Ivan Milat, the "Backpacker Murderer"

Between 1989 and 1992, Ivan Milat murdered seven young backpackers, both foreign travelers and Australians, after offering them rides along the Hume Highway in New South Wales. Their bodies were found buried in Belanglo State Forest.

Capture

Milat was identified after a British backpacker, Paul Onions, escaped an attack by Milat in 1990 and later came forward once news of the murders broke. Police arrested Milat in 1994 and found weapons and victims' belongings at his and his relatives' properties.

Trial and sentence

Milat was convicted in 1996 on seven counts of murder and sentenced to seven consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, along with additional time for related offenses. He denied involvement in the murders throughout his life.

Death

Milat died in prison in October 2019 following a cancer diagnosis, having spent 23 years incarcerated. Investigators believe he may have been connected to other unsolved disappearances, which remain uncertain since he never confessed.