Couple accused of murdering teen to steal baby acquitted
On a frigid winter’s day in June 2002, a teenage girl with intellectual disabilities vanished from the New South Wales Riverina, leaving no trace behind.
The disappearance of Amber Haigh has intrigued the Australian farming community for years, fueled by a shocking claim: that the 19-year-old was murdered by the father of her five-month-old baby and his wife, who allegedly wanted to take custody of her child.
After two decades, Robert and Anne Geeves, both 64, faced charges for her murder. However, on Monday, they were acquitted following a high-profile trial.
Justice Julia Lonergan concluded that the prosecution had not proven their alleged motive, stating, “Cases are not decided on rumor, speculation, or suspicion.”
She added, “Even if I suspect the accused probably committed the offense charged… I must acquit.”
The Geeveses were the last people known to have seen Amber alive. They claimed they dropped her off at a train station 300 kilometers (186 miles) from their home in Kingsvale on June 5, so she could visit her ailing father.
Despite extensive police investigations, a coronial inquiry, and a million-dollar reward for information, Amber’s body remains undiscovered.
The prosecution’s case was based on witness testimony and documents, suggesting that the Geeveses had “manipulated” Amber into having Robert’s child and then “removed” her when she refused to give up custody.
The court also heard that the Geeveses had an adult son who had previously dated Amber. In the early 2000s, the couple desperately wanted another child after enduring multiple miscarriages and a stillbirth.
However, the defence said the allegation they killed Amber to steal her baby was baseless, and that the investigation into the pair – who have spent two years in prison awaiting trial – was flawed from the start.
They told the court a “haze of mistrust” had clouded the local community’s view of the Geeveses due to Robert’s history – which included acquittals for the murder of an ex-partner who was found shot in the face on his property, and a string of sexual assault charges involving two schoolgirls.
That past, the Geeveses lawyers said, had created a “presumption of guilt” that persisted for decades, and ultimately “blinded” police as they tried to piece together Amber’s case.
Over nine weeks, dozens of witnesses gave evidence about the final months of the teen’s life – describing a “vulnerable” young woman who struggled to discern between “love and exploitation”.
Several recalled how Amber had shared stories of abuse with them – including instances where Robert Geeves had allegedly plied her with alcohol, tied her up, and had sex with her.
And the couple’s son Robbie told the court that his mother had referred to his ex-girlfriend as a “surrogate” and that both parents had turned up at his home in the dead of night to try and force him to accept Amber’s child as “his little brother”.
The prosecution also tendered a written agreement Amber made Robert sign, promising not to take her child, as well as a will she’d created stipulating her aunt be given custody of the baby in the event of her death.
“There was little sign, in the sea of evidence in this case, that Amber was ever shown the love she needed or deserved,” Justice Lonergan said when delivering her verdict.
But she ultimately found that there was a critical “problem” with the prosecution’s case – there was “no satisfactory evidence” that Anne and Robert still held a desire for more children when Amber became pregnant.
She criticised the accounts of prosecution witnesses, and said the investigation had focussed on “disproving the Geeveses version of events” rather than investigating the cause of Amber’s disappearance.
Looking at the couple as they sat in the dock, she ordered that they be released from custody immediately.
As Justice Lonergan delivered the verdict, one member of the public gallery stormed out of the courtroom to scream. Amber’s relatives, too, were visibly shaken, with some later quietly breaking down in tears outside court.
