego she was talking on her mobile phone when a group of men circled her flashing a badge and claiming to be
01:39:10
police officers the group of men fled when a local stepped in to assist the woman the women targeted shared similar
01:39:21
characteristics they were all female young blonde slim and foreign all features matching those of grip lap
01:39:29
Thorne although minor details of their ordeals varied they were all confronted in nor
01:39:36
near club fuego by at least two local men claiming to be police officers the perpetrators used the distinctive dark
01:39:45
blue van the same type of vehicle caught on CCTV footage pulling up the club Fuego around at the time Britt lap thorn
01:39:52
vanished Dubrovnik law enforcement initially denied a knowledge of these alleged abductions but were forced to
01:40:01
backtrack and accept awareness when ross kuta presented them with official reports compiled after two of the
01:40:08
incidents one was a report sent to Dubrovnik law enforcement by the Australian Federal Police after they
01:40:16
were contacted by a survivor the other was a medical report collected from the hospital one of the other survivors
01:40:22
attended after her ordeal detailing the circumstances of her visit despite these
01:40:28
reports indicating the perpetrators were masquerading as police officers no action had been taken to identify or
01:40:35
apprehend the suspects in early February 2009 Ross called hearts incriminating findings into the Brit lab thorne case
01:40:45
were broadcasted on Channel Seven's Sunday night programme identical images of the two main perpetrators were
01:40:52
created based on descriptions provided by survivors one was tall with short dusty blond hair a pale complexion small
01:41:01
face narrow nose and two large ears the second two was shorter and had a square shaped face with cropped dark hair heavy
01:41:10
eyebrows dark eyes and itand complexion Sunday nights deeming expose quickly garnered the curiosity of the Australian
01:41:21
media and public open to the possibility Brett life thorn had been a victim of a
01:41:26
well-established criminal gang posing as the broth neck police the authenticates
01:41:32
of the two alleged ringleaders were widely circulated and in a confounding revelation it was quickly discovered
01:41:39
that the suspect sketches closely resembled two active Dubrovnik police officers Croatian authorities
01:41:47
were quick to hold a press conference addressing the accusations but instead of their usual hardline to denial
01:41:54
approach they accepted at the identicals matched to the appearance of two members
01:41:58
of Dubrovnik local police this revelation opened to many questions but the spokesperson didn't well on the
01:42:07
validity of the claims instead assuring reporters that the unnamed officers in question were exemplary members of law
01:42:14
enforcement Croatian publication Nacional revealed the identities of the two police officers at the center of the
01:42:22
allegations with other news sources quickly following suit if it's Arruda Novik into dragon Palomita were both
01:42:31
married fathers who worked alongside one another in Dubrovnik snark otic squad harboring varying reputations within the
01:42:38
force whilst the Dragon Palomita was a long serving officer with the clean record
01:42:45
Evita rudin overtures reputation was marred by an undisclosed - disciplinary procedure that resulted in a severe
01:42:52
demotion from the coveted special police force - beat cop the integrity of routine Ovitz was considered dubious as
01:43:01
it was rumoured that the officer had intentionally lied during an investigation in order to clear
01:43:06
colleagues of assault charges made against them during each of the alleged abduction attempts a visa rudin ovitch
01:43:15
and a dragon Palomita were roasted on patrol duty together dressed in plain clothes the pair
01:43:22
surveyed Dubrovnik's nightspots as part of narcotic reduction efforts they didn't deny confronting foreign women in
01:43:30
and around flood fuego whilst on duty but maintained any interactions were purely part of their undercover drug
01:43:37
operations meanwhile the search to locate the crucial dark blue vin revealed there was one vehicle
01:43:45
registered in Dubrovnik to fit the description a Volkswagen Sheeran multi-purpose
01:43:51
vehicle used by the Dubrovnik police force as Lac cosa Cola had recently replaced
01:43:59
diving cresset cuz Dubrovnik's police chief and was working tirelessly to make positive progress on the mishandled
01:44:06
brittle app thorne investigation if there was any truth to the allegations that fellow police officers were
01:44:13
involved in the abduction and assault of foreign women sekolah knew he'd struggled to get to the bottom of the
01:44:18
