Lynette Simms’ niece says her family have “come to peace” with never knowing where her husband Chris Dawson buried her body.
Yesterday the family asked for her to be remembered as “Lynette Joy Simms” so the family could “claim her back as their own”, as Dawson was sentenced to an 18 year sentence for the murder of his wife in 1982.
Niece Renae Simms told Today the sentence was the end of a chapter for the family.
“I don’t want to say it was a happy day but it was a conclusion for all of us,” Simms said to Weekend Today host Belinda Russell.
Simms was in court for the sentence hearing, in which Dawson was told he would not be eligible for parole until 2040.
“I like to watch Chris Dawson just to see what his reaction would be and yesterday there was nothing. No reaction,” Simms said.
“We were I think just happy with the guilty verdict, knowing that Lyn’s name had been clear and now it was public that Chris had been found guilty of killing her,” she said.
“I think the reality is whatever sentence he was going to get he was likely not to survive it.”
Simms said it was frustrating to not know where Lynette’s body was.
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“I think it’s something we have to come to peace with that we will never know where she is.”
She said she wasn’t surprised to hear Dawson would fight the conviction
“We actually met up with one of the previous detectives and went and had some lunch in a little cheers to Lyn,” Simms said.
“Just a nice little quiet – not a celebration but just an acknowledgement… It’s been such a long journey.”
For now the family plans to step away from the public eye, in an attempt to return to normality.
Yesterday Justice Ian Harrison noted Dawson may well die in jail as he handed down his sentence for killing and disposing of Lynette’s body, but Lynette’s brother Greg Simms said he hoped for him to “live a long life” to face the weight of his crime for years to come.
Simms made special mention of journalist Hedley Thomas outside of court, whose popular Gold Walkley Award-winning true crime podcast The Teacher’s Pet, thrust the cold case back into the limelight, reigniting the investigation.
