Prime suspect in horrific cold case murder of 23-year-old woman is mysteriously found dead in Thailand

The suspected killer of a young woman whose partially burned body was found in bushland in NSW more than 20 years ago has been found dead in Thailand.

Accused serial rapist and murderer Kevin Steven Correll, 69, died while on holiday in Pa Tong in the South East Asian country last week.

Correll was identified by police as the most likely to have killed 23-year-old car saleswoman Rachelle Childs on June 8 in 2001.

Police did not charge anyone over her murder after the early investigation was repeatedly botched. 

Ms Child’s body was found dumped in bushland in Gerroa, south of Sydney, about 100km away from her home.

Unleaded petrol had been poured over her face and other parts of her body in what had been an apparent attempt to hide DNA evidence.

She was found partially undressed and was likely either smothered or strangled to death.

Authorities in Thailand have said the details surrounding the death of Correll remain a mystery.

Rachelle Childs, 23, was murdered in June 2001 and the case has not been officially solved

Accused rapist and killer Kevin Steven Correll, 69, died during a holiday in Thailand last week

A member of Correll’s family said police turned up to his son Mitchell’s house to inform them an autopsy that was already underway.

‘Not sorry he’s gone just sorry that Rachelle’s family aren’t going to get the justice that they so deserve,’ they told the Daily Telegraph.

His estranged daughter, Jazz, found out her father was dead after speaking to her brother on the phone Saturday. 

‘I feel sad for his many victims,’ she told the publication.

Consular assistance is being provided to Correll’s family in Australia, a DFAT spokesman confirmed. 

Many believe the initial police investigation into Ms Child’s death had been thoroughly mishandled by local police before they handed it off to homicide detectives. 

Local police lost a crucial piece of CCTV footage which showed Ms Childs with what could have been her murderer at a petrol station on the night of her death.

Other mistakes by the police unit included one officer who contaminated DNA found on a bedsheet in her car and others who did not collect her phone records properly. 

Ms Child’s was a car fanatic and owned a prized Holden

Correll was Ms Child’s boss at the used car dealership, Camden Holden, where they both worked when she died. 

He was voluntarily questioned on three occasions by police regarding her death but detectives were unable to gather enough evidence to convict him.

This is despite the fact that his alibi for the night of Ms Child’s death could not be corroborated.

Correll had previously been in court accused of rape. 

In once incident in the 1980s a woman’s screams attracted police, who found him with his pants down, and she told them she was being assaulted.

Correll was charged but a jury found him not guilty later in court. 

He had three other women also accused him of rape in separate incidents but was found not guilty in court. 

In the 1980s personal attacks against alleged victims in the witness box over their clothing or dating history was common.

Another of his accusers said he had threatened her with a knife and threatened to kill her children.

 Thai Police have yet to confirm how, when and where Correll died 

Correll was one of the last people to see Ms Childs alive when she left work the day before her death. 

Other employees recalled her telling them she was going to meet up with someone at the Bargo Hotel that evening but she did not say who it was. 

There was no CCTV inside the hotel and police did not manage to question everyone who was there on that night.

After the meet Ms Childs rang her sister for a brief chat which was the last anybody ever heard from her. 

A motorist who was driving along the road where Ms Childs was found recalled to police having seen a 1978 Holden Commodore matching the description of the one she owned. 

The car was parked off the highway about 200m away from where Ms Childs was found the following day around 10.20pm on June 7. 

Another witness recalled seeing the car later with its boot open in the same location at 11pm.

They told police there had been one person standing up next to the car while a second person was lying on the ground.

Correll’s alibi was that he drove from Camden to Campbelltown to meet his partner on June 7.

He had been in a three-month long-distance relationship with a Thai woman when he died.