The then-19-year-old Amber Haigh vanished from the New South Wales Riverina, leaving behind her five-month-old son, Ben, under the custody of Robert and Anne Geeves, which paved the way for a horrifying trial that ran for several years.
Amber Haigh was the ex-girlfriend of the couple’s son, Robbie Geeves. They met while studying at the Young TAFE in 1998 and dated for a year. After their breakup, Robbie and his father maintained contact with Amber.
A few years later, Robbie began dating other women, but his mother, Anne, informed him that his ex-girlfriend would be coming to live at their farm. Robbie was against the idea, but his parents didn’t take his advice.
Robert and Anne Geeves, both 64, are accused of murdering their 19-year-old lodger, Amber Haigh, in 2002 and feeding her body to pigs to steal her baby, who was fathered by Robert.
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) August 4, 2024
The couple claims that on June 5, they drove Haigh to a train station near Sydney so she could… pic.twitter.com/ZD7eyt9BMG
Soon, he moved out of his house with his new girlfriend, but later, he spotted Amber with a pregnant belly walking through the town, which raised suspicion regarding his parents, who always wanted more children. His mother, Anne, had previously dealt with miscarriages and stillbirths.
In early 2002, Anne invited Robbie for a ride to the Young Hospital and introduced him to his brother. Later, he learned that his father, Robert, had had the baby with his ex-girlfriend, and the incident made him get as distant from his parents as possible.
Despite resigning from his job, his parents were persistent about Robbie accepting the baby and bringing Ben to his front door. According to the police statement, Robbie had a heated argument with his parents, who urged him to look at and hold the baby.
During the conversation, Robert mentioned that Amber was a surrogate mother for the couple. When Robbie failed to understand the matter, his father threatened to thrash his property, which led to Robbie issuing a violent order against his parents.
Amber Haigh struggled with intellectual disability and was neglected after her pregnancy by the Geeves family!
After childbirth, Amber had an elaborate photoshoot with her son and the Geeves family before her mysterious disappearance from the farming region.
Initially, authorities claimed that Robert and Anne planned her disappearance because they wanted full custody of the child without going through elaborate legal proceedings. The court charged the 64-year-old couple with murder for more than two decades.
However, a study into the case brought forth several details about Amber’s life, which was full of abuse, neglect, and the lasting effects of trauma. Robert and his wife said they dropped Amber at a train station 300km from home.
Robert and Anne Geeves, both 64,of New South Wales Australia, pleaded not guilty to the murder of mentally impaired 19-year-old Amber Haigh, in 2002, who was lodging with the couple along with her then-five-month-old son – fathered by Robert
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) August 2, 2024
R.I.P. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GFLiWJR4vc
The couple also mentioned that the 19-year-old wanted to visit her father, who was in the next town. However, authorities did not spot Amber at the reported location, prompting an extensive police investigation.
According to court proceedings, Amber had moved to the suburb to live with her great-aunt, Stella Nealon. She had a troublesome childhood in Sydney with a dysfunctional family who never knew how to handle her learning disability.
Even Amber’s stay with her aunt was barred by physical violence due to the teen’s relationship with one of her cousins, leading to an abortion at age 14. With such circumstances, the Geeves family provided rescue to Amber before Robert began his sexual relationship with her.
Likewise, Amber’s uncle, who visited her home, recalled that the teen lived in poor condition. He described that her room only had a mattress with no bedding or other furniture.
Despite the weird relationship, Anne claimed that Amber considered her a maternal figure!
According to her family, Amber Haigh adored her son and spent most of her time with the child before being forcefully separated by Robert and Anne.
After her disappearance, Robert claimed that the community had accused the couple based on their previous cases. Before Amber’s incident, authorities had charged Robert after discovering two missing schoolgirls on his property.
However, authorities couldn’t use evidence from his previous case against him in Amber’s disappearance since the team never recovered her body, making the situation purely circumstantial.
Do you know anything about the #unsolvedcase of 19yo Amber Haigh? Disappeared 16 years ago today. Call us on 1800333000 (24/7). pic.twitter.com/xcEgnNmg4p
— Crime Stoppers NSW (@crime_nsw) June 19, 2018
Speculations began that the couple had attacked the teen and later fed her to the pigs as Robert had inquired about nearby fields and farming equipment days before Amber departed from their property.
During initial trials, Amber’s aunt mentioned that Robert often initiated sexual acts with the teen, and his wife would often be present during the time. Anne treated Amber roughly and left her starving for days.
The couple had maintained their innocence despite being in custody since 2022. The case reopened in 2024, followed by a 28-day trial where Supreme Court Justice Julia Lonergan found the Geevers not guilty of murder.
Similarly, the court described Amber as a disadvantaged young woman with poor family support. They claimed, “There was little sign in the sea of evidence in this case that Amber was ever shown the unconditional love and support she needed and deserved.“
Additional Information
- Soon after her disappearance, there was no evidence of Amber filing or obtaining a prescription for her medication despite her medical condition.
- The authorities issued a search warrant for Geeves’s property, where they spotted a green jumper, which they previously claimed Amber was wearing during the time of her disappearance.
