The Chamberlain Case: A Critical Analysis

This was published in the middle of a judicial inquiry into this case - do you think that is appropriate?

What scientific language is used? Does it make sense to you?

Is it appropriate to use that sort of language in a newspaper article?

How could an article like this affect the outcome of an investigation?

Azaria Chamberlain, the 9-week-old daughter of Lindy Chamberlain and Michael Chamberlain, disappeared while they were vacationing in Uluru in 1980. The Chamberlains maintained that a dingo had taken Azaria, and witnesses supported their account. Aboriginals helped to track the dingo and gave corroborating testimony, which was discounted. Lindy was convicted of murder and spent several years in jail before being fully exonerated.

The Chamberlain case goes to the jury.  The jury finds Lindy guilty of murder and Michael guilty of being an accessory after the fact. Lindy is sentenced to life imprisonment. Michael's sentence is deferred.

Lindy Chamberlain is released on bail pending an appeal.

(numerous appeals are not granted)

A matinee jacket matching the description of the jacket Azaria wore on the day of her disappearance is discovered at Ayers Rock.

Lindy Chamberlain is released from prison.  The Northern Territory Government announces that there will be a new inquiry into Azaria's death.

A judicial inquiry into the Chamberlain case opens in Darwin.

A 379-page report analysing the evidence in the Chamberlain case finds the evidence against the Chamberlains to be insubstantial.

The Northern Territory Government enacts special legislation authorizing the Chamberlains to apply to the Court of Appeal to have their convictions quashed.

The Northern Territory Court of Criminal Appeals unanimously quashes all convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain.

Lindy Chamberlain receives $1.3 million compensation from the government for wrongful imprisonment.

A third coroner's inquest - this one a "paper inquest" - is held.

Coroner concludes that the cause of Azaria's death "cannot be determined."

After a series of dingo attacks on humans, a fourth coroner's inquest into the death of Azaria is opened.

• Foetal haemoglobin (HbF) detected in the passenger seat of the car
• HbF detected on a towel in the boot of the car
• Scissors in the passenger seat of the car
• A spray pattern found on a panel under the dashboard – alleged to be blood from an ‘arterial spray.'
• Hairs (from a dog or dingo) found in the Chamberlain’s tent and on Azaria’s jumpsuit
• Blood found on several items inside the tent
• No saliva found on Azaria’s jumpsuit

• Antibodies used for HbF test were antibodies against cord blood, not purified HbF.
• Ortho-toluidine test used to detect blood was a presumptive test, and false positives were proven.
• Azaria’s matinee jacket found at a later date near a dingo den

Q1: Why wasn’t DNA testing performed to confirm whether the blood found in the car belonged to Azaria Chamberlain? What could a DNA test have shown?

The jury in the second inquest into the murder was convinced that Lindy was responsible for the murder of her minor. In her defence, Lindy failed to convince the court that her baby was taken by a dingo. In this case, the need to confirm if the blood found in the car was related to the parents of Azaria never rose.  All the members of the family were present at the scene of the event, and each of them was in dare need of their child back. There was no dispute of which the child belonged but instead the sudden disappearance of the infant.

Testing methods and evidence analysis

Q2: Could ABO blood type analysis have been performed on the samples found in the car? If so, what could this have shown?

There was no need and thus insignificant results achievable for an ABO blood group analysis performed on the blood sample found in the car. An ABO blood type analysis is used in the identification of the blood groups of individuals. Blood groups are never genetic hence; the Azaria could not necessarily have to have a blood group similar to either the father or the mother. The blood group analysis may group Azaria and the parents in the same blood group or different ones but does not provide a guarantee of a relationship. It is also possible that all the three individuals would have different blood groups depending on the outcomes of the tests conducted (Chamberlain-Creighton, 2012, p.444).

Q3: Name 2 confirmatory tests that could have been used to determine the presence of blood. Briefly (1 – 2 sentences) describe the principles behind each of these tests.

