Distinguishing Feature:small scar at the corner of his right eye
Circumstances
Christopher Watkins was last seen at approximately midnight on
Tuesday 7th August 2013 in the Mayfield, TASMANIA area.
Mayfield's Christopher Dean
Watkins, 29, went missing without a trace around midnight on August 7.
He had just been dropped off by a friend to Thompson's Lane in Mayfield.
Police and family are unsure
what happened to Mr Watkins but hold grave fears for his safety. Anyone
with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers 1800333000.
Does anyone out there know the
whereabouts of Chris Watkins?
Chris went missing from Mayfield, Tasmania in August 2013. His family
need closure, and are begging anyone that may have any information at
all to the whereabouts of their beloved brother, cousin, uncle, & son,
to please come forward (even anonymously) by contacting Crime Stoppers
on 1800 333 000.
Plea for missing son to come home
"WE just want him home," Alanvale mother
Lillian Watkins says of her son Christopher Dean Watkins, who was last
seen about 12 days ago.
Mr Watkins, 28, was reported missing to
police on Saturday.
He had been staying with friends at
Mayfield.
Mrs Watkins said she did not know what had
happened to her eldest son.
"It's just out of character for him not to
be in contact with his two brothers," she said.
"They are very close. His family is missing
him.
"I got concerned myself on Monday last week
when I knew that he did not access his bank account, but his brother
Sean had concerns before that.
"I just want him to come home or make
contact with me or Sean or his dad Ray, just to let us know that he is
OK, or if there is a particular reason why he has gone away for a while.
"Please contact us and let us know you're
OK."
Mr Watkins is about 170 centimetres tall,
of medium build, with a bald head, blue eyes and tattoos.
Police urge anyone with information about
his whereabouts to call Launceston police on 63363701 or Crime Stoppers
on 1800333000.
Christopher Dean Watkins: Tasmanian
Police offer $50,000 reward in case of missing Launceston man
Updated
Police are offering a $50,000 reward for information that helps them
solve the case of the disappearance of a Launceston man two years ago.
Christopher Dean Watkins, 28, was last seen at a unit in Box Street,
Mayfield, on August 7, 2013 and police now strongly suspect he was
murdered.
Tasmania Police Detective Inspector John King said Mr Watkins made a
panicked phone call to a family member after two men he had a troubled
history with visited the Mayfield home he shared with four other men.
Detective Inspector King said all six men are believed to have misled
police about what happened to Mr Watkins.
"All the people who were living at that address, and the two people who
visited, are definitely persons of interest for murder," he said.
"If they weren't involved in the murder, they were involved in
perverting the course of justice."
He said the reward may encourage people who have information about the
case to come forward.
"There are people out there who know what happened and who know who is
responsible," he said.
"We're anticipating that with the passage of time and the inducement of
this reward there will be people who may reconsider their choice to
remain silent."
National Missing Persons Week begins on Sunday with the theme "follow
your instincts".
Police said it was a myth that people had to wait for 24 hours before
they can report someone as missing.
Police ask anyone who has information on any of these cases to contact
them on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers or anonymously 1800 333 000.
Men charged with conspiracy over investigation into missing
man Christopher Watkins
PATRICK BILLINGS, Mercury
TWO men have been charged in connection with the
disappearance and suspected murder of Launceston man
Christopher Dean Watkins.
The two men, both from Launceston, have been charged with
conspiracy.
Police allege the men, aged 22 and 23, conspired to pervert the
due course of justice by deliberately providing false
information during the police investigation.
Mr Watkins was last sighted in Mayfield on the evening of August
7, 2013.
His disappearance has been the subject of an intensive police
investigation since he went missing.
A $50,000 reward was offered last week for information leading
to a prosecution in the case.
“Both these men are alleged to have been living at the address
at which Mr Watkins was last seen,” Northern CIB Detective
Inspector John King said.
“We allege that they have provided false information about the
events of that night.
“Investigations are ongoing and we anticipate additional charges
against others as more information comes to hand.”
Woman convicted over false statement in
suspected Launceston murder case
A woman who failed to report the suspected murder of missing
Launceston man Christopher Dean Watkins has avoided jail.
Shae Lee Parker, 24, was interviewed by police on August 27
in 2013 over the disappearance of Mr Watkins, who has not been
seen since August 7.
Parker made a statutory declaration to police in which she
said her brother had turned up at her house with two friends,
known as Old Buddha and Red, on the night of Mr Watkins
disappearance.
She was interviewed again in August 2015 and told police her
previous statement was false.
Parker told police that on the night of Mr Watkins’s
disappearance, her brother arrived at her home about 11pm and
was upset and shaking.
Her brother then told her he and Mr Watkins had been taken from
his house, hog tied and put into the boot of a car before being
driven to bushland, ripped from the car and interrogated by Old
Buddha and Red.
He told her Watkins was shot and told to run and when he did not
cooperate, he was shot again and Parker’s brother was forced to
watch and then help bury Mr Watkins.
Parker pleaded guilty to charges of failing to report the
killing of a person and making a false declaration.
Supreme Court judge Shan Tennent said in her sentencing report:
“You had no direct involvement in the events which you accept
resulted in Mr Watkins death.
“It is difficult to say just what impact on the police
investigation into the death your failure to disclose might have
had.”
Parker was convicted in the Launceston Supreme Court on Monday
and sentenced to nine months in prison, wholly suspended.
She was ordered to pay a victim of crime compensation levy of
$100 within 28 days.
“I accept that when you first spoke to police in 2013 you feared
for your own and your brother’s safety … in my view the
prospects of rehabilitation, given
your age and circumstances should assume greater importance than general
deterrence.”
