SHERYLE Cain is still haunted by the disappearance of her brother Terry
Floyd 34 years ago.Just like family birthdays and anniversaries,
National Missing Persons Week, which began yesterday, is tough for the
Maryborough woman.
Terry was 12 when he was last seen alive on June 28, 1975, and Ms
Cain and her family have been looking for answers ever since.
No one has been charged in relation to his disappearance, or with his
suspected murder, but the homicide squad has investigated at least two
suspects, and overseen an inquest.
Sadly, the story is not an isolated one.
In Australia, one person is reported missing every 15 minutes.
About 95 per cent of these show up within about week.
The Bendigo area has had its fair share of those who fall into the
other 5 per cent.
Maureen Joyce Braddy, 16, and Allan George Whyte, 17, were last seen
on November 23, 1968 in Mundy Street at a YMCA dance.
The pair left the dance about 9pm when they spoke with Mr Whyte’s
brother outside.
They declined his invitation to a party at his house.
Mr Whyte told his brother he was taking Ms Braddy home.
The couple has not been seen since.
They vanished with only the clothes on their backs.
Ms Braddy failed to claim her wages from the Crystal Egg Company in
Garsed Street where she worked.
The couple did not take the car Mr Whyte had recently bought.
For many years it was believed they had run away together and their
disappearance was treated as a missing persons case.
More than 30 years later, new information led police to announce the
couple had been murdered.
The bodies of Ms Braddy and Mr Whyte, who would now be 56 and 57,
have never been found.
Psychic steps in to Bendigo murder mystery
17 Oct, 2008 08:05 AM - Bendigo Advertiser
THE families of a Bendigo couple who disappeared almost 40 years
ago believe an abandoned mine shaft could hold the key to
solving the couple’s mysterious disappearance.Maureen Joyce
Braddy, then 16, and Allan George Whyte, 17, were last seen on
November 23, 1968, in Mundy Street after a dance at the YMCA.
Police believe the two were murdered.
Their families, desperate for answers, have recently been
working with a psychic.
It is believed some family members then began digging at a
local mine shaft site for clues, and that items since recovered
may be bone fragments of their loved ones.
“We are checking out some items that have been recovered and
given to us, and we’ll be looking at those forensically,’’
Detective Sergeant Brendan Murphy told The Advertiser.
“They were found near the top of the mine site.
“The family is considering the possibility they may be bone
fragments (of Maureen and Allan).’’
A local resident who lives near the disturbed mine shaft told
The Advertiser he had seen people digging with shovels in the
vicinity in recent times.
“I was just looking over the back fence and saw a few of them
scratching around.
“I asked them what they were doing and they said ‘what are
you - a copper?’
“They more or less told me to mind my own business.
“They just told me they were digging but I’ve heard on the
grapevine they were looking for a body.’’
The Department of Sustainability and Environment conducted an
investigation after receiving reports of digging at the site.
“Essentially it’s on our land; it’s Crown Land,’’ DSE
northwest region spokesman Peter Beaton said.
“DSE has been investigating.
“Our investigations are based on a report someone had been
digging.
“Initially we didn’t know who or why.
“We did find disturbances in the ground and the area had been
fenced off by someone other than DSE.
“Victoria Police has requested that the shaft remain
accessible for a short time to allow them to complete an
investigation.
“In the meantime DSE is monitoring the site in case any
safety related issues arise.’’
Mr Beaton said DSE intended to permanently seal the shaft
with concrete as soon as possible.
Ms Braddy and Mr Whyte were last seen at a Saturday night
YMCA dance in Mundy Street 40 years ago.
The pair left the dance at about 9pm when they spoke with Mr
Whyte’s brother outside.
They declined his brother’s invitation to a party at his
house.
Mr Whyte told his brother he was taking Ms Braddy home.
The couple has not been seen since.
They vanished with only the clothes on their backs.
Ms Braddy failed to claim her wages from the Crystal Egg
Company in Garsed Street where she worked.
The couple did not take Mr Whyte’s recently purchased car.
