Azaria Chamberlain: 30 Years Since 'A Dingo Ate My Baby'

by Jordan Yerman | August 19, 2010 at 07:47 am

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Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton Seeks Closure 30 Years After Dingo Kills Daughter Azaria

On August 17, 1980, nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain disappeared from a campground near Uluru (then called Ayers Rock) in Australia's Northern Territories. Evidence at the scene matched mother Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton's report, as well as those by eyewitnesses: a dingo carried the baby off into the bush. The term "a dingo ate my baby" entered the common parlance as the case drew international attention.

However, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton was later charged and convicted for Azaria's murder.

It took seven years for Chamberlain-Creighton to clear her name, but to this day the cause of Azaria's death is officially listed as unknown. Lindy argues that there's nothing unknown about it: a dingo killed her infant daughter.

Her ex-husband, Michael Chamberlain, is also seeking to have his daughter's death certificate reflect what actually happened.

A movie was made based on the incident, called A Cry in the Dark, starring Meryl Streep and Sam Neill.

There was never a question of the events and evidence on the part of the eyewitnesses – none of whom had met the Chamberlains before – or the rangers, trackers, and police first on the scene. It was a natural tragedy that the head Ranger had warned his government of some time earlier.

"She deserves justice," she wrote. "In light of all the evidence before the Commission, this should be reflected on her death certificate and not the open finding that is there now. ... It makes one wonder are they really after the truth, or just too stubborn or proud to admit that a mistake has been made?"

Dingoes are apex predators that will hunt and eat nearly anything. Over hundreds of years, dingoes have interbred with other feral dogs, resulting in several types of dingo hybrids. If you encounter anything that vaguely resembles a dog while in the Australian bush, stay away. Of course, you're more likely to encounter a crocodile or poisonous spider.