Neil Muir

“He was artistic. He was musical. He was a happy-go-lucky person. He was a lover of all souls.” — Sonya Muir, Neil’s daughter

In the recollections supplied from the podcast, Sonya remembers Neil visiting her every second Sunday. She recalls sitting on his shoulders, running her fingers through his fine hair and laughing with him. She describes herself as one of his priorities.

She also recalls his care for other people, including checking that a neighbour got home safely from work. Another recollection describes Neil and his close friend Dave joking about a surfboard on their car, although neither of them surfed.

Quotation and recollections from Neil Muir Was My Father, episode 5 of Debi Marshall Investigates Frozen Lies (October 2019), using a transcription supplied to the campaign. The paragraphs above summarise the recollections; only the opening passage is a direct quotation.

Neil was 25. He should have had decades ahead of him.

If you knew Neil — as a neighbour, a workmate, a friend from the city — the campaign would like to hear from you.

Crime Stoppers SA’s profile, dated 30 August 2021, describes Neil as 25 and living alone on Carrington Street, Adelaide. It identifies venues he visited, including Hindley Street hotels, the Duke of York and the Buckingham Arms. His final movements are not established.

The profile records that two people fishing near Mutton Cove, Osborne, discovered Neil’s body in the Port River on 28 August 1979, at approximately 2.30pm, and contacted police.

According to Crime Stoppers SA, a man was charged with Neil’s murder during the original investigation. He was acquitted after a Supreme Court trial in 1980.

The 2021 profile lists a reward of up to $200,000 for information leading to a conviction. Ask Crime Stoppers about current conditions. To share information, call 1800 333 000.