Homicide Squad detectives are continuing to appeal for information in relation to the 1978 death of Armadale woman Mary Anne Fagan.
Mary Anne lived with her husband and five children, then aged 15, 13, 12, 6 and 17 months, at a house on Dandenong Road.
On the morning of Friday, 17 February 1978, the 41-year-old was at home getting her children ready for school.
Her husband was away working and not expected home until later that afternoon.
About 8.30am, Mary Anne drove her children to school in the family car, a Holden station wagon, then returned home alone about 9.15am.
Shortly after she was seen by a neighbour speaking to council workmen who were repairing the road outside the Fagan family’s home.
Mary Anne had parked her car in the driveway and she was last seen about 10.30am that morning in the front yard of the property by a witness who had driven past the house.
About 11am, Mary Anne’s husband called and had a brief phone conversation with his wife.
This is the last known contact anyone had with Mary Anne.
Shortly after 4pm, the Fagan children came home from school and noticed the side gate was open.
They were unable to locate their mother, however they could hear the baby crying in the house.
Mary Anne’s car was still in the driveway and the doors to the house were locked.
The children made a call to their father from a local phone box and then went home and broke a window in order to get inside the house.
Sadly, they found their mother deceased in the front bedroom.
Mary Anne had been bound and gagged, and fatally stabbed a number of times.
Despite a significant investigation over the past 45 years, a motive for the murder has never been established and a number of personal items taken from the home have never been recovered.
Detectives believe that it is possible there are still people in the community who know what happened to Mary Anne and who was responsible.
Despite the passage of over four decades, Mary Anne is still much missed by her family, in particular her children who remain hopeful of getting answers about what happened to their mother.
Anyone with information that could assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via the Crime Stoppers Victoria website.
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