blackwattle press pty ltd

IN THE WAKE OF THE SOMERTON MAN COMES ANOTHER INTRIGUING SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TRUE CRIME MYSTERY - THE PETRIFIED WOMAN

Renmark, South Australia 1951. The discovery of a petrified female body in the raging floodwaters of the River Murray triggers a police investigation across three states. Her facial features and hands are missing, but evidence suggests she has been murdered. As detectives close in on a suspect, a vital witness dies a violent death, and the case collapses, leaving the victim’s identity unresolved. Seven decades on, a new investigation delves deep into this long-forgotten case and uncovers a family secret that leaves little doubt about the victim’s identity - evidence that calls for the exhumation of The Petrified Woman from her pauper’s grave to undergo DNA analysis.