The Teacher’s Pet was the investigative podcast series that focused on the disappearance and probable murder of northern beaches mother-of-two, Lyn Dawson.
The podcast was a global phenomenon that delved into the seemingly perfect marriage of Lyn and Chris Dawson after Lyn mysteriously went missing 36 years ago. Over its 15 episodes, journalist Hedley Thomas tells a sordid tale of strangely close brothers, student-teacher affairs and probable murder.
This morning, December 5, 2018, 70-year-old Chris Dawson was arrested in Queensland and is expected to be charged for the 1982 murder of his wife, Lyn.
New evidence uncovered in the podcast prompted a police dig at the Dawsons former property in Bayview on Sydney’s northern beaches and despite all the newly uncovered evidence following the podcast, there were some burning questions that were left unanswered.
With the news of Chris Dawson’s arrest, we may finally get some of these answers, but for now, here are all our burning questions that The Teacher’s Pet couldn’t answer.
1. Where is Lyn buried?
Lyn Dawson was last seen alive at her home in Bayview, on Sydney’s northern beaches. Earlier this year, NSW police dug in four areas on the property; a small area at the back of the house between the rock and the building, another area in the backyard near the clothesline, another area a little further up in the backyard and around the pool area. Sniffer dogs even joined the September search, but Lyn’s remains were not found.
2. What’s the deal with the cardigan?
The Teacher’s Pet talked in detail about what was and wasn’t found in the original police search of the Dawson’s Bayview property in 1999. Among the items found buried on the property was a pale pink cardigan – believed to be Lyn’s – with cut marks through the material.
Despite the find of the cardigan, the police at the time did not dig any further on the property and we were left to wonder if the pink cardigan was really Lyn’s and more importantly, what caused the cut marks in the material.
3. Does Paul Dawson know what happened to Lyn Dawson?
The Teacher’s Pet describes Chris and Paul’s relationship throughout the entirety of their lives as strangely co-dependent, even for twins. Paul, like Chris, was a P.E. teacher on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and, as was uncovered on The Teacher’s Pet, also engaged in affairs with students.
According to The Teacher’s Pet, Paul and Chris had to do almost everything together and the pair’s relationship has been labelled as almost disturbingly close by the podcast.
4. Does Marilyn Dawson, Paul’s wife, know what happened to Lyn Dawson?
To listener’s of The Teacher’s Pet, Marilyn Dawson seemed to have a blind devotion to her husband – almost to a fault. Marilyn frustrated listeners with her attitude towards Lyn and Chris’ failed marriage and Chris’ subsequent affair with a teenage student, often blaming Lyn for the marital issues.
According to The Teacher’s Pet, Marilyn felt Lyn was providing opportunities for Chris and Joanne to be together and wasn’t adequately fighting for her marriage.
Marylin Dawson has been vocal in her support for Chris.
5. What was in the ‘lovely drink’?
Helena Simms, Lyn’s mother, spoke to her daughter on the phone the night before she disappeared.
According to Helena’s statement to police and her personal diary, Lyn (who rarely drank) sounded tipsy on the other end of the phone and told her mother that Chris had made her ‘a lovely drink’.
The big unanswered question for listeners: what were the contents of that ‘lovely drink’?
6. Why did Chris Dawson keep going back to the property at Bayview?
Suspicion about Lyn’s final resting place has long hung over the million dollar home in Bayview that she formerly shared with her husband.
As we know, the latest dig back in September lasted five days, and nothing of note was found.
However, the owners who bought the Bayview property from Chris Dawson not long after Lyn’s disappearance revealed on the podcast that Chris Dawson had visited the property multiple times after hearing the couple were planning to dig up the garden as part of their planned renovations.
According to The Teacher’s Pet, Chris inquired where the couple was planning to dig on the property.
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