On the 12th of January, 1965, two detectives stood in the wind-swept sand dunes of Wanda Beach,

near Cronulla in Sydney South. What they had just discovered would haunt them for the rest of their

careers. Partially buried in the sand lay the bodies of two 15-year-old girls, best friends

who had been missing since the previous afternoon.

Mary Ann Schmidt and Christine Cherrick had been brutally murdered. The crime scene told a terrible

story of violence and a desperate attempt to escape. One girl had been caught while trying to flee,

dragged back to where her friend lay dying.

By April 1966, police had interviewed thousands of people, making it the largest investigation in Australian history. But despite their efforts, the killer vanished.

Sixty years later, the Wanda Beach murders remain one of Australia's most infamous cold cases.

Three suspects have emerged over the decades, each with disturbing connections to the crime,

yet no one has ever been charged.

This is the story of a day at the beach that became a nightmare,

and an investigation that has spanned six decades.

You are listening to The Abidence Locker.

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Our episodes cover true crimes involving real people,

and some content may be graphic in nature.

Listener discretion is advised.

We produce each episode with the utmost respect for the victims,

their families, and loved ones.

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