Mystery deepens after couple acquitted of murder of teenage mother Amber Haigh in small Australian town

A couple have been acquitted of murdering teenager Amber Haigh in regional New South Wales after a judge dismissed a claim they killed the young mother in an attempt to gain custody of a child.

Robert Samuel Geeves, 64, and Anne Margaret Geeves, 64, were found not guilty on Monday of murdering Ms Haigh, who disappeared while living at their Kingsvale property more than 20 years ago.

After a nearly eight-week trial in the Supreme Court earlier this year, Justice Julia Lonergan delivered her judgment on Monday, finding the Geeves not guilty of Ms Haigh's murder.

Ms Haigh, 19, who suffered from intellectual disabilities and epilepsy, was living with the Geeves at their property in Kingsvale, near Young, when she disappeared in June 2002.

During the trial, the Crown prosecutor alleged that the couple killed Ms Haigh to gain custody of a young child.

Both pleaded not guilty to murder and the court was told they claimed they last saw Ms Haigh when they dropped her off at Campbelltown train station on June 5, 2002.

According to their version of events, they drove Ms Haigh to the south-western suburbs of Sydney so she could then travel to western Sydney to visit her sick and dying father.

The court was told a $500 withdrawal was made at 8.49pm that evening from a Queen St ATM using Ms Haigh's card.

“The account given by the accused is not inherently implausible and is supported by other independent evidence,” Judge Lonergan said.

“Robert and Anne were asked many questions about what happened during the trip. Their accounts were consistent and identical.”

Justice Lonergan said the fact that Ms Haigh had already taken a train to Sydney did not raise suspicion.

She also said Mr Geeves called his boss to ask him to start later the next day before eventually taking time off.

And Judge Lonergan said that supported their late arrival at Kingsvale.

The prosecution alleged that the Geeves controlled Ms Haigh's spending and bank card usage.

However, Judge Lonergan said: “That is not proven by the evidence.”

“I have decided that the version given by the accused may be true,” Judge Lonergan said.

“In these circumstances, I must acquit.

“For all these reasons, the verdict I must return in respect of Robert Geeves and Anne Geeves is one of not guilty.”

Judge Lonergan said she found Ms Haigh had died, noting she had failed to fill her prescription for her epilepsy medication and had not sought medical advice.

However, she said it was not possible to prove beyond reasonable doubt that she had been killed by the Geeves.

The Geeves reported Ms Haigh missing to Young Police Station on June 19, 2002.

Her body was never found and she never contacted her family members.

The court was told that in 2001 Mr Geeves began having sex with Ms Haigh.

At trial, Crown prosecutor Paul Kerr alleged the couple killed Ms Haigh to gain custody of a child and failed to take her to the station.

The prosecution alleged that the Geeves used Ms Haigh as a “surrogate mother”.

The prosecution said Ms Geeves “desperately wanted” another child, with the court hearing she had suffered three miscarriages and a stillbirth.

Ms Geeves' lawyer, Michael King, told the court the community had long had suspicions about Mr Geeves.

The defence argued that police at the time could not disprove that the Geeves had travelled to Campbelltown.

Additionally, their defense pointed out that no incriminating evidence was obtained after police placed listening devices inside the Geeves' home and car.

Ms Haigh's disappearance has remained a lingering mystery for the isolated, tight-knit community around Kingsvale, about a two-hour drive from Canberra.

The last confirmed sighting of the young mother was on June 2, and a coroner's inquest in 2011 concluded she was dead – although the conclusion remained open.