Bogle-Chandler case

The Bogle-Chandler case refers to the mysterious deaths of Dr. Gilbert Stanley Bogle (1924–1963) and Mrs Margaret Olive Chandler née Morphett (1934–1963) on the banks of the Lane Cove River in Sydney, Australia on 1 January 1963. The case became celebrated because of the circumstances in which the bodies were found and because the cause of death could not be established. In 2006 a filmmaker discovered evidence to suggest the cause of death was hydrogen sulphide gas. In the early hours of 1 January an eruption of gas from the polluted river bed may have occurred, causing the noxious fumes to pool in deadly quantities in the grove.

Dr. Gilbert Bogle was a physicist who worked at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Married with several children, he was considered to be a brilliant scientist and had been a Rhodes Scholar. The Police discovered that Bogle was also involved in relationships with other women, many of whom he took to parks. The Coroner stood down a key female witness before she could give evidence, to protect the families.

Mrs. Chandler was married to Geoffrey Chandler, who also worked in the same CSIRO building as Dr. Bogle. They had two children. Witnesses later suggested that she may have been bored with her life and upset at her husband's philandering.

Dr. Bogle, the Chandlers, and several others attended a barbecue just prior to Christmas 1962. On the way home Mrs. Chandler told her husband that she was quite taken with Dr. Bogle. Mr. Chandler told the police that he and his wife had "an understanding". He told her: "If you want to take Gib as a lover, if it would make you happy, you do it."

Two of the other people at the barbecue were Ken and Ruth Nash. Ken Nash also worked at the CSIRO. He invited the Chandlers to his New Year's Eve party, to be held at his home in Waratah Street, Chatswood.

The Chandlers arrived late for the party, with Geoffrey Chandler underdressed. Chandler soon left the party and drove to another party (organised, he says, by the Sydney Push) in the suburb of Balmain where he met Pam Logan, with whom he was having an affair. He returned to the Chatswood party in the early hours of the morning but left again, with the understanding that Dr. Bogle would drive Mrs. Chandler home.

...
Wikipedia