• Taka Yama test: This is a test that is specific for haemoglobin and works on the principle of formation of an insoluble, pink and needle-shaped hemochromogen crystals which are products of the series of reactions with components of the Taka Yama reagent(Valentine, 2017, p.188)

Heme prosthetic groups are released by sodium hydroxide through hydrolysis of alkaline from the globin. Heme iron is reduced by glucose as pyridine combines with the heme iron resulting in the formation of pyridine ferroprotoporphyrin.

• Luminol test: Uses Luminol chemical which is a white-to-pale yellow crystalline solid

 It reacts with iron present in haemoglobin hence enabling detection of the presence of blood. It glows when it comes into contact with blood, and the glow is normally bright enough to be photographed.

Q4: The antibodies used to determine the presence of HbF had been raised against cord blood (whole blood from the umbilical cord), not against purified HbF. How could this have affected the result?

Cord blood has very high concentrations of HbF than purified blood. The results obtained from the test using cord blood would thus yield more accurate results as compared to if purified HbF were used. HbF test is used in finding out if an individual is suffering from sickle cell anaemia. The knowledge of fetal haemoglobin helps to know cases of either very low concentration or high concentration than normal or otherwise its hereditary performance. It is important in the diagnosis of any inherited disorders that would affect the production of haemoglobin (Chamberlain-Creighton, 2012, p.698).

Q5: An ortho-tolidine test was used to determine the presence of blood on various items at the scene. What could this chemical react with to cause the ‘false positive’ findings? Why did this give a positive reaction in so many locations around the car?

Impact of testing methods on the outcome

The chemical would be reacted with copper metal. Most of the parts of the car have copper dust hence it would easily react with the chemical (Chamberlain-Creighton, 2012, p.589). Ortho-toluidine is an organic compound and in most cases colourless even though the commercial samples are normally coloured. Ortho-toluidine can dissolve in water. When the chemical reacts with copper, it will give false positive results. Ortho-toluidine test is used for occult blood used in the determining the presence of blood.

Q6: Explain the alleged “blood splatter” under a panel of the dashboard. Comment on the accuracy of reporting this as possible blood splatter. The dingo might have carried away Azaria away under the panel of the dashboard where it attacked it destroying some of the blood vessels. This would be the cause of the observed blood spatter under the panel (Valentine, 2017, p.158). Upon the analysis of the case by the various courts in which it was finally deduced that the parents of Azaria were not in any way linked to the murder of their child, it would be more reliable to conclude this reporting as a possible blood spatter. The dingo might have attacked Azaria and torn off her skin causing her severe body injury that would even culminate into deep cuts into the body. The deep cuts would get to the arteries and veins thereby resulting in arterial spray hence a justification of the possibility of blood spatter.

Sydney Morning Herald, Friday, December 5^th, 1986

This publication was not done at the appropriate time having been published in the middle of the judicial inquiry into the case. The information presented in this publication is broad and deep enough to tilt the inquiry to a greater magnitude. The impact of the tilt can be such that should the information contained herein found to be any way false then the whole inquiry would have to be quashed. Mrs Kuhl speaks with such confidence and has every reason to believe that her findings and results from the test she conducted are very right and stand no grounds for contradiction. The confidence with which she explains the findings leave the investigators with no option but to rely on her for what could be assumed to be the most accurate information. The scientific language used in the article is HbF test, the test she conducted to find out foetal haemoglobin of the infant thereby helping in establishing the presence or absence of blood. In line with what the case is on, the language makes sense as it has a direct link with the case hence allows for easy and quick follow up on the progress. The language used is not appropriate in a newspaper article. It communicates very little to the readers of articles with most people having challenges with understanding what is happening. This article may sound predetermined judgement and conclusion on an ongoing case and likely to render contradictory findings to this article useless and false.

References

Chamberlain-Creighton, L., 2012. The Dingo's Got My Baby. 3rd ed. Buchanan: Pan Macmillan Australia.

Valentine, A., 2017. Dear Lindy: A Nation Responds to the Loss of Azaria. 4th ed. Sydney: National Library of Australia.