matter the reputation of the Dubrovnik police force was tainted by lingering rumors of corruption and cover-ups with
01:44:27
residents perceiving their city as a place where organized crime thrived accusations that terminated police chief
01:44:34
Ivan crazy Hadid are underestimated ignored or tacitly tolerated dedicated to restoring
01:44:42
the reputation of the Dubrovnik police force and eradicating any disgraced officers police chief sekolah made a
01:44:49
brush and shocking move relieving 70% of command personnel from GE despite the tenacious efforts employed by police
01:45:03
chief sekolah to clear Dubrovnik's tarnished police force and renewed the investigation into Brit lab Thorne's
01:45:09
unresolved death years past with virtually no fresh information coming to light seven years after Brett lap thorns
01:45:18
body was found in Bona novo Bay hopes of finding a resolution to the mystery were
01:45:23
renewed when Victorian State Coroner Ian gray was tasked with holding a cranial inquest into the 21 year olds death all
01:45:32
available evidence leads reports and witness statements relating to the brie larvan investigation were compiled and
01:45:40
scrutinized during the inquest and in April 2015 Ian gray presented his findings in the
01:45:47
Victorian coroner's court Coroner gray concluded the following facts between midnight and 12:30 a.m. on
01:45:57
September 18 2008 Britt life thorn arrived by bus the club Fuego with a group of backpackers after consuming an
01:46:04
unverified quantity of alcohol there Britt continued to consume alcohol and became heavily intoxicated she was last
01:46:14
seen in the club between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. her remains were located 18 days later in Bona novo Bay on October 6 2008
01:46:24
no further facts could be unequivocally ascertained Dubrovnik police claim to their investigations into the young
01:46:34
Australians death involved over 500 interviews with potential witnesses polygraph examinations execution of
01:46:42
multiple search warrants and a retrieval of data from mobile phone towers during
01:46:46
the critical time period between September 17 and 18 2008 the Australian Federal Police had since conducted an
01:46:55
inquiry into Dubrovnik law enforcement handling of the case and found police were quote professional and determined
01:47:03
in their efforts the coroner acknowledged that while there were several deficiencies in the
01:47:09
initial treatment of Britt's disappearance Dubrovnik police had since exhausted all available avenues during
01:47:15
their ongoing investigations the possibility that Brett had fallen victim to the same gang of local men who had
01:47:23
attempted to abduct several other young female travelers during their time in Dubrovnik was disputed by coroner grey
01:47:30
who determined quote there was no evidence or information found indicating the attacks on the women were linked to
01:47:38
each other or to Britt's death however the coroner was able to resolve one lingering theory quote
01:47:48
based on evidence there is no reason or basis to conclude that bread at any time
01:47:53
acted with the intention of ending her own life by therefore conclude that her death was due to either accident or foul
01:48:01
play when it came to the exact cause of brids death coroner gray officially ruled the evidence does not support a
01:48:10
finding as to when or how Britt's death occurred why therefore formally find that the cause or causes of Britt lap
01:48:18
Thorne's death remain an acetate Dale lapsed Thorne addressed the court on behalf of his family thanking them for
01:48:27
their efforts in attempting to establish the truth about what happened to his daughter although the life Thorne family
01:48:34
would continue to seek answers they all admitted they had come to terms with the
01:48:39
fact they may never know for sure how Britt lost her life one positive day or took from the overwhelming tragedy was
01:48:47
that Britt's death had created a legacy that compelled other young backpackers to be more cautious when travelling
01:48:52
overseas the realization that his daughter's case prompted dramatic changes in the leadership and practices
01:49:00
of Dubrovnik's problematical law enforcement was also a source of comfort for Dale quote I don't like saying this
01:49:08
but maybe she didn't die in vain our side court Britt's older brother Darren told the media had had been a tough 7
01:49:17
years and stated although we may never really find out what happened to Brett I know I still live in the hope that one
01:49:25
day as long as I live I'll find out any answer one day someone will need to clear their conscience
01:49:33
there was a sentiment shared by his mother Elko quote whoever did this to our daughter they have to live with
01:49:41
