Two teenage friends walked into the sandhills behind a Sydney beach one January afternoon. A neighbor's children waited for them until sunset. They never came back.
Marianne and Christine
Marianne Schmidt, a German immigrant, and her next-door neighbor Christine Sharrock had become close friends in Sydney's Ryde suburb. On January 11, 1965, the two 15-year-olds took Marianne's younger siblings to Cronulla's Wanda Beach. Strong winds had closed the main beach, so the group sheltered among rocks at the southern end before walking into the sandhills behind the beach.
The Disappearance
Around 1 p.m., the girls told Marianne's younger siblings they would retrieve their bags and come back for them, but instead continued walking into the dunes. The children waited until 5 p.m. before returning home alone. A local resident reported seeing the girls walking quickly later that afternoon, with one appearing to look back as though being followed — the last confirmed sighting of them alive.
The Discovery
The girls were reported missing that evening. The next day, a man walking with his nephews discovered a body partially buried in the sand north of the surf club. Investigators determined that Sharrock had likely tried to flee before being caught; both girls had been killed with significant violence, and evidence indicated they had also been sexually assaulted. We are not detailing the specific injuries further.
The Investigation
Despite an extensive police inquiry, the killer was never identified. Investigators noted the beach area attracted people who, given the social attitudes of the era, were often reluctant to come forward as witnesses, complicating the case from the start. Two unrelated murders in the following year — of a cleaning woman in Wollongong and a woman in Kings Cross — were speculatively linked by some investigators to the same killer, though no evidence ever confirmed a connection.
Suspects Over the Years
Several men have been named as possible suspects over the decades, including a convicted killer whose supporters and detractors have long disputed his connection to the case, and Derek Percy, a man convicted of killing a child in Victoria and long considered a suspect in multiple unsolved child murders in Australia. American serial killer Christopher Wilder, who had been known to Sydney police before later killing several people in the United States in 1984, has also been named as a possible suspect. None of these individuals has ever been definitively linked to the Wanda Beach murders through evidence.
Where the Case Stands
More than half a century later, the Wanda Beach murders remain officially unsolved.
FAQ
Has anyone ever been charged in the Wanda Beach murders?
No. Despite several named suspects over the decades, no one has ever been charged.
How old were the victims?
Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock were both 15 years old.
Are the Wanda Beach murders connected to other cases?
Some investigators speculated a connection to two 1966 murders, but no evidence has ever confirmed a link.