The brother of one of two girls killed at Wanda Beach 61 years ago is calling on NSW Police to “search their storerooms” for critical lost forensic evidence, including a sample of the killer’s DNA and a “little black book” containing names of more potential victims.
Hans Schmidt is also demanding a significant increase to the paltry $20,000 reward and for the release of his sister Marianne’s autopsy photographs to shock the public out of complacency.
This explosive call for action comes as two new witnesses, Jan and Richard Wales, have revealed their detailed accounts of encounters with notorious serial killer Christopher Wilder around the time of the murders. Both claim their vital information was ignored and never followed up by police, painting a damning picture of alleged investigative negligence.
“I wouldn’t be against them having a look for the lost evidence, not at all,” Mr Schmidt told news.com.au. “I reckon that it’s at the back of a bloody storeroom and probably been shifted a number of times. And they should look at the reward too. It was set in 1966 and has never been increased.”
Journalist Andy Byrne, co-host of the “Catching Evil” podcast, did not mince words, declaring the NSW Police investigation into the Wanda Beach murders a “sixty-year record of abject failure”.
“The killer was never arrested. Key evidence was lost. Prime suspect Christopher Wilder was allowed to flee to America – twice – to continue killing young women,” Byrne said.
“When police did have him in custody for raping two 15-year-old girls lured from another Sydney beach, someone took the unfathomable decision not to question him about Wanda. Today’s police leadership didn’t make those mistakes. But they need to stop hiding behind them.”
Mr Schmidt believes the public needs to confront the brutal reality of the crime to truly understand the urgency.
“I think the public tends to get a very sanitised view of murders,” he said. “What I have always believed is if the public sees what was done to the girls, their thought processes would be different – they would have more of an understanding and maybe a bit more sympathy for the victim rather than the perpetrator.”
Byrne echoed the sentiment regarding the reward, highlighting the disparity: “For six decades the Wanda Beach reward has sat at $20,000 – while 41 other cases carry a $1 million government reward. Ask yourself why.”
“Catching Evil joins news.com.au in demanding long overdue answers and calling for a full, comprehensive search for the missing evidence that they believe will conclusively identify Wilder as the Wanda Beach killer. Both Jan and Richard Wales stand ready to assist NSW Police in any renewed investigation.”
Jan’s Unheeded Warnings and the Missing ‘Little Black Book’
Jan has bravely come forward to share her harrowing experience with Wilder just weeks before the Wanda Beach murders.
Jan, who bore a “striking resemblance” to victim Marianne Schmidt, recounted how Wilder “repeatedly pestered” her to go to Wanda Beach.
“He wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Jan said, describing how Wilder would “chase after” her through a Grace Brothers department store in Top Ryde, where he worked casually, insisting she accompany him to the desolate beach. This occurred in Christmas 1964, mere weeks before the murders.
Following the discovery of the girls’ bodies, Jan immediately recognised the significance of Wilder’s persistent invitations. Her mother contacted NSW Police, leading to two detectives interviewing Jan and taking her statement.
Crucially, Jan also handed over Wilder’s “little black book,” which he had abandoned at his workplace after disappearing post-murders. This book, Jan recalls, contained “50 to 100 female names and phone numbers.” She expressed her disbelief at the time, questioning, “How does he come across so many girls?”
Despite providing this potentially vital intelligence, Jan and her family “didn’t hear another thing” from the police.
The Catching Evil podcast highlights her profound frustration: “We sometimes think when they left our place, did they just go and throw the book out or did they put it in evidence?”
The lack of police engagement did not end there. Inspired by Andy Byrne’s book, “The Pretty Girl Killer,” Jan again contacted the NSW Police Cold Case Unit in December 2019, writing a detailed letter outlining her original statement, her encounter with Wilder, and the “little black book.”
Her letter explicitly stated, “My record of interview and the address book should be in police archives.” Yet, according to the podcast, Jan was met with “silence” and “tumbleweeds.”
The whereabouts of this “little black book” and Jan’s original statement remain unconfirmed by NSW Police, raising serious questions about the preservation and re-evaluation of historical evidence.
The podcast points out that a similar, much larger book detailing potential victims was later found by the FBI in Wilder’s possession in the United States, underscoring the potential significance of the one Jan provided.
Richard Wales: The Train Sighting Ignored
Another compelling account comes from Richard Wales, a retired school teacher now residing in Queensland.
In the days following the Wanda Beach murders, when the police identikit photo of the suspect was plastered across newspapers, Wales was travelling by train to his teaching job in Cronulla.
