Jeans Around Her Knees, Lost CCTV & a Case That Still Haunts Australia | Phoebe Handsjuk
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Phoebe Handsjuk was found dead in her apartment building's trash room after falling 12 stories down a chute.
- ❖Paramedics were prevented from checking her vitals, making time of death impossible to determine.
- ❖Crucial CCTV footage from the luxury building was not secured in time and was automatically erased.
- ❖Phoebe's apartment was found in disarray with broken glass and blood, but was not treated as a crime scene.
- ❖Her boyfriend, Anthony Hample, showed no alarm at her disappearance and accepted the official findings without question.
- ❖Physical demonstrations proved it was nearly impossible for Phoebe to enter the trash chute alone and without leaving fingerprints.
- ❖Anthony Hample's subsequent girlfriend, Bailey, also died under suspicious circumstances, ruled self-inflicted, years later.
- ❖Anthony's family has significant judicial connections, leading to suspicions of influence in both cases.
Insights
1Initial Investigative Negligence and Lost Evidence
Upon discovery of Phoebe's body, paramedics were barred from examining her, preventing the establishment of a crucial time of death. Police failed to secure multiple potential crime scenes, including the garbage room on her floor (where her blood was found) and her apartment. Most critically, they delayed requesting the building's extensive CCTV footage, allowing it to be automatically overwritten, erasing critical hours of Phoebe's last known movements and potential suspects.
Paramedics were not allowed to touch Phoebe; Sergeant Forester claimed she 'looked deceased' based on 38 years of experience, overriding procedure. CCTV footage was requested 'at least a day, maybe even longer' after the discovery, by which time the system had taped over the hard drives, leaving only partial clips from 3 of 14 cameras.
2Suspicious Apartment Scene and Boyfriend's Behavior
Phoebe's apartment was found in a state of 'chaos' with an unlocked door, broken glass, blood on furniture, and a violently torn cushion. Her boyfriend, Anthony Hample, claimed he found it this way but showed no alarm, refused to file a missing person's report, and ordered takeout for one. His reaction to Phoebe's death was noted as an 'emotional display' without actual tears or visible distress, contrasting sharply with her family's devastation.
Anthony described the apartment as a 'complete mess' with broken glass, blood on the computer desk, mouse pad, and door frame, and a ripped cushion. He assumed Phoebe 'would show up eventually' and ordered takeout for one from her favorite restaurant. An officer documented his 'odd emotional display' with 'no actual tears, no redness in his eyes, no flushed face, no visible signs of distress.'
3Physical Implausibility of Official Narrative
The official theory states Phoebe, intoxicated and on sleeping pills, sleepwalked into the trash chute feet first. However, the chute was 40 inches off the ground, only 21 inches wide, and the hatch opened just 8 inches. Physical demonstrations by a friend of similar build showed it was nearly impossible to climb in alone, requiring two sober adults and leaving no fingerprints. The coroner's claim that Phoebe entered with 'hands at her sides' contradicts the physics of climbing into such a small opening.
The trash chute was 21 inches wide, 11 inches high, and 40 inches off the ground. The hatch opened only 8 inches. Phoebe's grandfather arranged a demonstration where a friend struggled to enter, requiring assistance and leaving fingerprints. The coroner's report stated Phoebe's hands were at her sides, which is physically inconsistent with climbing into the chute.
4Unexamined Injuries and Unidentified Individuals
Phoebe's body had injuries inconsistent with a simple fall, including a cut on her jaw, blunt force trauma to her head, and bruising resembling fingerprints on her neck, wrists, and arms. These were 'glossed over' by investigators. Additionally, a witness reported seeing an unrecognized man being buzzed to Phoebe's 12th floor apartment earlier that day, and muddy shoe prints were found leading from her apartment, neither of which were properly investigated.
Phoebe had a cut on her jaw, blunt force trauma to the left side of her head, and bruising like 'finger marks' on her right arm, left wrist, and neck. A witness saw an unknown man buzzed to the 12th floor at p.m. Muddy shoe prints were found in the 12th floor hallway leading from Phoebe's apartment, but were not documented or analyzed.
5Anthony Hample's Pattern and Family Influence
Phoebe's family described her relationship with Anthony as volatile and controlling, with Phoebe feeling 'unsafe.' Years after Phoebe's death, Anthony's next girlfriend, Bailey, also died under suspicious circumstances (self-inflicted asphyxiation) at age 25, with Anthony again framing her as the 'problem.' Anthony's father was a retired Supreme Court judge and his stepmother a county court clerk judge, leading to suspicions that their influence protected him from thorough investigation.
Phoebe's doctor noted she was 'extremely distressed about relationship issues, was drinking heavily, and felt unsafe.' Anthony's sister received community service instead of prison for drug trafficking, attributed by many to her parents' influence. Bailey, Anthony's 25-year-old girlfriend, was found dead in 2018 with a cord around her neck, ruled self-inflicted, despite no anchor point for hanging.
Lessons
- Demand immediate and thorough forensic examination of all potential crime scenes, including securing CCTV footage and testing all relevant samples.
- Challenge official narratives, especially when they contradict physical evidence or common sense, and advocate for independent review.
- Recognize the potential for systemic bias and influence in investigations, particularly when individuals with powerful connections are involved.
- Support victims' families in their pursuit of justice, as their insights and persistence can expose critical flaws in official inquiries.
Quotes
"Paramedics were not allowed to touch Phoebe. Not to check her temperature, not to confirm whether she had a pulse, nothing. From the moment that the authorities stepped into that room, Phoebe was treated as if she was just unquestionably dead."
"Investigators believed that Phoebe survived that fall, that 12-story fall, not for long, but long enough to fight like hell and try to get herself up and out of there."
"Her jeans, they weren't on properly. They were pulled down below her knees, the zipper undone. And this studded belt that she was wearing that she had on, it was only looped through two of the five belt loops just kind of dangling like it had been like thrown on in a rush."
"Experience does not replace procedure or science. And in this situation, it cost the investigation critical information."
"Aunt claimed he didn't remember making that call, which I'm sorry, but if you're calling a phone that you believe is lost and the call connects, that's probably not something that you would forget, right?"
"If she went into this shoot, someone touched that hatch and someone cleaned it. Somebody erased the evidence."
"The way that it is at the moment is that no one else was involved in Phoebe's death. She put herself down the shoot accidentally. It's just like a case closed and we don't believe that that that happened."
"It's quite a good way to dispose of some someone if that's what you wanted to do."
Q&A
Recent Questions
Related Episodes
5 Most Wicked Murder Cases Caught On Bodycam
"Bodycam footage provides an unfiltered, real-time look into five brutal murder investigations, exposing the immediate aftermath of horrific crimes and the initial interactions with suspects and witnesses."
The Blue River Murder | Full Episode
"A mother of three vanishes during a blizzard in a small Colorado town, only to be found brutally murdered, leading investigators to uncover a web of secrets and a husband's dark past."
Cops Find Dead Body In Her Crawlspace After Anonymous Tip
"An anonymous Facebook tip leads police to a shocking discovery: a missing man's body encased in concrete within a crawl space, unraveling a tale of murder, domestic violence, and a coerced cover-up."
Cheating Fire Chief Murders Wife Hours Before Divorce
"A decorated fire chief, just hours before his divorce was finalized, murdered his wife to avoid financial ruin, then meticulously crafted a false narrative of her sudden medical death."