Christine Sharrock, a 15-year-old white Australian girl, was brutally murdered on January 11, 1965, in what became known as the Wanda Beach Murders. She and her best friend, Marianne Schmidt, also 15 and of German descent, were neighbors in West Ryde, Sydney. On the day of the murder, the girls visited Wanda Beach near Cronulla with Marianne's four younger siblings. Due to strong winds, the beach was closed, and the group sought shelter among the rocks before venturing into the sand dunes.
Around 1:00 p.m., Christine and Marianne left the younger children, saying they were retrieving their bags, but instead continued deeper into the dunes. They never returned.
The next morning, their partially buried bodies were discovered by a local man walking through the dunes. Christine Sharrock was found face down with her head against Marianne Schmidt's foot. Both girls had suffered multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma. Christine had a fractured skull from a blow to the back of the head and had been stabbed fourteen times. Her blood alcohol concentration was 0.015, and she had consumed food different from the rest of the group, suggesting she may have been alone for a period. Both girls' underwear had been cut, and semen was found on their bodies, though autopsies showed their hymens were intact, indicating attempted but not completed sexual assault.
The investigation became one of the largest in Australian history, with over 7,000 people interviewed. Despite extensive efforts, including sifting through tons of sand and recovering various items, the murder weapons were never found. A weak male DNA sample was later extracted from Christine's clothing, but it was insufficient for identification. A semen sample from Marianne's body was also collected but was later reported lost.
Several suspects emerged over the years. One was Alan Bassett, convicted of a separate brutal murder in 1966. A detective believed Bassett's painting contained clues to the Wanda Beach murders, but this theory was never substantiated. Another suspect was Christopher Wilder, a convicted rapist who later became a serial killer in the United States. He had a history of sexual offenses in Australia and was considered a strong suspect, though no direct link was established. Derek Percy, imprisoned for the murder of a child in 1969 and suspected in other child killings, was also investigated. He died in 2013 without confessing.
In 1972, a man allegedly confessed to the murders to his girlfriend, saying “I did that” when referencing the Wanda Beach case. He later claimed he was joking. This man was later convicted of sexually abusing his daughter and sister. He had attended the same school as Marianne and frequented Cronulla Beach. Despite this, police have not confirmed him as the killer.
The case remains unsolved and is the oldest under review by the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Unit. Christine Sharrock, a 15-year-old white Australian girl, was laid to rest at Liverpool Cemetery. Her murder, alongside that of her friend Marianne Schmidt, continues to haunt Australia as one of its most infamous cold cases.
