True Crime - Case 8 Disappearance of Revelle Balmain

[jhungary]

Before I start, please read the following if you are going to participate in this true crime discussion.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an CURRENT CASE WITH THE NSW POLICE FORCE, and I have been working on this case. I need some new direction, so I am posting the case detail here.

I am looking for new direction to crack open this case, any idea welcome. And I will use publicly available information to provide you with a full fact of the case. Member can also go online and look for the case detail themselves.

Also, this case have a $250,000 reward to anyone who can crack it and leading to a conviction. And if your information and I will recommend the person who help us solve the case for the reward. (If we gone that far and solved it)

Once again, I am only going to provide you with publicly known information and I will not answer to question that would touch the inside information.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's start.

Today's case is the disappearance of Model/Dancer/Escort Revelle Balmain.

Ms Balmain is

- 22 years old when she disappear (She was born in 1972)
- 170 cm tall
- Slim build
- Blond hair
- Blue eyes
- Fair Skin

She was last seen by her client at Red Tomato Inn in Kingsford, NSW at around 6:30 to 7pm on November 5, 1994. Last contact with her is from her best friend who Ms Balmain called around 7:15 pm, which indicated she would be coming to have a drink after she got home.

Ms Balmain was scheduled to have lunch with her mother the following day, but she did not made the appointment with her mother. She was to leave Australia on November 7 for Japan for a 6 week dance engagement.

She was last seen wearing a beige dress, a cork platform sandal and a cane make up bag

The day she vanished

it was November 5, 1994, she had 2 clients form her escort agency that night, the first one is one Gavin Samer, for which she had a 4 - 6 appointment with. Afterward, she was to entertain 2 guests from another escort agency, which she does not attend to.

She had called the first agency (with Samer Appointment) at 5:50pm and indicated to them that their appointment is almost finish and is leaving. However, according to Samer, she stayed on for approximately one more hour as per their private arrangement.

Afterward Samer statement to the police claim that he drove Ms Balmain to the Red Tomato Inn, and he went inside and get some drinks and snack, went home alone and watch TV.

At 7:15pm, Ms Balmain called her best friend Kate Berntnall, to which ms Berntnall in her statement to the police claim Ms Balmain would call her again when she got back home in an hour or so and they would meet up for a drink.

Afterward, Ms Balmain was not heard from or seen by anyone.

Physical Evidence

The Police, upon received a missing person request, launch an investigation, and subsequently found one of Ms Balmain shoe in a rubbish bin in Kingsford Area, also found was her make up bag, her keys to her Bellevue Hill apartment and her diary were found in 4 different street around Kingsford Area.

Person of Interest

There are no suspect, with one main person of interest as determined by the coroner in 1999, that is her last client, the one that saw her last - Gavin Samer

In an interview to his then girl friend, it was suggested that the girl friend try to call him several time on November 5, and he pick up the phone after 9pm. And when he pick up his girlfriend from her out of state trip, she notice he had scratches on his neck and finger and he had clean up his car, and their bed sheet was washed and laundered

While all that are circumstantial He remain the only viable person to have been able to do harm to Ms Balmain (discounting if this is a random crime) He also did not have a solid alibi, which he indicated he was alone watching TV at home afterward.

However, there are no motive suggested as to why Mr Samer would want to kill Ms Balmain

Another minor person of interest is one of Ms Balmain client, Mark Coulton. Mr Coulton is one of Ms Balmain client, although not that day, he risen to Police Person of interest list because he once said to his friend, whom later testified at the coroner hearing, suggested Ms Balmain rip off the escort agency and the agency killed her, and she is now 10 feet under. He also suggested Ms Balmain is a gold digger and coke fiend and would do anything for money.

On examination, Mr Coulter denied he had said that to his friend. And he was not involved in the murder or disappearance of Ms Balmain, and the coroner cleared him with any involvement directly with either the murder or the disappearance of Ms Balmain.

Theory/Direction

First thing I see is that the call Ms Balmain to Kate Burntnell is highly unorthodox, she was supposed to have another client and she indicated she would be free in an hour when she got home, which suggest she either ignore her next client, or she had schedule her client in a much later time, which is unusual. Making plan with her friend after she still have an outstanding engagement is not usual.

