The disappearance of Lyn Dawson came to Australia’s attention via the Teacher’s Pet Podcast – The disappearance of Lynette “Lyn” Dawson in early January 1982. Forty years have passed, and no one knows what happened to her. Her husband, Chris, claims she ran off to join a religious sect, a cult. However, there were so many excuses, as documented in a recent article by the Sydney Morning Herald by Sarah McPhee.
One such example was when a friend of Lyn who worked with her spoke to Chris a few months after the mother of two’s disappearance; she was told that Mrs Dawson was fine and was in Queensland. However, he also said that his wife had written and called to say she didn’t know when she was returning.
Chris reported Lyn missing about six weeks after her disappearance. He moved his teenage lover into the family home. The girl, who we will not name due to the ongoing court case, is now a grandmother to her daughter’s children. Moreover, this occurred after he divorced Lyn, who was already missing. However, that makes us wonder; how do you divorce a woman who is allegedly dead?
Why Would Chris Allegedly Want Lyn Dead?
This is a question that Lyn’s family has asked for years. She adored her daughters and wouldn’t leave them. So, in Chris’ mind, he wanted a younger wife to be his sex slave and for his children to call “mummy.”
To get his wish, he had to get rid of Lyn first. Dawson’s second wife alleges that she believed he had his first wife murdered. As mentioned in the above SMH article, it is thought that she [the second wife] went with Chris to seek out a hitman to kill his first wife. This was mentioned in The Teacher’s Pet Podcast as well.
How Chris has managed to keep the same story going for over forty years is a mystery that boggles the mind. He wanted to keep up the facade that he was the perfect man and how his wife was rebellious and didn’t care about their family. Anyone who has spoken out for Lyn has said that she was devoted to her daughters. She spent many years trying to conceive and finally got her wish of being a mother.
Given Lyn disappeared in the early 80s, women were still deemed in stereotypical ways. Her sudden disappearance wasn’t treated as anything special and as a case of a runaway wife. Domestic violence wasn’t spoken about during this time. Also, Lyn and the second wife had to be permitted by Chris to do things. If this becomes a habit in today’s society, it is a form of control. This is backed up in a Guardian article written by the AAP.
Several people who knew Lyn have said that they often saw her with injuries.
Chris’ Alleged Violent Streak
It has long been said that Chris had a violent streak and that he got physical with Lyn and his second wife. According to Candace Sutton for the Daily Mail, Dawson’s second wife told her best friend when she left him to go to the police if something horrible happened to her.
This backs up what associates of Lyn have said about seeing various injuries on the missing mother. In addition, the second wife told the murder trial that Chris was controlling towards her and would force her to wear unflattering clothes.
In a piece, Steve Zemek of news.com.au has written that Dawson allegedly threatened a trolley boy at a supermarket after he asked his then-babysitter, who would later become his second wife, out on a date. Now, this speaks volumes about the type of person Chris was. Is he like this now? We don’t know as we don’t know the man and can only go on what we’ve read.
It has since come out, according to 7News, that Dawson’s sister-in-law, Marilyn, has said that he is “incapable” of murdering anyone, especially Lyn. We’re not refuting her claim, but given Chris’ alleged history of leaving bruises on his first wife, we cannot deny that the evidence is damning.
What Type Of Man Did Chris Portray Himself As?
Earlier, we referenced how Chris portrayed himself as someone devoted to his family. We wanted to address this in more detail.
Chris is like a load of people whose partners suddenly vanish. A prime example of this is Gerard Baden-Clay, who was primarily absent from the search for his wife, Allison when she went missing. His excuse was that he had his daughters to care for when he could’ve taken them to look for their mother.
Oddly, Chris is very similar to when Lyn went missing. Days after she vanished, the babysitter moved into the family home like nothing was wrong. However, those who knew his wife, including her family, have been questioning what happened to her for years. It’s the same with the second wife. She has an inkling that her predecessor as Mrs Christopher Dawson, did meet with foul play.
It should be noted that The Teacher’s Pet podcast did reveal that Chris was a lady’s man who went after schoolgirls. Now, this is all alleged. We’re not taking it as a fact. Also, his family meaning the Dawsons will paint him as someone who was kind and wanted to help others.
The evidence, in our opinion, is stacked against Chris. However, his position as a football star for the Newtown Jets in his younger years works somewhat in his favour. He was a star to many people and an idol to young upcoming players.
In conclusion, Chris’ star status has enabled him to remain out of prison for the alleged murder of Lyn. Finally, however, the truth will be unlocked. It will give the Simms family closure after forty years of not knowing.
