A leading Australian criminal psychologist suspects police knew there was more to the death of Audrey Griffin than they initially let on when they said it appeared to be unsuspicious.
A man has now been charged with the murder of the 19-year-old more than a month after she was found dead in a creek.
The partially-submerged body was discovered in Erina Creek on the NSW Central Coast on March 24, having last been seen the night before as she left a nearby pub following a night out with friends.
Her death was not publicly announced as suspicious at the time, as a preliminary autopsy indicated Ms Griffin had drowned.
However, after further investigations, police charged Adrian Torrens, 53, with murder at Surry Hills in inner-Sydney on Monday afternoon.
‘Police will allege the man had a physical altercation with the victim,’ a NSW Police statement read.
Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told Daily Mail Australia a death can sometimes be proclaimed as unsuspicious in order to ‘flush out people’ who might otherwise flee or go to ground if they think police are hunting for the suspect.
‘It’s very hard to get into the police’s heads but I would say it may have been a tactical decision,’ Mr Watson-Munro said.
Audrey Griffin’s body was pulled from Erina Creek on the NSW Central Coast on March 24
Police charged Adrian Torrens with murder on Monday
‘The police will do whatever it takes, lawfully…. quite often they withhold information.
‘They’ve now found a body and have arrested someone so it could have been a tactic to flush out (suspects), thinking the heat’s off. They may have had information they didn’t want out there.’
Mr Watson-Munro, who has analysed some of Australia’s most prolific and violent criminals including underworld figure Alphonse Gangitano and mass murderer Julian Knight, said the police tactic of not releasing all known information plays an important role in investigations.
‘When people are arrested they think, where did this come from, not knowing there’s been an investigation for a long time before the actual arrests,’ he said.
‘You look at Samantha Murphy in Ballarat. People have been carrying on because the police have been saying very little. Obviously, the police know more than they’re releasing to the public.
‘The problem is if they release too much information you’ve got all these armchair detectives that colour the water and interfere with the investigation.
‘Police will gather all the information they need before they (charge).’
Torrens was also charged with 11 unrelated domestic violence offences.
He did not apply for bail in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday and it was formally refused.
Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro suspects police knew more than they were letting on when talking about the death of Audrey Griffin
Ms Griffin was last seen leaving a pub following a night out with friends
It is understood Ms Griffins and Torrens were not known to each other.
The arrest occurred just days after police released an image of a man they wished to speak to in relation to Ms Griffin’s death.
Police reiterated at the time that it was not believed the man was involved in her death.
‘We are not implicating that this man was somehow involved in the incident, we have no indication of that,’ Brisbane Water Detective Acting Inspector Samantha Richards said.
‘We’re simply hoping he might have some information to help us piece together what has happened.’
