The Wanda Beach Murders are possibly Australia’s most well-known cold case. The 1965 murder of Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock devastated the nation, and to this day police are still trying to piece together the circumstances of their deaths. In this episode, your girls discuss one of the most likely suspects, a serial killer who travelled across the US, luring girls to their deaths by posing as a photographer. In 1965 though, he was just another Aussie teenager… one who happened to match the description of the only other person seen at the beach when Marianne and Christine were murdered.
On the 11 of January 1965, two fifteen year old girls, Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, went down to spend the day at Wanda Beach in Sydney, and were never seen alive again. Their bodies were found lying on a deserted section of beach, brutally stabbed. The perpetrator has never been caught, and it remains New South Wales' oldest unsolved homicide case.
As one of Australia’s most notorious cold cases, many potential suspects have been put forth, both by the police and by armchair detectives. One possible candidate is the Beauty Queen Killer, Christopher Wilder, who killed eight women in a six week long crime spree across the United States.
It’s possible we’ll never know who killed Marianne and Christine. But the people of Australia will not let these two girls be forgotten.
To read more about Christopher Wilder and his connection to Wanda Beach, go here https://www.theleader.com.au/story/5458975/australian-serial-killer-linked-to-wanda-beach-murders/?fbclid=IwAR0T0Qa1RsXBqdEhGGjWZkSPSE8SaT_GTEEh80Ee4KbxVRPb8N5GPHnKvZ4
For some surprisingly good crime journalism considering it's from Mama Mia, go here https://www.mamamia.com.au/wanda-beach-murders/?fbclid=IwAR2Gw3sAqsIWACPxGLz1IhKQwXa1rXPwYtgFak5egauV1amZ4JwfqWDQv9o
Catch the episode of Sunday Night here https://au.news.yahoo.com/wanda-beach-murders-part-1-214802595.html?fbclid=IwAR1AbB0caFA5GOQVOZhGEBeOp3Z_Yo1U4LhJsPAtFb7esWECeJ2uRkcwVgM
Listen to the dulcet tones of Casey Casefile discussing Wanda Beach here https://casefilepodcast.com/case-1-the-wanda-beach-murders/?fbclid=IwAR1wdGF9dEO9b6Fr8ZB_XW6PxsZwaoZhWW1l35CBy9HdFkDR-XmmHJoDQvk
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