On the morning of 4/3/2008, 22-year-old Julian Buchwald picked up his 17-year-old girlfriend, Carolynne Watson, for a picnic in the Strzelecki Ranges, in Gippsland, Victoria. The devout Christian couple had been together for two years and had pledged to remain abstinent until marriage.

En route to their destination, Buchwald spotted a dead animal by the roadside. He pulled over at a safe spot, parked, and walked back to investigate. Watson waited in the SUV.

After 10 minutes with no sign of Buchwald, Watson grew concerned. As she prepared to exit the vehicle to search for him, she was startled to see a masked figure in black running towards her in the rearview mirror. The figure yanked open the passenger door, dragged Watson out, bound and gagged her, threw her into the trunk, and drove off.

Around six hours later, the vehicle stopped. Watson was again pulled out of the SUV, thrown to the ground, and her clothes were cut off with a knife, leaving her naked. Hearing the sound of digging nearby, Watson believed she was about to be assaulted and murdered. She could only pray silently.

Two anonymous letters

Meanwhile, Buchwald's parents realized the couple was missing when they failed to return home by 3 p.m., as planned. Buchwald's mother anxiously waited in the driveway. She stumbled upon a bottle containing a note wedged in the fence. The note threatened the family not to contact the police about the missing couple, warning they would be burned alive and sacrificed. It instructed, "We will release them when we have completed our mission".

Terrified, Buchwald's mother immediately contacted the police, defying the threat. Authorities launched a search but faced challenges due to the vast area.

Watson's family then revealed they had received an anonymous letter 10 days earlier, warning them to stay away from unnamed individuals who would destroy their family. Watson's father had reported the letter, but the police dismissed it as a prank.

Police determined both letters were written by the same person. In the letter to Watson's family, the writer claimed to be part of a group that considered Christians enemies. Both letters also contained a strange symbol identified as a Satanic cult marking. Authorities worried the couple had been abducted but did not rule out the possibility they were lost in the wilderness, facing harsh weather, hunger, thirst, and potentially dangerous animals.

Police released photos of 17-year-old Carolynne Watson and 22-year-old Julian Buchwald during the 2008 search. Photo: Victoria Police

Police released photos of 17-year-old Carolynne Watson and 22-year-old Julian Buchwald during the 2008 search. Photo: Victoria Police

After six days of fruitless searching, authorities received news that both Watson and Buchwald had been found alive. The couple emerged onto a road near Alpine National Park and were discovered by a passing farmer. Despite severe sunburn, cuts, blisters, and bruises from their trek through the wilderness, they were physically unharmed.

Six days in the wilderness

Watson recounted her ordeal to the police. While lying bound on the ground, she heard the digging stop, suggesting her attacker had left. She struggled to free herself but couldn't. Moments later, she heard Buchwald's voice.

Buchwald removed Watson's blindfold and untied her. He, also naked, claimed they had been abducted by a Satanic cult and abandoned in the wilderness. He had just managed to escape his own restraints. Buchwald also asserted the dead animal on the road was a trap; when he bent down to examine it, he was knocked unconscious.

Fearing their captors would return, the couple submerged themselves in a freezing river and cautiously moved around the fields to avoid detection. They found a bag nearby, supposedly "accidentally dropped by the Satanists," according to Buchwald. It contained a sleeping bag, toothbrush, coconut, knife, shovel, and a jar of peanut butter.

The couple spent nearly a week in the wilderness, surviving on the limited food Buchwald had packed for the picnic and sharing the sleeping bag for warmth. Despite their vow of abstinence, Buchwald repeatedly pressured Watson for sex, suggesting they marry "under God's witness" before they died. He even tried to convince her it would keep them warm. Watson refused.

Buchwald corroborated Watson's account to the police, except for the events while he was supposedly unconscious.

Motive revealed

Based on the statements, investigators located the initial abduction site and found a shovel, duct tape, rope, and the shredded clothing. Analysis revealed all the items belonged to Buchwald. Investigators had already noticed inconsistencies in his story, most notably the lack of any significant injuries where he claimed to have been struck on the head.

Under police questioning, Buchwald confessed to staging the entire event, from the costume and tools to the letters blaming a fictitious cult.

He admitted using the dead animal as a pretext to stop without raising suspicion, taking advantage of the secluded location to gather his supplies and change clothes before attacking Watson. After driving to Alpine National Park, he dug a hole to bury incriminating items. While Watson believed he was digging her grave, he was actually hiding evidence.

After concealing the car, Buchwald cut his own clothes and tied himself up, then called out to Watson as if waking up. He left the bag to ensure their survival but withheld clothing to facilitate intimacy with his girlfriend.

Buchwald confessed his plan was a ploy to circumvent the strict premarital sex rules of their Christian faith. He wanted to coerce Watson into marriage and sex, impatient with her desire to wait until after graduation. He deliberately led her around the wilderness, hoping exhaustion would break her resolve. He only led her out, using a pre-prepared map, when he realized she wouldn't give in and his plan had failed.

Julian Buchwald disguised himself and used a fake passport in an attempt to flee the country. Photo: CZ

Julian Buchwald disguised himself and used a fake passport in an attempt to flee the country. Photo: CZ

On 17/8/2009, Buchwald was charged with abduction and providing false information to police but was released on bail. A month later, he failed to appear for sentencing and fled Australia.

Disguised as an Indian man with a fake passport, darkened skin, and dyed hair and eyebrows, he flew to India but was denied entry. He was apprehended in Singapore by Australian authorities during his return.

In 2011, Buchwald was sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison, with an additional six months for absconding. He appealed the sentence, claiming it was excessive. The appeal was dismissed, citing the profound and lasting trauma Watson suffered.

Buchwald, German-born and raised in Australia, never held Australian citizenship. His visa was canceled in 2014, and he was deported to Germany in 2016.

Tue Anh (according to ABC, Medium)