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Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain was born to Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. She was the third child and her name of hebrew orgigin means “helped by God”.
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Azaria Chamberlain and her sister Reagan, 4 years of age were put to bed at about 8pm in the tent at an Ayers Rock campsite. Reagan rejoined the others about 10 minutes after Azaria was asleep. This was the last anyone ever saw of her.
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A few minutes after Lindy and Reagan rejoin the others, they hear Azaria cry and Lindy goes to check on her. She is not in the tent. Lindy cries out: "My God, my God, the dingo's got my baby!" Three hundred people, including Aboriginal trackers, search the area for Azaria Chamberlain but find nothing.
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Wally Goodwin (tourist) finds torn bloodstained jumpsuit, booties, nappy & singlet near the rock. matinee jacket still missing and the whereabouts is unknown.
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Police statements (ROI's) are given by all four Chamberlains at Mt. Isa, and car searched for evidence.
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Alice Springs Coroner Denis Barritt finds that a wild dog or dingo took Azaria; that no member of the Chamberlain family was responsible for her death, but there was interference with the clothing by 'person or persons unknown'. Ken Brown requests permission to do further tests on the jumpsuit.
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Northern Territory Supreme Court (Darwin) quashes first inquest and orders a new one.
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A Discovery of large quantities of blood was found in the now-dismantled chamberlain family car.
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After new forensic evidence – some of it related to bloodstains - is presented at a second inquest, Coroner Gerry Galvin commits Lindy to stand trial charged with murdering her daughter Azaria. Michael Chamberlain is charged as an accessory after the fact. (dubbed "Inquest by Ambush" in the media) $5,000 bail and $5,000 surety.
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Biologist Joy Kuhl says the blood in the Torana is from an infant. An expert says it would be impossible for a baby's head to fit inside a dingo's mouth.
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Chamberlains' Supreme Court trial begins in Darwin. NT Judge Justice James Muirhead of the Supreme Court presiding. The trial is now known as the "Trial of the Century".
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Lindy, heavily pregnant, is found guilty of 1st Degree Murder of her daughter Azaria and is sentenced to a mandatory life sentence. Michael, as accessory after the fact, receives an eighteen month suspended sentence.
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Mrs Chamberlain gives birth to daughter Kahlia in custody. The baby is taken from Mrs Chamberlain at birth.
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Federal Court bail application upheld pending 1982 appeal. Decision held overnight. $300 bail.
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Federal Court unanimously rejects appeal. Lindy is held at Mulawa Women's Prison, then transferred to Darwin after application for bail pending High Court appeal fails. Kahlia goes to live with foster parents Wayne & Jenny Miller.
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Solicitor Stuart Tipple applies for Lindy's temporary release due to Reagan's eye accident. Request not granted.
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High Court Appeal fails in a split judgement of 2 to 3.
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A Petition of 131,000 signatures (later 150,000) presented to Sir Ninian Stevens, the Governor-General.
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Applied for release on licence because of transfer of Kahlia's foster parents. Application denied. Kahlia goes to new foster parents, Dr Owen and Jan Hughes.
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Recently formed "Innocence Committee" submits new evidence to the NT government, and makes an application for an inquiry.
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Azaria's missing matinee jacket found at Uluru, supporting the Chamberlain's defense case. Along with the jacket there was found a pair of mans shorts and ‘panties’. The tag on the jacket read ‘marki’ which is the brand Lindy Chamberlain told the police her daughter Azaria was wearing the night she disappeared, supporting her defense case.
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Stuart Tipple is tipped off that the missing matinee jacket of Azaria has been found during a search for missing body parts belonging to a fallen British climber at Ayers Rock. The matinee jacket had been held at the Alice Springs Court House since January 31.
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Lindy finally sees the matinee jacket and positively identifies it.
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Senator Bob Collins forces local reporter Frank Alcorta to check his sources. He does, and is so infuriated he writes an article for the local paper and shows it to the NT Government, threatening to print it if Lindy is not released from jail by 12 noon, or an Inquiry is called. They do both. Mrs Chamberlain is released from prison on remission.
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After a fourteen month Royal Commission Justice Trevor Morling hands down his finding and clears the Chamberlain's of all guilt or responsibility. He slams the evidence offered by Joy Kuhl and other key prosecution witnesses. The Northern Territory government offers the Chamberlains a pardon.
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A new act of Parliament is forced through to allow the Chamberlain's to return to court to clear their convictions.
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The Supreme Court of Darwin quashes all convictions and declares the Chamberlain's totally innocent. The court also adopts Morling's view that Azaria was taken by a dingo if they had been asked.
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A cry in the Dark is a film based on the case of Azaria Chamberlain.
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Kahlia chooses to live with Michael and visit Lindy, Reagan stays with Lindy and visits Michael. Aidan divides his time between the two homes.
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NT government pays Chamberlains $1.3 million compensation, $396,000 legal costs plus $19,000 for their car which was dismantled for evidence.
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Kahlia asks to return to live with Lindy and custody proceedings are started.
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Findings of the Third Inquest are announced. NT Coroner John Lowndes reiterates that neither Lindy nor Michael were in any way involved with the disappearance of their daughter. He leaves the cause of Azaria's death 'open' however.
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Lindy & Rick, wishing to be closer to Lindy's ageing parents, and to Aidan, return with Reagan and Kahlia to live in Australia.
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Frank Cole contacts the producers of telemovie Through My Eyes and claims he shot a dingo at Uluru in 1980 and found Azaria in its jaws.
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Mr Cole goes public with his claims and says he believes his friend buried Azaria's body in Melbourne.
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NT Police say they will investigate Mr Cole's claims and prepare a report for the coroner.
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The NT Coroner's office decides not to reopen the inquest into the death of Azaria, saying it is not satisfied there were new facts or evidence from the Cole investigation to reopen the inquest.
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Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton calls for the case to finally be closed, and for an apology from the NT government.
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Lindy releases her completely up-to-date autobiography Through My Eyes
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Mini series titled after Lindy's book Through My Eyes is broadcast on Australia's Channel 7 network.
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Jury notes from in the Northern Territory police files reveal details of deliberations: Three women all voted for Lindy's conviction while at least four of the nine men had to persuaded that she was guilty. The foreman dismissed the defence evidence as purely smokescreen.
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A fourth inquest into Azaria's death is announced, due to commence on February 24, 2012.
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Ms Chamberlain-Creighton, as she is known after remarrying, and her ex-husband Michael Chamberlain have finally won recognition that a dingo killed their child.The inquest was the fourth into the death of Azaria since the nine-week-old child disappeared on a camping trip. Her birth certificate was changed from cause of death being ‘unknown’ to ‘by a dingo’.