For many years it was believed the couple had run away
together, and their disappearance was treated as a missing
persons case.
Thirty years later, new information led police to announce
they had been murdered.
The bodies of Ms Braddy and Mr Whyte, who would now be 56 and
57 respectively, have never been found.
The police investigation remains open.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance should
contact Detective Sergeant Brendan Murphy at the Bendigo CIU on
5448 1386.
A 40-YEAR probe into the disappearance and suspected murder of
two teenagers has taken a bizarre twist with claims they were
living secretly in northern Victoria.
The father of missing girl Maureen Braddy claims she died only
last year and is buried in Swan Hill.
"I've never believed they were dead ... that's all rubbish,"
Bendigo pensioner Stan Braddy said.
"She's in the Swan Hill Cemetery. I know because I went to the
funeral.
"That's where she is ... and she's under a different name."
Maureen Braddy was 16 when she and 17-year-old Allan Whyte
disappeared after a dance at the Bendigo YMCA in 1968.
"She got a new name. She was with that Allan and he's still alive
and kickin'," Mr Braddy said.
He declined to reveal his daughter's assumed name.
But Mr Braddy's claims have been rejected by his other daughters,
who are convinced Maureen and her boyfriend were murdered.
They want a coronial inquiry.
Maureen and Allan were last seen outside the dance hall where
Allan's brother invited them to a party at his house. Allan
declined, saying he was taking Maureen to her home in nearby
California Gully.
They never made it.
The couple vanished with nothing more than the clothes they were
standing in.
Maureen had not collected her wages from the previous week and
Allan left behind the car he'd recently bought.
His bank savings remained untouched.
Maureen Braddy, one of 10 children, worked at the Crystal Egg
Company as a packer.
Allan Whyte had 13 siblings and had just started work as a
labourer for the company.
Police initially treated them as runaways, young lovers who would
eventually return home when life got too tough.
It was 34 years before Bendigo police acknowledged they had met
with foul play.
In 2001 they re-opened the case. "The reality is that I believe
they have both been murdered," homicide squad veteran Det-Sgt
Brendon Murphy said at the time.
Maureen's sisters, Lynette Ireland and Jenny Braddy, believe
their remains are in a disused well near the family home in
California Gully, or down a mineshaft.
Ms Ireland has approached a solicitor to push for an official
inquiry.
"We want a coronial inquest to clear up this matter," said Ms
Ireland, who was eight when her sister disappeared.
"Hopefully, some people will have to tell the truth once they're
in the witness box."
Jenny Braddy supported her sister's call.
"It's the one way we get can try to get to the truth," she said.
Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte were never officially listed as
missing persons.
For more than 30 years police wrongly treated them as young
runaways.
"It was thought the pair had been in love and done a runner," a
police source said.
"It was 20 or 30 years before someone said, 'Hold on, this
doesn't sound right'.
"This young fellow was working, he had a motor car, had some bank
books. His motor car was left behind, so too were the bank books."
At one stage police thought their disappearance could be linked
to the brutal killings of Garry Heywood, 18, and Abina Madill, 16,
near Shepparton two years earlier.
This was discounted after Raymond "Mr Stinky" Edmunds eventually
pleaded guilty to the gunshot executions of Heywood and Madill and
was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Lynette Ireland said yesterday an official inquiry should be held
in spite of the absence of bodies.
She referred to last year's Coroner's Inquest into the
disappearance of Louise Falukner, 43, and her toddler daughter,
Charmian.
The two vanished 29 years ago after being last seen by a
neighbour getting into a ute at their flat in Acland St, St Kilda.
A number of people were called to give evidence at the inquest,
including her boyfriend at the time, George Sutherland.
Mr Sutherland refused to give evidence at the hearing.
Deputy Coroner Iain West said he was satisfied Ms Faulkner and
Charmian were dead and had met with foul play, but there wasn't
enough proof to identify the person or persons responsible.
Bendigo couple still missing after
41 years
BY WHITNEY HARRIS
23 Nov, 2009 09:15 AM
THE family of a teenager who vanished with his girlfriend more
than four decades ago is still haunted by the mystery surrounding their
disappearance.
