In a case that has gripped the New South Wales Riverina region in Australia for over two decades, Robert and Anne Geeves, both 64, were acquitted on Monday of the murder of Amber Haigh, an intellectually disabled 19-year-old who disappeared in June 2002.
Amber, the mother of a five-month-old baby, vanished without a trace, and her body has never been found.
According to the BBC, prosecutors alleged that the couple, who were the last to see Amber alive, killed her to take custody of her child.
The Geeveses had lived with Amber in Kingsvale, and on June 5, 2002, they claimed to have dropped her at a train station so she could visit her dying father.
However, investigators believed they had “manipulated” Amber into having Robert’s baby and later “removed” her when she wouldn’t give up custody.
Despite a long investigation, including a million-dollar reward and a coronial inquiry, no solid evidence emerged linking the couple to Amber’s disappearance.
On Monday, Justice Julia Lonergan ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove their case, stating, “Cases are not decided on rumour, speculation, or suspicion.”
The trial, which lasted nine weeks, included emotional witness testimony about Amber’s troubled life and allegations of abuse by Robert Geeves.
Yet, the court found that there was no concrete evidence that the couple still desired more children when Amber became pregnant.
The Geeveses, who had spent two years in prison awaiting trial, were immediately released. Amber’s relatives were visibly shaken by the verdict, with one person storming out of the courtroom in anger.
