Australia Australia - Marilyn Wallman, 14, North Mackay, Qld, 21 March 1972

marlywings

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October 25, 2014

MARILYN WALLMAN: WHEN former students of North Mackay High School’s Class 9C of 1972 held a reunion in July, there was a gaping absence from their ranks.

Marilyn Wallman was 14 when she vanished on her way to the school that year, with her brothers finding her abandoned bicycle with its wheels still spinning.

She has never been found and her classmates – men and women now in their fifties – thought of the life she missed as they gathered together.

“We want to bring Marilyn home. Talk to your family. Talk to your friends,” reunion organiser Kay Jenner wrote on Facebook.

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http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...d-gerhard-wagner/story-fnihsrf2-1227101635342
 
Marilyn Wallman cold case: Premier Campbell Newman steps in to dedicate police resources

February 07, 2014


A TIP-off nearly five years ago was the catalyst behind a decision to dig up the backyard of a Mackay house in a bid to find the remains of Marilyn Wallman, who vanished in 1972.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Crime Stoppers first received a call suggesting the fibro house could provide the missing link to one of Queensland's longest-running murder investigations, but a lack of resources and hard evidence prevented further investigation.

Premier Campbell Newman became involved last October after he met with Marilyn's brothers Rex and David.

The meeting came after a further piece of information suggested the North Mackay property could contain the remains of the 14-year-old who went missing on March 21, 1972, while riding her bike to catch a school bus.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...police-resources/story-fnihsrf2-1226819965945
 
Good on Marilyn's family for never giving up the search all these years.

Here's some more msm links:

How Marilyn Wallman's disappearance changed Mackay

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/02/11/3942582.htm

Arthur Stanley Brown

Detectives in Queensland considered him for the 1972 murder of Marilyn Wallman — Queensland’s only long-term outstanding missing child.

Marilyn was 14 when she disappeared on her way to school in Eimeo. Her brothers found her bike lying on its side after following behind.

A car matching Brown’s grey/blue Vauxhall was seen in the area at the time.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...eaumont-children/story-fnn8dlfs-1227045897374

Timeline

  • 7.42am: Marilyn Joy Wallman, 14, left home on a bicycle and began her ride to the Rural Youth Hall, at the junction of Wallman and Eimeo Road in Mackay, to catch the school bus at 8am.
  • 7.52am: Marilyn's two brothers Rex and David Wallman left home, following the same route as their sister. The brothers found Marilyn's bicycle and school port by the side of the road approximately one kilometre from home.
  • 7.53am: David Wallman raced home and returned with his mother while Rex Wallman waited on the roadside near Marilyn's abandoned bike. Rex Wallman heard "muffled screams" from the other side of a nearby cane paddock while he waited.
  • 8am: David, Rex and Daphne Wallman split-up to search for Marilyn. The brothers walked to a creek nearby and discovered two sets of tracks leading through long grass.
  • Shortly after Marilyn was kidnapped: Community members arrived to help with the search, trampling any evidence of tracks.
  • Later that day: Police arrived to begin their investigation. The case was first treated as a disappearance and later changed to a murder investigation.
  • 1974: Part of a skull is found in Mirani. Police would not comment on reports that the skull belonged to Marilyn.
  • July 19, 2011: Police investigate new leads into the case, renewing the family's hope that Marilyn would be found. A police spokesman said a number of people were being investigated but would not reveal any other details.
  • June, 2012: Marilyn's family launches a Facebook page to encourage the public to come forward with any information about the case.

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/the-mystery-of-marilyn-wallman/1926334/

FB page mentioned above.

https://www.facebook.com/MarilynWallman
 
http://goo.gl/maps/XJCwk

^ The above link is to a view of a small creek crossing Wallman's Road, which I believe might be the area mentioned here:

"When I turned up on the site my brother David went back home to get mum and I stayed on the roadside and heard noises down on the other side of the cane paddock… muffled screams," he said. "When mum got back to us we all took off, David and I in one direction and mum in another.

