A man who accused his father of murdering a young woman could also have been involved in her disappearance, but there was not enough evidence against either man, a coroner has found.
Sharron Phillips disappeared on May 8, 1986, while waiting for her boyfriend after running out of petrol at Wacol in Brisbane’s south-west.
Queensland State Coroner Terry Ryan reopened the inquest into the 20-year-old’s disappearance after taxi driver Raymond Peter Mulvihill was identified by police as suspect number one.
Mr Ryan announced findings on Monday that Ms Phillips was dead, while the cause and precise circumstances were unknown, and that the person or persons responsible could not be identified.
Mr Mulvihill’s stepson, Ian Seeley, testified at hearings in 2020 and 2021 that he contacted a former detective in 2016 and said his father was responsible for Ms Phillips’ kidnapping and murder.
Mr Ryan said Mr Seeley was an unreliable witness and his evidence was not sufficient to support his allegations against Mr Mulvihill.
Sharron Phillips, 20, disappeared on May 8, 1986, while waiting for her boyfriend after running out of petrol in Wacol, south-west Brisbane. Mrs. Phillips is pictured
“Given the inconsistencies and lack of credibility that can be afforded to Mr Seeley and the absence of further reliable evidence… I cannot conclude that Mr Mulvihill played a role in Sharron’s disappearance in the necessary manner,” said Mr. Ryan.
Mr Mulvihill died of cancer in 2002 and Queensland Police told the Coroners Court in 2017 that, based on the available evidence, he would have been arrested for Ms Phillips’ murder had he been alive.
Mr Ryan said Mr Seeley claimed during the hearings that Mr Mulvihill threatened him with a knife after realizing his father had placed a prisoner in the boot of his car.
“It is significant for the reliability of this new allegation that Mr Seeley only suggested an attack had taken place after he admitted he knew someone was in the boot but continued to drive,” Mr Ryan said.
The coroner said there was evidence Mr Seeley and Mr Mulvihill were in the Wacol area when Ms Phillips disappeared.
Coroner Terry Ryan reopened an investigation into the disappearance of Sharron Phillips after taxi driver Raymond Peter Mulvihill (above) was identified by police as suspect number one
The photo shows Raymond Peter Mulvihill’s Ascot Taxi, which police say was parked behind the supermarket where Ms Phillips was last seen.
However, Mr Ryan discovered that Mr Seeley had a commercial motive to lie to benefit his podcast on the case and that he had made unsupported claims, such as that his father had murdered at least ten other women and left the bodies next to Mrs. Phillips had hidden in a drain.
“It is possible that both Mr Mulvihill and Mr Seeley had some involvement in Sharron’s disappearance,” Ryan said.
Mr Ryan advised police that Ms Phillips’ death remained with the cold case investigation team for review and monitoring of any new information.
“I acknowledge Sharron’s family, who have lived with ongoing and unresolved grief for more than 38 years,” Ryan said.
Following Mr Ryan’s findings, Owen Lockett, who gave evidence at the inquest, shared his disappointment at the uncertainty surrounding Ms Phillips’ death.
Mr Lockett said he encountered Mr Mulvihill as he walked out of the bush with a shovel on May 10, 1986.
Raymond Pegter Mulvihill’s stepson Ian Seeley (above) testified at hearings in 2020 and 2021 that he told police in 2016 that his father was responsible for Ms Phillips’ kidnap and murder
Mr Lockett had stopped with his current wife to see if Mr Mulvihill needed help after seeing the taxi on the side of a dirt road with the rear doors open.
He said when he saw Mr Mulvihill walking towards him from the dark tree line, he felt ‘chills’ and knew something was suspicious.
Mr Lockett claimed Mr Mulvihill waved away his concerns and said to him: ‘Can’t a man have that ***?’ before you drive away.
Mr Lockett said that despite calling police about the incident, he felt his evidence had been ‘ignored’ during the investigation.
“For 38 years we thought something was going to happen, but they didn’t do anything,” Lockett said.
‘It’s distressing. It’s been very tough. It’s almost twice her lifespan. We tried to help her, but no one cares.
“Ultimately, we wanted them to look at that spot, and if they found remains, they would find the girl.
“It took three years to find nothing and here we are now, 38 years later and we haven’t found anything.”
In 2016, forensic police began excavating land at Carole Park in Ipswich (above) following information about the suspected murder of Sharron Phillips in 1986.
In March 2021, an emotional Mr Seeley fought back tears as he claimed his father was a “mass murderer” who begged him to “give the girls back” days before his death.
‘For him, for my father, it was quick, easy and simple. It was one of the simplest jobs he ever did,” Seeley told the inquest.
‘Everything was in order that day. It wasn’t premeditated. He didn’t stalk her. She came to him.’
When asked how Ms Phillips died, Mr Seeley said: ‘He strangled her. He strangled them all.”
On the night Ms Phillips disappeared, Mr Seeley said he had arrived at the taxi base to pick up his father when Mr Mulvihill jumped out to stop him, saying: ‘I have to put something in the car’.
Mr Mulvihill ordered his stepson to ‘wait at the front’ before reversing himself around the back of the base.
Mr Seeley told the court he was waiting at a telephone box which Ms Phillips had used to call for help.
Police said a ‘credible witness’ came forward in 2016 with information about the location of Ms Phillips’ body, prompting an extensive new search (above)
A short time later a police patrol arrived wanting to know what he was doing there.
‘I told them it was none of their business. This is harassment and told them to hurry up.”
As police were talking to him, Mr Seeley said he heard his father mutter: “Go over there or I’ll kill you,” followed by the sound of two trunks slamming shut.
He said the officers were probably “just 20 yards away” and asked him what the noise was.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Seeley told police. “Why don’t you go take a look?”
The officers did not investigate.
Mrs Phillips’ sister, Donna Anderson, had suggested their late father Bob Phillips was involved in his daughter’s disappearance, but he was ruled out as a suspect. Mrs. Phillips is pictured
It was on the drive home that Mr. Seeley began to suspect someone was in the trunk.
“I heard a bang and said to my dad, ‘What the hell have you gotten me into?’ he told the inquest.
“I didn’t know there was a woman in the trunk… but I started to suspect it.”
When the pair arrived home, Mr Seeley claims his father held a knife to his throat, cut him under the chin before ordering him out of the car and driving away alone.
‘I’m sorry. I gave up. I surrendered. I was a coward,” Mr. Seeley said.
‘I’m not asking anyone for sympathy, but it just sucked. The man is a mass murderer.’
Days after Ms Phillips went missing, Mr Seeley claimed his father mocked media reports, saying: ‘You can say what you want but they won’t get me. I’m the gingerbread man.’
Mr. Seeley has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Ms. Phillips’ disappearance.
In May 2016, police failed to find Ms Phillips’ remains after digging around a creek in Carole Park, Ipswich, after receiving information from a ‘credible witness’.
Mrs Phillips’ sister, Donna Anderson, had suggested their late father Bob Phillips was involved in his daughter’s disappearance, but he was ruled out as a suspect.