Another theory is that Ms Balmain has simply disappear of her own will. She was to travel to Japan in coming days and many people have seen it as an escape to the seedy world of underground sex life, and drug. Mr Coulter's friend has testified to the coroner that Coulter told him he had pay $1000 to Ms Balmain to have a new start in life. To which Mr Coulter denied he ever given money to Ms Balmain.

The person of interest theory however, revolve around Gavin Samer, which it's not unusual to have the escort for a private setting after the official engagement is done, especially if Ms Balmain needed the money to escape. Also Samer does not have a apparent motive to kill Ms Balmain. One theory suggested Ms Balmain may have tried to steal money from Mr Samer and the latter discovered that and either killed her intentionally or by accident. However, no concrete evidence suggested that. On the other hand, there are no alibi provided by Mr Samer.

A new theory developed is that the purported talk between Coulter and his friend suggest an execution of Ms Balmain, because she has been stealing money from them (as suggested the private hour with Samer) But it was never materialised and no concrete evidence suggest this direction either.

So, here are the case report, if you can provide some insight or direction, I would be happy to talk about it..

Thanks

 

[jhungary]

@Levina @SOUTHie @lastofthepatriots @Zarvan @Arsalan @balixd @jetray @Gothic @Hamartia Antidote @punit @Lucky Breeze @I.R.A @Mrc @Goenitz @PakBlood @F86 Saber

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Escort...well she probably had a client list with plenty of sketchy people..plus who knows if her agency tosses people in the ocean with a cement block when you cross them.

So many suspects.

 

[punit]

Poin

@Levina @SOUTHie @lastofthepatriots @Zarvan @Arsalan @balixd @jetray @Gothic @Hamartia Antidote @punit @Lucky Breeze @I.R.A @Mrc @Goenitz @PakBlood @F86 Saber

Point 1.
"Afterward Samer statement to the police claim that he drove Ms Balmain to the Red Tomato Inn, and he went inside and get some drinks and snack, went home alone and watch TV."
Is there any witness of this visit? A cctv footage , testimony by the employee at counter/ security guard .

Point No.2
The way her belongings were found scattered all over town it's clear that some is trying to misled the police. One important thing is the last call to her friend and scheduled meeting . Who is this friend ? Can u give Some info ?

 

[Sine Nomine]

@jokhungary
1-From Basic Info it seems to be a job done by Professional killer because A Murder can be done by anyone by disposing off body and altering everything without leaving any clue for Police isn't something a rookie would be able to do.
There must be someone who knows Police working pattern very well.
2-Crime wasn't committed in area from where her belongings have been found.
3- She was likely murdered at private place,
walked into a place,who's owner she knew very well.

A new theory developed is that the purported talk between Coulter and his friend suggest an execution of Ms Balmain, because she has been stealing money from them (as suggested the private hour with Samer) But it was never materialised and no concrete evidence suggest this direction either.

Highy unlikely due to
1-Escort Agency are working as a middle man,they have there cut from what you get from client.
2- She was'nt a slave to them,unless she borrowed a huge sum from them in advance and was bonded escort.
3-She was working with another agency,so chances of escort agency killing her are slim.

First thing I see is that the call Ms Balmain to Kate Burntnell is highly unorthodox, she was supposed to have another client and she indicated she would be free in an hour when she got home

May be she wanted to share with her some serious matter,which likely may have been dangerous.

There are few more Angles

1. A Jealous co-worker
2. A client who may have fell in love with him.
3. A client who may have been emptied by her and later ditched.
4. Drug Mafia.
5. His family.
6. Inter escort Agency rivalry.
7. A serial killer.

.....

 

[jetray]

Black mailing for money might be one of the reasons, ppl in such profession where they want to make easy money that is a possibility. Finances of the victim/accused might provide some clue if it was the case.

 

[F86 Saber]

She was living a high risk lifestyle and must have had a lot of enemies, i see the following possibilities,

1) She might have had a psycho for a client who wanted her only for himself and killed her because she didn't agree.
2) She was killed by the 2nd escort agency whose client she ditched, she might have done it earlier as well and the
escort agency might have been looking for the right time.
3) Could also have been killed by one of the escort agencies for working for the "competition"
4) I think you should also investigate the friend who received a call from her at 7 PM because she might have been working for the killers just to create confusion about the time of death.