On a hot Australian summer’s day in January 1965, two teenage girls set out for a trip to Wanda Beach, expecting maybe some sun, some sand, and time with a few siblings. But somewhere between the shoreline and the dunes, something happened. A Person. Someone watching. Someone waiting. What followed would become one of Australia’s most haunting and enduring criminal cases.

In this episode, we unravel the timeline of that day, piece by piece from the girls’ final movements to the disturbing discoveries that sent shockwaves through the country.

As the investigation unfolded, hundreds of individuals were questioned, and various suspects emerged. Some names would come up again and again, and in this episode, I'll take you through each of them.

I outline the evidence, the missed opportunities, and the fragments that may mean something IMPORTANT. Join me, and let me know your thoughts.

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In June 1998, 11 year old Wesley Neailey left his home in Newcastle and cycled off to meet someone he believed he could trust. For Wesley’s family, it was supposed to be a normal afternoon. But when he didn’t come home, panic quickly set in. A missing child search began across the city... and what investigators would eventually uncover would shock the entire community. The person Wesley had been taken by was Dominic McKilligan, an adult who lived nearby. What most people didn’t realise at the time was that Dominic already had a deeply troubling past. Just months earlier, he had been released from a young offenders’ institution after committing a series of assaults against young boys. Despite those warnings, he was now living in this new community - close enough to cross paths with Wesley. On the day Wesley disappeared, he was lured by Dominic to his home. Inside his garage on Wingrove Road, the situation turned violent. For weeks, the case remained a mystery. Posters went up across Newcastle. Searches were carried out across fields and streets as Wesley’s family pleaded for information about where their son might be. As detectives pieced together what had happened, the case raised deeply troubling questions... not just about the crime itself, but about how someone already known to pose a serious risk to children had been able to get close enough to take another young life. For Wesley’s family, the loss was unimaginable. And for the wider public, the case would become a haunting reminder of the consequences when dangerous warnings are missed. REDRUM questionnaire to tell me about you: https://redrumtruecrime.lnk.to/feedback Sign up for the free REDRUM newsletter, full of all things true crime, as well as a run down of all the latest REDRUM cases. This will only ever come to you once a month... I'm no fan of spam. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W79H87S Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redrumtruecrime/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redrumtruecrime/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/redrumtruecrime You can email me: redrumtruecrimepodcast@gmail.com COOKIES to look! : https://www.instagram.com/thiccbakess/ SHOP MERCH: redrumtruecrime.myshopify.com Podcast versions of all episodes if you prefer to listen on the go: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FCoeRZQeDkEJ5i8bGuFpy?si=ec5c7c4c945c4952 If you're able, please support me on Patreon/buymeacoffee/YouTube membership to continue bringing REDRUM content to YouTube. Thanks, Grace x Patreon monthly subscription- www.patreon.com/redrumtruecrime A one off donation- www.buymeacoffee.com/redrumhumans Youtube monthly membership levels- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvGzDaluex7D_hPe7exgKhQ/join Thanks, Grace x

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