"The little headland… between the paddocks, there was a little creek bed. At that time of the year it was nice, green, fresh grass and we could clearly see where two people had walked through very recently.

--- Looking at this stretch of road on Google, you can see the big farmhouse right at the end - I'm assuming this was the Wallman's farm? - then another large farmhouse, then in the middle of the road a white-ish car parked right where that little creek that divides the paddocks is. So I'm assuming this is the stretch of road on which Marilyn went missing. Her bike was found some ways *back* from the creek if I have it right, coming from the Wallman place.

http://goo.gl/maps/9t22Y

I imagine that very few of those houses were there in 1972. Probably just the farm houses, back then. I'd love some locals to chime in on that!

If you follow that road along you can see where there's a track of some kind veering off Wallmans Road near the end closer to town, leading across vacant land to where Eimeo Road is. I'm wondering if this a route still taken by locals to get to the bus stop?

Anyway, back in 1972 it would have been a much more rural area, very few houses. Marilyn's bike was found closer to home than to town.. it would have been very isolated, not a thoroughfare of any kind. This makes me think that her killer was either very local to the area and knew very well when and where to find his victim, or he wasn't local but had been watching the kids going to school, getting the bus and targetted Marilyn days before, got the timing worked out and was sitting on that road waiting for her to come along.

Though how he'd know she'd be alone that day instead of riding with her brothers, idk.

I just think presently that it's a bit off the beaten track for a random predator out looking for a victim on that particular morning- it'd be a piece of remarkable 'luck' for him, and why would someone who was not local (or there for a dedicated purpose) be going down that dead end road anyway? There's just few and far between farmhouses, no reason for him to assume he'd find a child alone along there unless he'd been watching or was a resident and knew. To me it's more likely he's scoped it all out beforehand and Marilyn was a marked victim for some time before he took her.

Being that in these small places, everyone knows everyone (MW's brother states as much in an interview) a strange car parked along the road for any time or frequency would surely be noted by *someone*. Also, if there was any men of dubious nature in the area, rapey types, rumors of child molesting, etc, I am sure everyone would know exactly who those were. Even if it wasn't openly discussed, people would know who they were.
 
Things I'd like to know:

-- was Marilyn's bike found before or after that little creek, when travelling from the farmhouse end of Wallmans Road toward the junction?

-- were the screams heard 'across the canefield' comign from the north or south of the road?
 
On the FB page, Marilyn's family have posted pics of a big spread about the crime in the Daily Mercury last April. In it, I can see that Mackay police were looking at a POI who was living locally at the time, but moved interstate after.. wonder who that was?!!! Could he have committed other crimes? Must've been a reason he was a suspect.

https://www.facebook.com/MarilynWal...7188568788790/151233921717588/?type=1&theater

It's wonderful and very moving to see how her brothers and parents have been so dedicated to making sure Marilyn's case stays current.
 
I read in one of the articles posted on facebook that Marilyn's brother very frequently stops for a while at the place she went missing.. and on the Googlemap, you can see a car parked right near the creek. I had the saddest moment, wondering if that was his car...
 
DNA tests confirm breakthrough in child murder cold case

January 19, 2015 12:00AM

QUEENSLAND police will today announce a major breakthrough in one of the state’s coldest cases — the 43-year-old kidnapping and murder of Marilyn Wallman.

Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon will reveal the results of the latest forensic tests on a partial skull and confirm it belongs to the Mackay girl, who was 14 when she disappeared while riding to school on March 21, 1972.

“It is a breakthrough in terms of being able to reunite Marilyn’s remains with the family, who are obviously quite relieved and have never given up their drive to find out who is responsible for the murder,” Mr Condon, a former state homicide squad boss, said

The State Government is offering a $250,000 reward.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.


http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...murder-cold-case/story-fnn8dlfs-1227188968515
 
Family won't stop hunt for answers in Mackay cold case

The family involved in Queensland's longest missing children's case say they won't stop searching for answers until they know what happened to Marilyn Wallman.

