Was Betty's Killer a Local?

There are many reasons to believe that the person (or maybe persons), who attacked Miss Shanks was a local, someone living close to the corner now made infamous. Ken Blanch raises such a horrifying prospect in his newly revised book:

There was another curious aspect to the murder. Although a large number of households kept dogs in those days, and there was no restriction on them wandering at large, not one witness heard a dog barking. It seems incredible that a stranger skulking in the shadows and launching a maniacal attack upon the victim would not have excited at least one or two dogs into voice. Does the absence of any such canine reaction indicate that the attacker was well-known to the local dog population, which therefore ignored his presence and activities?

Detectives interviewed hundreds of people in attempt to ascertain the movements of every man, woman and child in the Wilston/Grange area on the night of the murder. In the CRIME SCENE photograph above, Detective Sub-Inspector Tom Martin (left) leads a group of detectives as they talk with young Marie Patton at the crime scene. Detective Senior Sergeant Jack Mahony has his back to the camera, Detective Sergeant Norm Bauer faces it. Reporter Ken Blanch stands partly obscured beside Miss Patton. The grounds of the Wilston State School are behind them. Picture taken on Sunday, 21 September 1952.

Join Ken & Jack Sim on a special CRIME TOUR in October based on The Wilston Murder.

This is no morbid outing - this tour is only for those with a geniune interest in this case. Join Jack's VIP Mailing list on the home page of this website. Seats are limited. How to book will be announced later this month.