Today’s Statesman reprints a lengthy AP article by Kristen Gelineau about the Azaria Chamberlain case, tied to a new coroner’s inquest starting Friday. (This will be inquest number four.)
You remember Azaria Chamberlain? And her mother Lindy Chamberlain? Right?
This one goes out to my friend A.T. Campbell, the world's biggest Meryl Streep fan.
Yes, this is the famous “Dingo ate my baby!” case. For the younger set and the non-true crime buffs: the Chamberlain family was camping at Ayers Rock when Azaria (who was nine weeks old) disappeared. Lindy Chamberlain said she heard a cry, went to check on Azaria, and saw a dingo leaving their tent. Azaria’s jumpsuit was found in the desert; dingo tracks and blood were found in and near the tent.
There was considerable doubt at the time (and for that matter, today) that a dingo could carry off a baby. There was also some forensic evidence that, at the time, suggested Lindy Chamberlain had killed her daughter. (That evidence has since been debunked; details are in the linked article.) Lindy was convicted of murder, and her husband Michael was convicted as an accessory.
Three years after the conviction, Azaria’s jacket was discovered near a dingo den. (Azaria’s body has never been found.) Lindy and her husband were released from prison days later.
This is a pretty complicated case, with strong elements of prejudice. (The Chamberlains were Seventh-day Adventists.) I’ll admit to not having read Evil Angels
Haven’t read the book either. I DID grow in a community that had (and still has) a large number of 7th Day Adventists in it, even went to their private highschool (my parents didn’t like the local public school, and the SDA school was inexpensive as private schools went). They’re great people who had no problem accepting a non-SDA child into their school, there wasn’t even a huge attempt at conversion.
Having said that, they bring this sort of thing on them selves, they keep very private, their kids go to their schools, all the way through college in many cases, go to SDA functions, rarely play sports (competition is frowned on) or do other functions outside of school sponsored events. Many of the adults I saw honestly had no idea how the rest of the world works, they just knew that they’re often viewed as “weirdos” and so keep themselves more private.