As the family faces the 41st anniversary of their disappearance, they
are hoping a coronial inquiry will be announced.
Allan George Whyte, 17, and his girlfriend Maureen Joyce Braddy, 16,
were last seen alive on November 23, 1968, at a YMCA dance in Mundy
Street.
Allan’s niece, Michelle Tobin, said the family found it difficult to
talk about her uncle’s case.
“I always figured there is too much hurt, especially for dad,” she said.
“My dad, being the last to see his brother alive, must carry so much
hurt.
“The sadness he has felt, and others have felt, over the last 41 years
has been unimaginable.”
Mr Whyte was the youngest of 14 children. On the night he disappeared he
went to the dance with Ms Braddy.
They were last seen out the front of the YMCA Hall where they spoke to
Ms Tobin’s father.
He invited them to a party at his place but Mr Whyte declined, saying he
was taking Ms Braddy home.
They haven’t been seen since.
For many years it was believed the couple had run away together, and
their disappearance was treated as a missing persons’ case.
Ms Tobin said Allan’s mother never gave up hope that her son was still
alive.
“She believed he was going to come back,” Ms Tobin said.
“I think for a majority of nan’s life she believed he was alive. No
parent wants to believe their children have gone before them.”
Thirty years after the young couple’s disappearance new information came
to light and Bendigo police acknowledged the couple had met with foul
play.
In 2001 they reopened the case, declaring it a murder investigation.
“For years growing up I could never understand why uncle Allan would
stay away from the family that long, why he never contacted them,” Ms
Tobin said.
The bodies of Ms Braddy and Mr Whyte, who would now be 57 and 58
respectively, have never been found.
Sergeant Jamie Ward worked closely on the case many years ago. He said
the police investigation remained open.
“We believe there is someone out there that may be able to provide
significant information that may be of great value to the
investigation,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance should contact the
Bendigo CIU on 5448 1370 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Family granted inquest into missing
Bendigo teens
WHITNEY HARRIS- Bendigo Advertiser
FOUR decades after they vanished from a YMCA dance, a coroner
will examine the mysterious disappearance, and possible murder,
of Bendigo teenagers Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte.
Members of the young couple’s family are expected to attend a
mention hearing in Bendigo Magistrates Court on November 22,
where the case will be discussed and a date for the inquest set.
The disappearance of Ms Braddy, 16, and Mr Whyte, 17, is
one of Bendigo’s longest-running mysteries.
The inquest, which the families have been pushing for in
the hope it will lead to an arrest, comes 43 years after the
couple vanished and 10 years after Bendigo police declared their
disappearance a double-murder investigation.
Ms Braddy and Mr Whyte were last seen alive on November
23, 1968, at a YMCA dance in Mundy Street.
For many years it was believed the couple had run away
together, and their disappearance was treated as a missing
persons case.
However, 30 years later new information came to light and
Bendigo police acknowledged the couple had probably met with
foul play.
In 2001 they reopened the case, declaring it a murder
investigation.
In June last year the Coroner’s Court confirmed the matter
would be heard in an open court, but a date was not set.
At the time Detective Sergeant Brendon Murphy said he
welcomed the court’s decision.
“The circumstances surrounding this disappearance is
something that hasn’t been fully aired in the public arena,” he
said.
“We’re hoping the evidence given at the inquiry will
assist police and (Ms Braddy’s and Mr Whyte’s) families in
getting more answers to the mystery.”
Members from both families hope the inquest will shed
light on the couple’s disappearance and bring closure.
The mention hearing on November 22 will likely discuss who
will be called to give evidence.
Coroner examines case of missing teens
Claire Slattery - ABC
Updated
November 22, 2011 07:56:36
A hearing will begin today into the disappearance of two teenagers
from Bendigo 43 years ago.
Maureen Braddy, 16, and Allan Whyte, who was 17, vanished on the
November 23, 1968.
They were last seen leaving a dance at a YMCA hall.
