Further evidence against Chris Dawson includes the fact he reportedly tried to leave Lynette with JC before his wife disappeared. In 1981, he and JC even moved for a time from Sydney, Australia, where his family lived, to the Gold Coast, near Brisbane. After that point, though, JC desired to not only return home to her family but to end things with Dawson. Lynette Dawson disappeared one year later. JC was away camping at the time that Dawson allegedly killed his wife. Dawson later told JC that Lynette was gone and would not be coming back, according to The Guardian. As the judge in the Dawson case also noted, Lynette reportedly confronted JC about the abusive relationship she was in with her husband.
As well as further examination into the relationship Dawson allegedly maintained with his then student, “The Teacher’s Pet” podcast also illustrated several instances in which Australian authorities failed to adequately investigate reports that Dawson’s late wife had been spotted, or to handle subsequent requests for Dawson to be charged with the crime based on later inquest findings, as The Guardian notes. Prior to the most recent hearing, Dawson’s defense cited the influence of “The Teacher’s Pet” podcast and the time that had elapsed since the alleged crimes took place to permanently stay the proceedings. In 2020, a temporary stay was granted.
