Father, Teacher, Child Killer

The Abduction of Louise Bell and Michael Mack

Michael Madigan

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English

Michael Madigan
01 November 2025

Biography: general; True crime; Crime & criminology

Summary
Details

On a warm January night in 1983, ten-year-old Louise Bell disappeared from her bedroom in suburban Adelaide. Her family's desperate search, and the police investigation that followed, would stretch on for decades. Louise was never seen alive again.

Six years later, in 1989, another child - nine-year-old Michael Black - vanished under chillingly similar circumstances. His body has never been found. This time, the trail led to a man few could have imagined: a trusted father, a respected schoolteacher, and a predator who had lived undetected among his neighbours for years.

This book traces the parallel stories of Louise and Michael, the anguish of their families, and the relentless work of investigators who refused to give up. It reveals how advances in forensic science finally unmasked the killer - and confronts the disturbing possibility that he may have been responsible for other unsolved child abductions that still cast a shadow over South Australia.

Told with compassion and an unwavering respect for the victims, Father, Teacher, Child Killer is not only a chronicle of crime, but a story of resilience, courage, and the long shadows of loss.

A chilling reminder that true evil can hide behind respectability, and even stand at the front of a classroom.

By: Michael Madigan
Imprint: Michael Madigan
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 336g
ISBN: 9781764260206
ISBN 10: 1764260201
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 01 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active