Family imprisoned by a search for answers while killer walks free

Ten-year-old Tannika knows her mum is never coming home, a child robbed of that crucial bond in life.

She was only 12-months-old when a madman bludgeoned Katie-Lee Tanner to death.

Now, this little girl is seeking answers her grandparents can’t give her.

Tannika’s grandparents, David and Sharon, have taken over the role of guiding her through life, and she will need every ounce of their strength.

It was a brutal end to Katie’s life.

In October 2006, she was murdered in her suburban Melbourne home.

The 21-year-old was bashed to death with a rubber mallet in a crime which shocked the nation.

And here’s the brutal twist in the Katie-Lee Tanner story: her killer, Keith Smart, has never given up where he dumped her body.

It was one of the main reasons a judge sentenced him to 11 years’ jail for manslaughter.

The family’s grief continues as the Tanner family recently found out that Smart is about the be released – a staggering three years early.

“We can’t bury her. I've buried my horse, my dog, but not my daughter,” David said, adding his family would have protested Smart’s release – had they been told.

“This mongrel is running free and nobody will be able to get the answer off him.”

While this family has been suffering the loss of Katie, they are far from closure.

All this family yearn for is to say goodbye to their beloved daughter.

Keith Herbert Smart – Katie’s ex-partner’s father – was 55-years-old when he was charged with murder, one month after Katie was killed.

He pleaded not guilty.

A jury cleared him of murder, but found him guilty of manslaughter.

He was jailed for 11 years, with a non-parole period of eight years – meaning Smart will be a free man by the end of this month.

Victoria Police continue to offer a $25,000 reward to anyone with information to where Katie-Lee Tanner’s body was dumped.

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