What happened to Lynette Dawson? The timeline of her disappearance
In 1982, wife and mother Lynette Dawson vanished from her Northern Beaches home in Sydney without a trace.
The 33-year-old has not been seen or heard from since – and her disappearance has been the subject of the widely acclaimed investigative podcast, The Teacher’s Pet.
The podcast also delved into the suspicious extra-martial affair Chris Dawson had with his student Joanne Curtis, who moved into the family home shortly after Lynette was reported missing.
Chris Dawson was arrested on Wednesday morning and is expected to be charged with Lynette’s murder.
This is the timeline of her life and mysterious disappearance.
May 5, 1948 – Lynette Joy Simms is born in NSW.
1965 – Lynette and Chris Dawson meet at a high-school event, both aged 16.
1970 – Lynette and Chris marry at age 21 and have two daughters, Shanelle and Sherryn.
1980 – Chris begins affair with 16-year-old student Joanne Curtis at Cromer High School.
1981 – Joanne moves into Chris and Lynette’s family home as a full-time babysitter.
January 9, 1982: Lynette fails to meet her mother, husband and children at Northbridge Baths.
February 18, 1982: Chris reports his wife missing, six weeks after she vanished.
1983: Chris files for a divorce from his missing wife.
1984: Chris and Joanne marry, move to Queensland and have a daughter, Kristen.
1990: Chris and Joanne split and Joanne moves back to Sydney.
2000: A pink cardigan believed to belong to Lynette is found during a police dig at the family’s former home in Bayview.
2001- 2003: Two separate coroners find Lynette was murdered by Chris Dawson, but he is not charged.
2015: The Unsolved Homicide Unit establish Strike Force Scriven to reinvestigate Lynette’s suspected murder.
2018: The Australian’s podcast The Teacher’s Pet launches, creating global interest in the case.
Dec 5, 2018: Chris Dawson is arrested at his home in Queensland in connection with Lynette’s disappearance.
