NZ. Alicia O'Reilly, 6, raped & murdered in her own bed, 16 Aug 1980,*Fresh incentive*

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Police review cold case homicide investigation on the 40 year anniversary of 1980 rape and murder of Alicia O'Reilly in Auckland
15 Aug, 2020
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Alicia O'Reilly, left, and her sister Juliet, 8, in a family photo taken shortly before Alicia was murdered. Photo / Supplied

''EXCLUSIVE: Alicia O'Reilly was found dead in her bed on 16 August 1980. The six-year-old had been raped and murdered, and her killer has never been caught.For her mother Nancye O'Reilly, the death of Alicia feels like yesterday. She's given up hope of justice but still has questions, which a police review of the 40-year-old cold case want to answer.
Auckland detectives are re-investigating the senseless rape and murder of a six-year-old girl on the 40th anniversary of her death.

Alicia O'Reilly was found dead in her own bed on 16 August 1980 with her sister Juliet, 8, sleeping just metres away in the same room of their Avondale home.

The horrendous crime shocked the country and hundreds of suspects were questioned in the homicide investigation, with every home and business in the neighbouring suburbs visited by police officers.

A few physical clues were left behind at the Canal Rd home, but forensic science was rudimentary in the 1980s and matching DNA to suspect samples was science fiction at the time.''

''On the eve of the milestone anniversary of the little girl's death, the Weekend Herald can reveal that detectives from Auckland City are actively re-investigating the cold case.


"This is unfinished business," says Detective Inspector Stu Allsopp-Smith, who as a young trainee detective scoured the lawn outside the O'Reilly home for evidence 40 years ago.


"This case is one that has never ever gone away. It's certainly stayed with me throughout my whole career."


To protect the integrity of the investigation, Allsopp-Smith can't reveal why the police have renewed interest in the cold case.''
 
Mum tells of horror after finding her six-year-old daughter raped and killed in her own bed | Daily Mail Online
Aug 15 2020
''Nancye O'Reilly, 67, found her daughter Alicia, then six, dead inside their Avondale home, in west Auckland, on August 16 in 1980.

Alicia shared a room with her sister Juliet who was sleeping just metres away but somehow had not woken during the harrowing attack.

'I went up to the bed and I remember grabbing her arm and her arm was semi-stiff and I just dropped it. I knew,' Ms O'Reilly told New Zealand Herald. ''

'''I don't think any of us can comprehend why an adult male would want to rape a six-year-old, you can't get your head around it, it just doesn't make sense to any normal person,' she explained.

The 67-year-old, who is also battling cancer, described Alicia as a 'full on' child who liked to have fun.

Ms O'Reilly said she was grateful to the police for re-investigating her daughter's death and there were many unanswered questions that still haunted her.''

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Ms O'Reilly (pictured) said the anguish over her daughter's death had never left her

''Ms O'Reilly explained she didn't need revenge or a criminal trial and only wanted to be able to put and face and a name to her daughter's killer.

Her eldest daughter, Juliet, had never been able to come to terms with her sister's death. She tragically died in a car accident at just 14-years-old. ''

''Police are now scanning old documents into digital files as part of 'Operation Sturbridge' to study the original evidence in a modern way.

He said the case had individuals who could be considered persons of interest and urged anyone with any information to come forward.''
 
ETA associated with article thread..

Lengthy article.
By: Jared Savage and Sam Sherwood
4 Oct, 2023

''Police will use a controversial DNA tool in a bid to solve two of the country’s most high-profile cold case murders, the Herald can reveal.

Law enforcement agencies overseas have had success comparing the DNA of unidentified suspects with genetic profiles uploaded to popular genealogy websites, most famously leading the FBI to catch the so-called “Golden State Killer”.

The Herald earlier revealed detectives hoped to use a genetic investigative tool for two cold cases - the murder of Alicia O’Reilly in 1980, dubbed Operation Sturbridge, and Operation Dallington, the inquiry into the murder of Mellory Manning in 2008.

Detective Superintendent Ross McKay has now confirmed to the Herald that New Zealand Police and the Institute of Environmental Science Research (ESR) would trial the use of the genetic investigative tool in both inquiries.''


''In order to meet New Zealand conditions, ESR ensured that all physical sample testing was completed in New Zealand and extractions of the digital genetic code would be provided to a third-party international service provider. This meant no physical DNA material would leave the country.

“Results from genealogy websites, where submitters provide law enforcement access to their records, are used as the basis of genealogy searching of publicly available records such as genealogy databases, church records, and libraries,” McKay said.''
 
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