Dawson was the focus of Teacher’s Pet, the Walkley-award winning podcast by The Australian’s Hedley Thomas, which has been downloaded millions of times.
Lynette disappeared in January 1982 from the Northern Beaches when she was 36 years old. Her body has never been found, and there have been no confirmed sighting of her in the time since she vanished.
She had two daughters who were just four and two when she disappeared. As Georgie Dent recently wrote, the podcast goes through extraordinary details around the circumstances of her disappearance, including the years, months, weeks and days leading up to the last day she was seen alive.
Chris Dawson is now 70 years old. He is a former PE teacher and football player. He did not report that his wife was missing for almost six weeks back in 1982 and his then girlfriend, a former student, moved into the family home within days of Lyn disappearing. They had a child and later married but have since divorced. She no longer has contact with him.
While Lynette’s former home was searched in September, her remains have still not been found. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told reporters this morning that while it was hoped her body would be found, it was “not crucial to finalising the matter”. He said they hoped to an interview with the “70 year old currently in custody in Queensland” would help in locating the body.
Lynette’s brother Greg Simms told The Australian her family have have cried and cuddled upon hearing the news, “We’re just completely over the moon that something has finally happened.”
Chris Dawson has been extradited to NSW and is expected to appear in Parramatta Local Court tomorrow.