A serial killer and rapist confessed to the murder of a missing 14 year old schoolgirl but when the bizarre truth emerged years later, the public were even more outraged
A serial killer and rapist admitted to killing a missing schoolgirl but the truth was even more shocking
In August 1998 Natasha Ryan was dropped off at school by her mum Jenny as usual. When she failed to return home afterwards, a huge police and community search was launched to try and find the 14 year old.
A number of other girls had gone missing in the area of Queensland, Australia and it was feared there was a serial killer at large. Although the troubled teen had run away before, because the hunt found no trace of her, it was presumed she was a victim of the murderer.
In April 1999 rapist Leonard John Fraser, 58 was arrested and charged with several murders, including that of Natasha’s. It comes as a dad was jailed after a boy, 7, was found dead inside washing machine.
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Natasha was 18 when she was found
Fraser had previously spent 20 years in prison and the pony tails of some of his victims were discovered in his house. He confessed to strangling Natasha and burying her body. However things took a bizarre turn during his 2003 trial when the courtroom was told Natasha had been found alive and well.
Police had received a tip off to search the home of her boyfriend, Scott Black. It was there that Natasha was found hiding in a cupboard of the Rockhampton house, which was just a mile and a half away from her childhood home – four years after she vanished.
It transpired that Natasha had been banned from seeing her boyfriend, who was seven years older than her, so she ran away to live with the milkman in a house 45 minutes away before they moved even closer to her mum’s house. She would later tell TV show 60 Minutes Australia that she wasn’t held against her will but would rarely leave the house. Instead she would spend her days sewing, watching TV, working out or studying.
There was a public outcry at her betrayal
It was when she saw that Fraser was on trial for her murder that she decided to come clean and rang a children’s helpline for help with the situation. The pair stood trial on charges of falsely causing a police investigation. In 2005, Mr Black pleaded guilty to perjury for telling police he didn’t know where Natasha was. He was jailed for 12 months. Natasha was also found guilty of causing a false police investigation and fined $1000.
She moved back in with her mum, who was understandably furious and broken hearted over the years of anguish her daughter had caused her. “I didn’t want to see her, I hated her,” Jenny said afterwards. “If a person loved you so much, how could they put you through that much pain?”
Nevertheless she was hugely relieved she was still alive and Natasha’s remorse over hurting her family helped Jenny to forgive her. Natasha said she’d wanted to call her family on many occasions but couldn’t bring herself to. She told 60 Minutes she was fearful about what would happen to her if she came clean: “I was really scared of the consequences. I thought I would’ve been sent to prison – I would’ve been sent away – either to prison or a bad place,” she said.
Leonard John Fraser was a convicted rapist and killer 
Natasha had tried to run away before
The public weren’t as forgiving over the lengthy deception and betrayal in one of Australia’s most notorious disappearances. There was anger at the lenient sentences, especially as the missing person case cost an estimated $400,000. The fury was compounded by the huge sums of money Natasha and Scott were said to have made from TV and magazine interviews.
The couple stayed together and one of these mega-bucks deals was to cover their wedding in 2008 when they were given a reported $200k by Women’s Day. Nevertheless, they went on to have four children together and remained in Rockhampton.
Although his confession over killing Natasha was obviously false, Fraser was sentenced to life in 2003 for other murders in the area. At his trial the judge described him as a sexual predator who was a danger to the community and his fellow inmates. He died of a heart attack in 2007.
Sadly, in June 2024, Natasha, who had changed her name to Tash Black, was found dead on a golf course in Rockhampton. Emergency services launched an air and land search when the 40 year old was reported missing after leaving her home on foot. There were no suspicious circumstances.
Friends of the mum and wife, who worked as a nurse, paid tribute to her online, saying she should be remembered for the woman she became rather than her teenage scandal. “She was a person who made a mistake. She had a family, she was a devoted mum who loved her kids, she had a good job and just wanted a peaceful life. Remember her for who she was,'” one post said.