As more heartbreaking information comes to light regarding the dreadful massacre at Bondi Junction Westfield Shopping Centre in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, April 13, 2024, it has been revealed that a New South Wales (NSW) Police officer who responded to the incident tragically discovered that his fiancée, Dawn Singleton, was among the victims killed in the stabbing spree initiated by assailant Joel Cauchi.
On that day, the community of Bondi Junction was thrown into chaos as Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old man from Queensland, began his attack. Reports indicate that Cauchi targeted mostly women shoppers randomly, wielding a large knife with lethal efficiency. The attack not only claimed the lives of six, including Singleton but also left eight others wounded, one of whom is battling for her life in a hospital.
Singleton, daughter of prominent Australian entrepreneur John Singleton, was shopping for makeup for her upcoming wedding when the incident occurred. She had just picked out her wedding dress days before the attack, looking forward to her future with Officer Ashley Wildey. The couple had plans well underway, having booked the high-profile wedding planners utilized by celebrity Kyle Sandilands.
Wildey, who was on call at the time and had just finished his shift, rushed to the scene after being notified of the attack. It was there that he was confronted with the grievous news of his fiancée’s death, delivered by his fellow officers.
“He got to Westfield when officers recognized that his fiancée was among the casualties,” a source reportedly informed the media. Following protocol, officers then escorted him away from the scene to join his family.
A friend of Wildey, speaking to The local media, conveyed his devastation: “He is getting a lot of help from NSW Police. They are looking after him. The whole wedding was booked.”
Local radio talk show host Ray Hadley, a good friend of John Singleton, appeared on a show on Monday on his station and shared the details of his conversation with the victim’s dad.
Singleton urgently reached out to Hadley for information following the brutal attack at the outlet over the weekend. After contacting a police source, the host learned that Dawn Singleton, 25, was among those killed. He then had the heart-wrenching task of informing his friend, whom he’s known for over 30 years, of his daughter’s fate. Adding to the grim details, he told his listeners, “Singo texted me around 6:30 asking me to call him. He wasn’t sure, but he feared his daughter Dawnie was one of the victims. He asked if I could confirm it.”
So, he contacted his police contact. “I asked if she had any names, and she confirmed just one—it was Dawn, a lovely young woman I’ve known since her birth,” he explained.
Choking back tears, he continued, “I then had to call John back to officially confirm that this madman had fatally stabbed his beloved daughter. She was engaged to be married to a young police officer, young Ashley, who, along with John and Julie, must be devastated today as they grapple with this tragedy.”