Elmer Kyle Crawford was born in May 1930 and emigrated from Ireland to Australia in 1951. He settled in Glenroy, Victoria, with his wife Therese and their three children: Katherine (12), James (8), and Karen (6). Crawford worked as an unqualified electrician for the Victoria Racing Club at Flemington Racecourse for 14 years. Colleagues described him as a quiet and reserved individual, with no apparent signs of domestic trouble. However, investigations later revealed that Crawford had been involved in thefts from his employer, selling stolen goods over several years.​

Two weeks prior to the murders, Elmer and Therese drafted new wills that would leave a considerable fortune to Elmer in the event of his family's death. Therese was three months pregnant at the time, and an unfinished letter found in their home indicated she was unhappy about the pregnancy. 

On 1 July 1970, Elmer Crawford murdered his pregnant wife Therese and their three children in their Glenroy home. He constructed an electrocution device using a 15-meter electrical cord and alligator clips, which he attached to his wife's ears while she slept, electrocuting her. He then electrocuted his son James and daughter Katherine, and bludgeoned his youngest daughter Karen to death, presumably with a hammer.

Crawford wrapped the bodies in blankets and loaded them into the family's Holden FE sedan, along with a motorbike, fuel cans, a rifle, and a hose. He drove approximately 200 kilometers to Loch Ard Gorge in Port Campbell. There, he connected the hose from the exhaust to the driver's side window, attempting to stage the scene as a murder-suicide by his wife. To facilitate the car's movement over a drainage ditch, he constructed a stone pathway. However, the car became lodged on a ledge 16 meters below the cliff edge, preventing it from plunging into the sea as intended.​

The following day, tourists discovered the car, and police were alerted. Upon investigating the Crawford home, authorities found evidence of the murders, including blood-stained sheets and mattresses. Elmer Crawford was last seen in his driveway on the day the vehicle was discovered and has been missing since.

Over the years, there have been reported sightings of Crawford, including a 1994 encounter in Perth, Western Australia, where an acquaintance claimed to have spoken with him. In 2010, Victorian Police, in conjunction with the FBI, attempted to identify a man who died in 2005 in San Angelo, Texas, believing him to be Crawford. However, DNA comparisons ruled out any connection. A $100,000 reward remains in place for information leading to his arrest.