NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Who killed Chris Whiteley, a man his family say 'wouldn't hurt a fly'

news.com.au
16 Sep, 2016 11:02 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Chris Whiteley. Photo / Twitter, NSW Police

Chris Whiteley. Photo / Twitter, NSW Police

When police officers opened the door to Chris Whiteley's modest home in Lithgow they walked into a mess. And a murder scene.

Police from Chifley Local Area Command went to the unit for a routine welfare check, after family members contacted them worried because they hadn't heard from Mr Whiteley in awhile.

That wasn't all together unusual. The 69-year-old kept to himself, often not seeing anyone, hardly leaving his home.

They found the former teacher inside. He was dead - and someone had killed him.

Mr Whiteley was a hoarder which immediately complicated what quickly became a crime scene. His small apartment was so full of belongings it still isn't clear to police what, if anything, had been taken.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That might have given homicide detectives vital clues - was this a burglary gone wrong? Did the killer enter looking for something in particular and ransack the home as they desperately searched for it?

He has been described as a recluse, "quiet, gentle" and someone who "wouldn't hurt a fly".

But someone hurt him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Whiteley's body was so badly decomposed, the cause of death wasn't immediately apparent. It wasn't until a post mortem earlier this week that investigators discovered the grisly truth.

It was murder.

"It was revealed that Mr Whiteley had suffered a number of stab wounds and met a violent death," Det Insp Luke Rankin.

"We're treating his death as murder."

Discover more

World

'They murdered the wrong April'

17 Sep 03:53 AM

"It wasn't apparent to us how he died, but what was obvious was he had been dead for some time," Mr Rankin said.

Police will not say if the home was broken into.

So how does a man who apparently loves the outdoors and the quiet life in Lithgow, population 21,000, die in such a violent way?

Det Insp Rankin said he'd been told Mr Whiteley was "someone who wouldn't hurt a fly".

After days of speculation in Lithgow, where townspeople whispered to themselves and online about what really went on inside the Main Road apartment, police went public on Wednesday with the confirmation Mr Whiteley was murdered. But that meant also, there was killer on the loose.

Detectives have established Strike Force Armor to investigate Mr Whiteley's death, and have called on people to come forward if they noticed any "suspicious activity" in the area round Mr Whiteley's Main Rd home.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In particular, they are interested in movements in the area about six to eight weeks ago.

Appearing alongside Det Insp Rankin at a media conference this week was Mr Whiteley's brother, Neil Whiteley.

He told media the family was shocked by the violent nature of his death.

Police appeal for information following murder – Lithgowhttps://t.co/zQDHvuD2Gl pic.twitter.com/TSWfGbtg1h

— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) September 14, 2016

'A QUIET LIFE'

"He lived a quiet, solitary life and would never have harmed anyone," Neil Whiteley said.

Mr Whiteley said his brother was a retired schoolteacher and enjoyed camping, bushwalking and railways - all things he could enjoy in the Lithgow, where he'd lived since 2004.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The circumstances of his death have come as a great surprise to us and we appeal to anyone who may be out in the community who may know anything about this."

His brother's reclusive life had made it difficult to pinpoint when the death occurred.

The last known contact he had with anyone was on August 7. That was a phone call with his brother.

Det Insp Rankin told reporters: "At this stage the last contact we know someone had with him was on the 7th of August. So that's a month from when we found his body - and it's possible he was dead for right up to that time."

He asked for people to come forward who could shed light on anything connected with Mr Whiteley that could give police the breakthrough they need.

"We want help from the community - if they have information about Mr Whiteley. About his associates, his movements, his habits, any conflicts he might have in the community."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Police refused to comment when asked if Mr Whiteley was known to them.

They also wouldn't say how many times he was stabbed, or what other injuries he suffered.

A spokesman told news.com.au those questions were being dealt with as part of the homicide inquiry.

WHO COULD DO THIS, ASKS LITHGOW MAYOR

Lithgow Mayor Maree Statham told news.com.au she'd spoken to about 50 people asking about Mr Whiteley, and none knew him.

"We're all shocked, just shattered that something like that could happen to someone - and for no apparent reason."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ms Statham said it was "bizarre" someone could fly under the radar as much as he had, and also not be noticed for so long.

"I just can't believe that. It's extraordinary that someone could be lying there and not [be missed]."

The motive for such a violent crime was puzzling, she said.

"If it was someone who had money and was broken into, or was into drugs, or not a nice person around town...But I'm at a loss, I really don't understand it."

Ms Statham was hopeful "justice will prevail" and someone would be arrested soon, so a killer was off the streets.

"It's horrendous."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A Main Rd resident told news.com.au the stabbing death of Mr Whiteley had "unsettled" the community.

"It's bad enough to hear that he died in that way, but the fact they're saying he was there the whole time and no one knew is awful," a neighbour said.

Another resident was scared a violent act has been committed so close to home.

"Frightening that there is someone out there who knows something and that they are a killer."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

Analysis

Analysis: The House folds under pressure from Trump - again

03 Jul 09:25 PM
World

'One Big Beautiful Bill': House passes US$3.4t tax and immigration bill after tight vote

03 Jul 08:53 PM
Premium
World

California is running out of safe places to build homes

03 Jul 08:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Analysis: The House folds under pressure from Trump - again

Analysis: The House folds under pressure from Trump - again

03 Jul 09:25 PM

Analysis: It has become a recurring theme of the 119th Congress.

'One Big Beautiful Bill': House passes US$3.4t tax and immigration bill after tight vote

'One Big Beautiful Bill': House passes US$3.4t tax and immigration bill after tight vote

03 Jul 08:53 PM
Premium
California is running out of safe places to build homes

California is running out of safe places to build homes

03 Jul 08:00 PM
Premium
No one likes meetings. They’re sending their AI note-takers instead

No one likes meetings. They’re sending their AI note-takers instead

03 Jul 07:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP