Seventy-two-year-old Joseph Shackleton and seventy-four-year-old May Rosser were well-loved figures in the close-knit community of Brunswick, Victoria, Australia. Both were widowed, and they had been in a relationship for eight years, having known one another for decades. May had grown up in an orphanage with Joseph’s first wife. Described as kind and friendly, Joseph was known for his love of gardening and fishing, often sharing a smile and a chat with neighbors. May, house-proud and sociable, enjoyed regular outings to local shops with friends. With no known enemies and no criminal connections, the couple’s peaceful life made their violent deaths all the more shocking.
On the evening of May 25th, 1990, Joseph spent the day at his home on Thomas Street, Brunswick, before meeting friends at a Sydney Road hotel. He left the hotel around six p.m., dropping a friend off before heading to May’s home at 52 Hope Street for dinner. May spoke with a relative around nine p.m., making plans to meet the next morning—the last confirmed contact with the couple.
The following day, May 26th, a relative visited May’s Hope Street residence and discovered a harrowing scene: a large amount of blood throughout the house, as well as missing bed linens, pillows, and the couple’s white Holden Commodore station wagon. Joseph and May were nowhere to be found.
Two days later, on May 28th, police were called to Hawksburn Railway Station in South Yarra, where a suspicious vehicle had been parked for several days. Inside the rear of the couple’s Commodore, covered with carpet and construction-site rubbish, were the bodies of Joseph and May.
Autopsies revealed the horrific nature of their deaths. Joseph had been stabbed multiple times, while May had been strangled. Investigators believe the couple was murdered in their Hope Street home, with their bodies later transported to Hawksburn Railway Station, a little over four miles away. The presence of missing household items and the state of the crime scene suggested a possible burglary gone wrong, though no definitive motive has ever been established.
Homicide Squad detectives have pieced together the couple’s last movements, but the investigation has yielded few leads. Police believe the person who abandoned the Commodore at Hawksburn Railway Station holds critical information about the murders. They have also appealed for witnesses who may have seen activity in the driveway of the Hope Street residence around May 25th or the vehicle being parked at Hawksburn. Despite these efforts, no suspects have been identified, and the case remains unsolved.
In November 2008, Victoria Police announced a $250,000 reward—up from an initial $100,000 offered in 1990—for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of those responsible. The increased reward sparked renewed hope for a breakthrough, but no arrests followed.
Victoria Police continue to appeal for information, with the case featured in cold case files as recently as May 2025. Detectives believe that someone in the community may hold key details, perhaps unaware of their significance. The possibility of a burglary gone wrong remains a leading theory, given the missing household items, but the brutality of the attack suggests a level of violence that puzzles investigators. The transportation of the bodies to Hawksburn, an upmarket area far from Brunswick, adds another layer of mystery—why was the car left there, and what connection, if any, did the killer have to South Yarra?
The $250,000 reward remains active, offering hope that new information could finally bring justice for Joseph and May, allowing their loved ones to find peace and closure.
Crime Immemorial 