Christopher Dean Watkins disappearance case produces new
twist
A man has pleaded not guilty to providing false information
to police in relation to their investigation into the
disappearance and suspected murder of Christopher Dean
Watkins.
Matthew James Badkin has been charged with one count of
perverting the course of justice. His trial began in the
Launceston Supreme Court on Monday.
Police suspect Mr Watkins, who was last seen at a Box Street
unit in Mayfield on the evening of August 7, 2013, was
murdered.
Justice Robert Pearce told the jury that Mr Badkin had been
accused of attempting to pervert justice by giving false
information to police relating to his whereabouts on or
about August 13, 2013 and on or about September 27 that same
year.
The presentation of evidence in Mr Badkin's trial will begin
on Tuesday and witnesses will include a woman understood to
be Mr Badkin's ex-partner, as well as Mr Watkins' brother.
Justice Pearce said the court was aiming to wrap up the
trial by Thursday but that it could go longer.
If you know anything about Mr Watkins' disappearance, call
Launceston CIB on 131 444.
2019 - CHRISTOPHER Watkins,
last seen at Mayfield (Launceston) on August 7, 2013, aged 28.
Mr Watkins was last seen with a number of associates in the area of Box Street,
Mayfield.
Mr Watkins, 28, is described as 170cm tall, medium build, shaved bald head, blue
eyes, and a
fair complexion. He has tattoos of barbed wire on his left bicep, a brick wall
on his left wrist,
an 8-ball on his inner left arm and a Celtic band on his left thigh.
A police investigation remains ongoing into the disappearance and suspected
murder of
Mr Watkins.
A $50,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to a prosecution in
the case.
Three people have been charged and convicted with various crimes concerning Mr
Watkins including failing to report the killing of a person, perverting the
course of justice, conspiring
to pervert the due course of justice, and making a false statutory declaration.
Tasmania Police ups rewards in high-profile cold cases, including Christoper
Watkins, Victoria Cafasso, Eve Askew
It's been almost eight years since Launceston mother-of-five Lillian
Watkins last saw her son Christopher.
"It's been hell … not knowing where he is," she said.
Christopher was 28 years old when he disappeared from a unit in Box Street,
Mayfield, on August 7, 2013.
Police believe he made a panicked phone call to a family member after two men he
had a troubled history with visited the Mayfield home he shared with four other
men.
Police say there's significant, credible information that he was abducted and
murdered, but so far no one has been charged.
"We believe this case is very solvable … and we would love for the person with
that information to come forward."
Lillian said the hardest part is not having closure about what happened to her
son.
"He was loving, fun, kind, had the biggest heart … he'd do anything for
anybody," Lillian said.
"I don't really know [what happened to him] to be honest."
Police increase rewards for in high-profile murder cases
The case is one of seven high-profile murders or suspected murder investigations
across the state which police have increased the reward for information that
leads to a conviction to $500,000.
"This kind of money allows a fresh start," Assistant Commissioner Jonathan
Higgins said.
"These rewards are an important investigative tool that may entice people with
crucial information to come forward and provide this to police."
Other cases include then 26-year-old Nancy Grunwaldt who went missing from the
east coast in 1993.
Extensive investigations have been carried out but she has never been located.
She
has never been located and it's believed she met with foul play.
The
previous rewards for these cases varied from $30,000 to $250,000, some have
been in place for decades.
"What
we've seen in some of the other mainland states is when rewards are
increased it has generated far greater interest, allegiances change with
people and what it has lead to is convictions," Assistant Commissioner
Higgins said.
"We're hoping people may now come forward that may not have before."
"It's
really important that we get closure for families in relation to these cases
… getting justice for families is perhaps the most important thing that we
can possibly do as police officers."
Anyone with information
that could help solve these cases is asked to contact Police on 131 444 or
Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au.
Tasmania Police announces $500,000 cold case rewards
Detectives are offering half a million dollars for information relating
to seven unsolved murders.
Tasmania Police revealed on Monday morning the increased reward would be
on offer for information relating to a conviction in each of the
outstanding cases.
Some of the cases had offers of $30,000, while others had already been
increased to $50,000 and $250,000.
But now, all seven investigations came with a $500,000 incentive for
witnesses.
Those cases included Christopher Dean Watkins, Nancy Grunwaldt, Victoria
Cafasso, Paul Winston Byrne, Helen Munnings, Simon Crisp, and Eve Askew.
His mother, Lillian Watkins, said the reward increase left her feeling
"over the moon".
Knowing "in her heart" her son was murdered, she said finding the person
responsible would give her family closure.
She described the past eight years as "hell" for her family, and said
she even feared for her own life knowing the killer was still at large.
"There has been times I thought 'are they going to come for us', it's
been difficult," she said.
Launceston-based Detective Inspector Craig Fox said the Watkins case had
never been closed, and was "very close to being solvable".
Hopeful the reward increase would encourage witnesses to come forward,
Detective Inspector Fox said police would revisit old leads, and
re-interrogate previous suspects.
Witness statements early on in the investigation suggested Mr Watkins
was taken from a unit at Box Street, driven to bushland, shot and
buried.
But his body was never found.
While police had significant information relating to the case, Detective
Inspector Fox said their focus would be to turn that information into
strong evidence that could be used in court.
"We will investigate every avenue we can to bring justice for Chris,"
Detective Inspector Fox said.
Making the reward announcement on Monday, Tasmania Police Assistant
Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said offering more money could give
witnesses "a fresh start".
"In the passage of time someone's circumstances and allegiances may have
changed and the offer of a life-changing amount of money may be the
motivation they need to come forward," he said.
"If you have information about any of these cases, please come forward
and help us provide some kind of closure to the families and loved ones
of the victims. Families always deserve answers to what happened to
their loved ones and we owe it to them to find those answers."