Michael Chamberlain has passed away following his battle with leukaemia, aged 72 - nearly 40 years after his baby daughter Azaria was killed in a dingo attack in central Australia.
His son Reagan, and his daughter Zahra, were at his bedside. His other two children were travelling to Gosford to be with him.
The Chamberlain family first caught the nation’s attention in 1980, when their daughter Azaria was taken and killed by a dingo at only 9 weeks old.
Mr Chamberlain’s wife, Lindy, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being wrongly charged with the baby’s murder, and accused of fabricating ‘a dingo ate my baby’. Mr Chamberlain received an 18-month suspended sentence for being an accessory to the murder.
Azaria Chamberlain was only 9 weeks old when she disappeared while camping.
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However, years later, the discovery of Azaria Chamberlain’s clothes in an area known for dingo activity forced The Supreme Court of Darwin to overturn the charges, and the pair were exonerated. It wouldn’t be until 2012 that the Coroner finally ruled Azaria was taken and killed by a dingo.
Lindy and Michael Chamberlain leave court.
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Not long after their exoneration Mr Chamberlain and Lindy divorced. Mr Chamberlain returned to teaching and married Ingrid, for whom he has been the primary carer following her stroke 5 years ago. Mr Chamberlain wrote three books on the topic of his daughter's death, and his fight for justice.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
