NEED TO KNOW
- Pregnant mum Rosslyn ‘Ros’ McQueen died from a massive dose of strychnine poisoning in 1986, but no trace of the poison was ever found in her home.
- Her husband, Ray McQueen, was charged with murder but the case was dropped days before trial due to insufficient evidence.
- Investigative journalist Hedley Thomas, of The Teacher’s Pet fame, reopens the case in his new podcast, The Poisoned Wife.
- The Teacher’s Pet podcast led to Chris Dawson being convicted of the murder of his missing wife Lynette ‘Lyn’ Dawson.
After his true-crime podcast The Teacher’s Pet, gripped the nation and led to Chris Dawson being convicted of the murder of his wife Lynette ‘Lyn’ Dawson, Hedley Thomas now hopes to crack a nearly 40-year-old cold case.
In his new podcast The Poisoned Wife, Hedley, an investigative journalist for The Australian, and Karina Berger, have reopened the unsolved 1986 murder of 30-year pregnant mother Rosslyn ‘Ros’ McQueen.
Ros’ husband told police she had terminal cancer, but she didn’t — and no one believed she would have taken her own life, begging the question: who killed Rosslyn McQueen?
How did Rosslyn McQueen die?
In 1986, the body of Rosslyn ‘Ros’ McQueen was found in her home by a neighbour in Lockwood, rural Victoria.
Arched over a chair, her two-year old daughter, Jodie, was playing alone in the house.
As Hedley details in The Poisoned Wife, a post-mortem on 30-year-old Ros, who was pregnant with her second child, found she had died by ingesting a massive dose of strychnine poison.
Suspicious circumstances surrounded the unexpected death, not least that Ros had allegedly confided concerns her husband, Ray McQueen, was having an affair with their 16-year old babysitter, Donna Manallack.
Within 11 weeks of Ros’ death McQueen proposed to Donna.
McQueen was arrested by the homicide squad three months later and charged with Ros’ murder. He denied, and still does, any wrongdoing.
Despite a coroner deciding that McQueen should be charged over his wife’s death, he has never been convicted.
How did Hedley Thomas find Rosslyn McQueen’s case?
Rosslyn McQueen’s case landed in Hedley’s lap, quite literally. He received a suitcase in the mail and separately a key to unlock it.
Inside were reams of notes and interviews dating back to 1986. They were from former private investigator Rex Bakes.
Rex had devoted his life to solving Ros’ case but, at age 78, he was desperate to hand the reins to someone else in the hope of finally getting justice for Ros.
Where was the poison from?
This is one of the biggest mysteries of the case. No trace of strychnine, which is used to kill rodents on farms, was ever found in the McQueen house.
Lead investigator Sergeant Ron Blackshaw developed a theory the poison was hidden inside the iron supplement capsules Ros was taking during her pregnancy.
Did Rosslyn McQueen have cancer?
When asked in the immediate aftermath if McQueen knew why Ros might have died so suddenly, he allegedly told police she had cancer, but this wasn’t true.
She had a cervical cancer scare in the months prior to her death but had recently been given the all clear.
Did Rosslyn McQueen take her own life?
Ray McQueen is reported to have told police Ros that had “depression” and anxiety, but her loved ones dispute she was depressed or suicidal.
She was pregnant with a son and devoted to her toddler daughter, Jodie.
“She always wanted to be a mother always,” a friend says now.
With McQueen at work, Ros would have known Jodie would be alone all day if she died, plus strychnine poison was an unlikely suicide method for her to choose.
Was Rosslyn McQueen’s husband having an affair?
In interviews with police at the time, McQueen allegedly denied an affair, telling them he’d simply kissed their babysitter Donna on the lips “on special occasions”.
In the weeks after Ros died, he reportedly admitted kissing Donna “passionately”. He later proposed.
The then-teen told police she was in love with McQueen but denied anything sexual. Ros suspected an affair and that McQueen was planning to divorce her.
Donna has broken her 40-year silence for The Poisoned Wife podcast, claiming she was groomed by Ray. She said she was “scared to death” when he wanted her as his lover and moved away soon after.
“Even though I know I was young and naive, it’s still really hard. You feel guilt, ashamed and embarrassed,” Donna told Hedley.
In hours of recordings Donna said she hopes speaking out will put things right, explaining she “made a promise to Ros on her grave” to help her get justice.
Did Ray McQueen benefit financially from his wife’s death?
McQueen was an insurance salesman, so Hedley reports that it was not a surprise that Ros had a policy.
This allegedly paid out $17,000 to her husband, a year’s wages for a rural worker.
Why did Ray McQueen never face court?
Just days before the trial was to open, a spokesman for the Director of Public Prosecutions said the prosecution was dropping the case.
It believed there was not enough admissible evidence to put before a jury. The problem, which wasn’t stated, was likely because they could not show how strychnine came to be in the McQueens’ house.
What does Ray McQueen say now?
When asked by a journalist from The Australian if he killed his wife McQueen replied: “No I did not.”
The now-73-year-old also said he could not “recall” kissing Donna, but has so far refused to say any more.
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