Marilyn was 14 when she vanished from a Mackay road while riding her bike to school on March 21, 1972.

She was presumed abducted and murdered, however nobody has ever been charged.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/que...wers-in-mackay-cold-case-20150119-12tkjm.html
 
Omg. I was just on the FB page the day before the news about the remains broke. I've been hoping so hard it was her, so her family can at least have that. Thanks for the updates, everyone. I'm sad and glad at the same time.

Now, I hope there's something that will lead to her killer. He must be sweating, right now.
 
I wonder if the partial skull was this, from the timeline post above:

1974: Part of a skull is found in Mirani. Police would not comment on reports that the skull belonged to Marilyn.

-- If so, I wonder why it took so long to do a DNA test on it.
 
I wonder if the partial skull was this, from the timeline post above:

1974: Part of a skull is found in Mirani. Police would not comment on reports that the skull belonged to Marilyn.

-- If so, I wonder why it took so long to do a DNA test on it.

As per the article I linked above

Forensic tests at the time proved inconclusive, but with improved technology, the case was reopened last year and the skull fragment was re-tested...
 
Girl missing for 43 years to be remembered

"Mourners will have the chance to finally farewell a teenage girl who went missing more than 40 years ago.

Marilyn Wallman, 14, disappeared in Mackay in central Queensland on March 21, 1972.

For years, there were no leads and the investigation became the state's longest running missing child's case.

But detectives made a breakthrough in January when they identified a piece of Ms Wallman's skull"


http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/03/06/09/24/girl-missing-for-43-years-to-be-remembered
 
Marilyn Wallman death mystery: Funeral held for Mackay girl 42 years after disappearance

"A funeral has been held for a girl who vanished 42 years ago in what became Queensland's longest-running child abduction case.

Marilyn Wallman, 14, was riding her bicycle through cane fields near her Mackay home on her way to catch a school bus when she disappeared"

"More than 300 people turned out for the funeral for Marilyn in Mackay, many of them wearing yellow, the schoolgirl's favourite colour.

Marilyn's brother Rex said the funeral would give people closure and the family would now have a grave to visit"


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-06/marilyn-wallman-funeral-held-in-mackay/6286400
 
Police are using cutting-edge technology in a bid to solve the four-decade old cold case of the disappearance of Marilyn Wallman.

(...)

Police and the community conducted extensive searches at the time, but not a trace was found until a partial skull was discovered 40 kilometres away two years later.

On Tuesday, police were excavating the site where her skull was found and using the CSIRO-designed Zebedee to create 3D mapping of the area. (...)

Queensland Police purchased the Zebedee device in 2014, and were the first law enforcement agency in the world to use one to map crime scenes.

The handheld mechanism sits atop a spring and uses lasers to create an accurate 3D map of its surroundings, making it useful for crime scene mapping due to its portability and ability to convert its 2D scanning plane into a local 3D field of view.

Officers in Mackay used the device to establish how much the landscape had changed since 1972 and to capture the scene in case more information became available later.


http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/ma...-3d-laser-mapping-device-20160315-gnjuh1.html
 
The Wallman family's lives changed forever when their 14-year-old daughter, Marilyn, vanished without a trace in March, 1972.

Rex Wallman and his brother, David, were the last to ever see their big sister alive.

The boys were aged nine and 11 at the time, but the feeling of loss is as raw today as it was over four decades ago when Marilyn vanished from the Mackay suburb of Eimeo, Queensland.

The brothers were walking to school with their sister just 10 minutes ahead of them. But they knew something had gone horribly wrong when they came across her bike and half-opened school bag on the side of the road.

As they frantically searched for her, the brothers heard sounds coming from the nearby cane fields

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-plead-help-abduction-case.html#ixzz59PaKJZg4

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