The Bloodline of a Killer: Ivan Milat’s Great-Nephew Followed His Dark Legacy
The twisted saga of Australia’s most infamous serial killer, Ivan Milat, didn’t end with his imprisonment. It lived on—through blood. Decades after Milat’s gruesome backpacker murders, his great-nephew, Matthew Milat, stepped into his footsteps in a chilling act of violence that left even his infamous uncle in shock.
A Forest of Secrets: The Backpack Murders
Between 1989 and 1992, young travelers vanished without a trace, their last known intentions to hitchhike through Australia. But what began as an adventure ended in horror.
The truth emerged from the shadows in September 1992, when joggers stumbled upon a grim discovery in Belanglo State Forest—two bodies buried under leaves and branches. They were British backpackers Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters. Their corpses bore horrifying evidence of brutal violence. Over the next year, five more bodies would be found, all young backpackers. The method of execution was terrifyingly methodical: victims were bound, shot, stabbed, or even decapitated, their remains hidden deep within the forest’s vast wilderness.
The Hunt for a Serial Predator
The gruesome discoveries sparked one of Australia’s largest manhunts. Investigators soon turned their sights on the Milat family—ten brothers, many with criminal records. One, in particular, stood out: Ivan Milat.
A history of break-ins, burglaries, and a rape trial (from which he was acquitted) pointed to a dangerous man with an affinity for violence. Milat’s job with the Roads and Traffic Authority gave him constant access to highways, placing him in the perfect position to prey on hitchhikers—travelers who, by the time anyone realized they were missing, would be impossible to track.
Then came the break investigators needed. In 1990, British backpacker Paul Onions narrowly escaped a violent carjacking after accepting a ride from a man who pulled a gun on him. Years later, Onions recognized Milat as his attacker, providing the key testimony police needed. A raid on Milat’s home uncovered chilling trophies—belongings of his victims, undeniable proof of his connection to the murders.
The Trial of a Monster
Despite overwhelming evidence, Ivan Milat denied everything. But in 1996, the jury saw through his lies. The court convicted him of seven murders, sentencing him to seven life sentences without parole. Even in prison, he played the defiant mastermind, engaging in hunger strikes, swallowing razor blades, and even cutting off his own pinky finger to demand a retrial. But the law held firm.
And yet, even behind bars, the horror of his legacy was far from over.
A Killer in the Bloodline
In an eerie echo of the past, Ivan Milat’s great-nephew, Matthew Milat, would turn to murder—at the same age his uncle began his crimes. Obsessed with the notoriety of his surname, the teenager sought to cement his place in his family’s bloody history.
On November 20, 2010, 17-year-old Matthew and his friend Cohen Klein lured David Auchterlonie, also 17, into Belanglo State Forest—the same chilling location where Ivan Milat had disposed of his victims. Under the guise of a birthday celebration, Matthew instead tormented and executed Auchterlonie with an axe while Klein recorded the horror.
After the murder, Matthew boasted to a friend, “You know me, you know my family. You know the last name Milat. I did what they do.”
Justice for the Next Generation
Matthew Milat showed no remorse. In 2012, at the age of 19, he was sentenced to 43 years in prison, with no chance of parole for 30 years. Unlike his great-uncle, he admitted to his crime, even writing a poem in prison titled Your Last Day, a haunting reflection on his brutal act.
Ivan Milat, now facing the end of his life due to terminal cancer, reportedly reacted with rare dismay upon learning of Matthew’s crime. Despite maintaining his own innocence to the grave, the notorious killer was horrified by the idea of another Milat following in his footsteps.
The End of Ivan Milat—But Not His Infamy
On October 27, 2019, Ivan Milat took his final breath, never confessing, never acknowledging his victims. He remained defiant to the very end, a remorseless narcissist who relished his own notoriety.
But even in death, his name lingers in whispers, a chilling reminder of the darkness that once prowled the highways of Australia—and a legacy that, for at least one generation, refused to die.
