Teresa Maida Cormack

Teresa was born in Napier, New Zealand, the daughter of Ross and Kelly Cormack. On June 18, 1987, she turned 6 years old, and they celebrated with a nice little party full of her favorite foods and lots of presents. The following morning, Teresa told her mother she didn't want to go to school, that she would rather play with her new toys. However, she pulled on her oversized red raincoat, kissed her mother and little sister goodbye, and left to walk the short distance to Richmond School. Teresa never made it to school. Some time around 9:00 a.m. Teresa vanished from her street. Her small body was later found by a woman walking her dog. As he investigate the crime scene, Detective Sergeant Brian Schaab made a vow to Teresa that he would find her killer. In 1987, DNA tests were just being introduced and there wasn't enough available evidence to be used as a means to identify her killer. In 1993, Schaab was put in charge of the case that for over six years still remained a mystery - yet he did not give up. He kept the faith and the focus of his promise to little Teresa. As technology advanced, the evidence gathered was able to be tested and a DNA profile of the killer was found. As the long list of suspects narrowed, one name remained - Jules Mikus. After 15 years, justice was dealt and a promise kept. Mikus was finally arrested, convicted and received a life sentence in prison. Teresa is survived by her parents and little sister. She is forever loved and missed. Source: FindAGrave.

Teresa lived in Napier, New Zealand, with her mother, Kelly Piggot, and her younger sister Sara. Although reluctant to go to school on the day after her birthday, Cormack departed home on her normal walking route to Richmond Primary School, which was a short distance from where she lived. However, she did not go to school and instead wandered the streets in the suburb of Maraenui for around an hour. Eight days later, Cormack's body was discovered at the base of a tree on Whirinaki Beach by a woman walking her dog. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped and suffocated. Three male pubic hairs were found orally and in her underwear, and semen was found vaginally on Cormack's body. However, genetic fingerprinting at the time was not advanced enough to find her killer. The Cormack murder case was re-opened in 1998 and new testing was done at a crime lab in the United States. Due to advances in genetic fingerprinting, a minute sample of semen stored sealed between two microscope slides was able to be profiled in 2001 by technicians at ESR. Jules Mikus had committed many sex crimes as a teenager. He was questioned by police and provided samples of his saliva and blood. On 26 February 2002, fifteen years after Cormack's death, police arrested Mikus for the murder. Although Mikus pleaded not guilty, a jury found him guilty for kidnapping, rape, sexual assault and murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, preventative detention for rape, and 14 years each for the sexual assault and abduction, all served concurrently, with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years. Mikus died while serving a life sentence for the death of 6-year-old Teresa Cormack. It was reported he was dying from a brain tumour and died 9 December 2019. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Teresa_Cormack