{
  "id": 10083499,
  "title": "Who was Trevor? A cold case, 'homemade' tattoos and 50 years of silence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/who-was-trevor-a-cold-case-homemade-tattoos-and-50-years-of-silence",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T22:55:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-27/mt-bundy-bodies-cold-case-trevor-wheeler-kathy-family-mystery/107017946"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1976, the bodies of two men were discovered near Mount Bundy Station, a remote cattle station in the Northern Territory. Acting Sergeant Glen Chatto, leading the NT Police's Cold Case Taskforce, received this cold case half a century later. The men had been missing for years, with little information about who they were or how they died. In recent years, forensic science has made significant strides, leading to the use of forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) in the investigation. FIGG allowed investigators to compare DNA from one of the men with public profiles seeking missing relatives, eventually identifying a missing male believed to be one of the victims. However, without family members still alive, traditional detective work was required to solve the case. Trevor Wheeler's history included numerous arrests and homemade tattoos, including initials that likely belonged to his girlfriends, \"Kathy.\" Kathy, Trevor's first girlfriend, recalled living with Trevor and his brother in Queensland in the 1960s, fleeing his violent past and eventually forming a relationship with Trevor. During his time in jail, Kathy wrote to him to end their relationship, and the last time they saw each other was in 1970. Kathy pursued her search for Trevor, contacting his primary school and gaining access to his yearbooks. She identified distant relatives and a connection to the Wheelers through an alias used by Trevor, Arthur Burton. DNA testing not only identified the missing man but also put to rest a longstanding family rumor about Trevor's parentage.",
  "summary": "Fifty years after Trevor Wheeler vanished into the remote Northern Territory bush, DNA and a heart-shaped tattoo bearing a name led police straight to the woman who knew him as a teenager.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}