Ivan Milat has Been Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer

Australia’s most notorious serial killer, Ivan Milat, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The 74-year-old was escorted from solitary confinement at Goulburn Supermax Jail to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, east Sydney on Monday, where doctors performed a series of tests on lumps that were found in his throat and stomach, the ABC reports. He remains chained to his hospital bed under 24-hour surveillance from two prison guards. It’s unlikely he’ll return to his cell at Goulburn Supermax.

Milat, known colloquially as the Backpacker Killer, first gained infamy in the early 90s when the bodies of two British tourists—Caroline Clark and Joanne Walters—were found decomposing in Belanglo State Forest, New South Wales. The bodies of five more victims—including German backpackers Simone Chmidl, Anja Habschied and Gabor Neugebauer, and Australian couple James Gibson and Deborah Everist—were subsequently discovered in 1993. On May 22, 1994, Milat was hauled from his house in Eagle Vale, south of Sydney, and charged with murder. He later received seven life sentences—one for each victim.

The serial killer has reportedly lost 20 kilograms over the past few months, with a source close to his family describing him as "dangerously thin" and claiming that he is suffering from geriatric anorexia. Upon being admitted to the inmates’ ward at Prince Wales, Milat was tested for possible organ failure linked to rapid weight loss. It was quickly discovered, however, that he was in the “advanced stages” of cancer. He will most likely be transferred to Long Bay Prison Hospital in Matraville, south Sydney.

In the meantime, arrangements are being made to move Milat to another correctional facility. It’s understood that may take some time, however, given his diagnosis. The ABC has suggested that his nephew, Alistair Shipsey, phoned the Prince of Wales Hospital but was prevented from contacting Milat, who is also demonstrating signs of dementia.

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