He vividly recalls seeing a man “strongly resembling” the identikit image moving through the train carriages, “looking as if he was looking for someone.” Wales observed this suspicious individual at least “two or three more times” in the following days.
Concerned by the man’s “scary” eyes and suspicious behaviour, Wales promptly contacted NSW Police, providing his name and particulars and detailing his sighting.
He was told they “would look into it.” However, like Jan, Wales received “nothing back” from the police. “They never came back to you?” the podcast hosts questioned, to which Wales unequivocally replied, “No.”
The podcast’s hosts, Byrne and Llewellyn, describe this as “unforgivable,” arguing that the police “missed the opportunity to place Wilder at Wanda Beach.”
Given Wilder’s background as an apprentice carpenter who worked on sites in Cronulla, catching the train to the area would have been entirely plausible. The failure to follow up on such a direct and timely eyewitness report, especially one that aligned with the official identikit, represents a significant lapse in the original investigation.
The Lost ‘Smoking Gun’ DNA Evidence
Perhaps the most alarming revelation concerns the alleged loss of what the podcast describes as the “smoking gun” – a glass slide containing the killer’s semen, found at the Wanda Beach crime scene.
This “crucial DNA evidence,” which could definitively identify the perpetrator using modern forensic techniques, is now reportedly “lost at the forensic laboratory.”
Hans, Marianne Schmidt’s younger brother, expressed his profound frustration with the police’s handling of the case, particularly the lack of follow-up.
He noted that while police often acknowledge receipt of information, they rarely provide updates on their investigations. The prospect of the most critical piece of evidence being lost is a devastating blow to the victims’ families and the pursuit of justice.
The podcast hosts are advocating for a “campaign” to compel police to “look one more time” for this evidence, asserting that “it’s gotta be somewhere.”
NSW Police Response
In response to inquiries regarding the Wanda Beach murders, the NSW Police Homicide Squad issued the following statement:
“Homicide Squad detectives continue to appeal for public information into the murders of Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock at Wanda Beach more than 55 years ago.
Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, both aged 15, travelled to Cronulla with Marianne’s four younger siblings on Monday 11 January 1965.
In the early afternoon, the girls went walking through the sandhills without the younger children and never returned. They were reported missing later in the evening. Their bodies, which had suffered horrific injuries, were located the following morning in the sand.
Exhaustive investigations, re‑investigations and reviews have been conducted over the years; however, no one has been charged over their murders. The case remains open under the responsibility of the Homicide Squad’s Unsolved Homicide Unit and is continually monitored for new information or evidence that may assist or progress the matter.
The efforts by the Unsolved Homicide Unit have been focused on forensic reviews between 2002 and 2021. Investigators continue to look for opportunities to further examinations utilising all available modern techniques.
Police are aware of public commentary regarding historical witnesses and material said to have been provided to investigators in the 1960s and in more recent years. The Unsolved Homicide Unit will review the information provided against our archived holdings and assess if any further lines of inquiries are to be followed up.
As with all unsolved cases, police continue to appeal for information from the public. A $20,000 reward remains in place. Rewards are determined by the Reward Evaluation Advisory Committee (REAC), who recommends the reward payment following a structured assessment process.
Anyone who has information that may assist is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”
A Call for Transparency and Re-evaluation
While the NSW Police statement acknowledges “public commentary regarding historical witnesses and material,” it does not specifically address the detailed allegations raised by the Catching Evil podcast concerning Jan’s “little black book,” Richard Wales’ ignored sighting, or the alleged loss of critical DNA evidence.
The statement’s commitment to “review the information provided against our archived holdings” is a step, but the families of Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, along with the Australian public, deserve more specific answers to the following critical questions put to NSW Police by news.com.au:
Has Jan’s original 1965 statement and her subsequent 2019 contact been thoroughly reviewed, and what were the findings?
Can NSW Police confirm if Christopher Wilder’s “little black book” is still in police archives, and if so, has its contents been re-examined with contemporary investigative techniques?
What is the current status of the critical DNA evidence – the glass slide of the killer’s semen – and are there active efforts to locate it? If found, will it be subjected to modern DNA analysis?
Has any record of Richard Wales’ 1960s report of seeing a man resembling the identikit on the train been located and re-evaluated?
“The time for silence and inaction is over,” Byrne said this week from the US where the Australian-based team is following further fresh leads.
“The bombshell evidence necessitates a comprehensive and public re-evaluation by NSW Police to ensure that every possible avenue is explored in the pursuit of justice for Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock.”
Anyone with thinks they have encountered Wilder or has any information is urged to contact the podcast investigators at info@catchingevil.com.