their guilt I hope it torches them like we're tortured every day but in the end nothing we do will bring our daughter
01:49:49
back to us our feeling is we've just had to learn to live with it upon the conclusion of
01:50:01
the coroner's inquest dubrovnik law enforcement have since conceded it was highly unlikely that Brett luck Thorne
01:50:07
took her own life all voluntarily entered the waters of Bona novo Bay prior to her death
01:50:14
although the case is still considered an ongoing criminal investigation Croatian
01:50:19
authorities surmise Britt's death was the result of misadventure it's a conclusion the lots the ones have always
01:50:26
disagreed with certain Brit was murdered many aspects of the case remain unexplained or unresolved including the
01:50:35
identity of the person seen on CCTV footage getting into the blue van outside Club Fuego the purpose of the
01:50:43
257 a.m. call made from Britt's mobile phone the morning of her disappearance the whereabouts of her wallet and to
01:50:50
Canon Powershot g9 camera and what caused the considerable damage sustained two Brits recovered remains although
01:51:00
suspicion has been cast on a range of people over the years including the backpackers who attended platf Wego with
01:51:07
Brett the manager of the Dubrovnik backpackers club hostel Evita Perkovic entered the Dubrovnik police officers
01:51:14
accused of attempting to abduct female tourists there are no formal suspects in the case media coverage of the case has
01:51:24
since waned but the general consensus from the Australian press and public supports the theory that Brett was
01:51:30
abducted and killed day all that Thorne quote as to whether we will ever find out what happened to Brett I'm not sure
01:51:39
but we gave it everything what we did is we gave it our best shot she was our daughter we loved her we still do what
01:51:50
more can I say we tried to cope with the pain of their daughter's unresolved to death Dale and
01:52:01
Dell collapse the one focus on the many happy memories they have of Brett for a long time afterwards her bedroom was
01:52:08
kept just as it was when she departed for her big solo European adventure and sometimes they
01:52:14
would sit in Britt's old Saab car listening to her favorite CDs he holds on to the small reminders he has of his
01:52:22
daughter including the final text message she sent to him just days before her disappearance which simply read
01:52:29
happy birthday dad thousands of photographs chronicling Britt's travels across the world are safely stored on a
01:52:38
hard drive which her family look at often grateful there are so many the photo Dale holds most dear is the last
01:52:46
image he took of his daughter in Paris on her 21st birthday a memory he will always remember with overwhelming
01:52:53
fondness years after Brits death Dale retraced his daughter's final journey by embarking on his own solo backpacking
01:53:03
trip through Europe for the grieving father the profound experience delivered a sense of comfort as though Brit was
01:53:10
alongside him every step of the way he boarded the same trains visited the same landmarks and ate at the same
01:53:18
restaurants Britt had relishing the landscapes she had once described as the best places she had ever seen Elka lap
01:53:28
thorn has not been her daughter goodbye but instead of a dazeem no German expression meaning until we see each
01:53:36
other again despite the high-profile nature of the Brit lapse Thorn case Dubrovnik has
01:53:45
successfully maintained its reputation as a safe travel destination an endless flow of tourists continue to visit the
01:53:53
medieval city each year further popularized for being one of the main filming locations for the fictional city
01:53:59
of King's Landing in the HBO television series Game of Thrones club frege's reputation was irreparably
01:54:08
tarnished following accusations the thriving night spot was a hotbed for sleazy criminal activity
01:54:14
eventually the nightclub underwent a complete rebranding and successfully reestablished itself as a popular
01:54:21
tourist hangout which remains in operation today back in late September 2009 the owner of Club Fuego vinco Cosmo
01:54:31
observed the Australian media swarming outside his premises their intimidating presence deterring the club's usual
01:54:39
revelers and leaving it uncharacteristically empty Cosmo lifted himself off his barstool and invited the
01:54:47
reporters into his establishment telling them you from Australia have taught us a
01:54:53
good lesson you lose one Australian and you care you sent people to find her you pressed the
01:55:00
police to really do something it is a good example for us Australians caring when we suffered the war nobody tried to
01:55:11
see what happened to look for people we could learn [Music] you