It had been widely believed they were lovers and had run away
together.
But in 2001 police began a murder investigation after receiving
new information about the disappearance.
The police and families have been pushing for an inquest ever
since.
The deputy State Coroner will hold a hearing today, to set dates
for the inquest and decide who will be called to give evidence.
Inquest granted for missing Bendigo teens
BRETT WORTHINGTON
23 Nov, 2011 09:48 AM
THE Victorian Coroners Court will hold a week-long inquest into
a 43-year-old case of two missing teens.Tears and applause
erupted from family members of Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte as
the coroner yesterday announced an inquest.
The announcement came as family members of the suspected
murdered teens mark the anniversary of their disappearance
today.
Tears and applause broke out in a Bendigo court at the
announcement of a coronial inquest into the disappearance of two
Bendigo teens.
Today marks the 43rd anniversary of Maureen Braddy and Allan
Whyte’s mysterious disappearance.
Twelve members of the believed deceased teens sat anxiously
in Bendigo Magistrates Court yesterday awaiting Coroner Iain
West’s ruling.
After a 30-minute directions hearing, an outpouring of
emotion erupted when the Deputy State Coroner gave the families
the news they had wanted to hear: that a week-long inquest would
start on March 26 next year.
Maureen Braddy’s youngest sister Lyn Ireland repeated the
word “finally” in the wake of the announcement.
“It should not have got this far. It should have been
resolved years ago and it wasn’t,” she said.
“There is a lot of stuff that was never brought forward and
it should have been and now the kids have got their day in court
on the 26th of March and I am looking forward to it.”
Maureen was 16 and Allan 17 when they disappeared in 1968.
The couple was last seen leaving a dance at the YMCA Hall on
the corner of Mundy Street and Lyttleton Terrace.
Allan’s brother Kevin had invited the couple to an
after-party but they declined.
This was the last reported sighting of the teens.
The coroner said the inquest would analyse the circumstances
on the night of the disappearance and assess the adequacy of the
police investigation between 1968 and 1998.
The hearing will also determine if there is any evidence that
suggests foul play, any allegations of criminal activity, any
suspects or issues around self-incrimination and where the
bodies might be.
The coroner will hear from 29 witnesses.
Authorities had treated the disappearance as a missing
persons case until Detective Sergeant Brendan Murphy reopened
the case in 2001, declaring it a murder investigation.
“The kids deserve closure, they deserve a proper burial and
we would like to keep them together when they are buried,” Ms
Ireland said.
“It is just something that should have never got this far, it
should have been resolved a long time ago.
“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me get this
far... what do you say? Sorry to the Whytes for what’s happened?
“That will never solve anything, you can say sorry until the
cows come home.
‘‘I feel sorry for them. I mean, I work at an old-age
facility where Allan’s mother actually died and her last words
were for her son.
“All she wanted the whole time she was there was her son and
she never got it.
“Well, it’s time this was resolved, so I am really looking
forward to March 26th.”
Coronial inquest into missing Bendigo
teens close
BRETT WORTHINGTON - Bendigo Advertiser
BENDIGO’S Lyn Ireland is counting down the days until a
Coronial inquest into her sister’s disappearance starts.
The Victorian Coroners Court will hold a week-long inquest
into the 43-year-old case of missing teens Maureen Braddy and
Allan Whyte.
Ms Ireland, Maureen’s youngest sister, has spent decades
calling for a Coronial inquest into her sister’s suspected
murder.
“It is overwhelming, I am counting down the days,” she
said.
“I can feel it coming on. The pressure is starting to
build up.
“We are hoping that people will come forward.
“And hopefully this will encourage other people in a
similar situation to speak out and push for inquests to find
answers about their loved ones.”
Maureen was 16 and Allan 17 when they disappeared in 1968.
The couple was last seen leaving a dance at the YMCA Hall
at the corner of Mundy Street and Lyttleton Terrace in Bendigo.
It was their first date and they rejected an invite to go
to an after-party and opted to go home. This was the last
reported sighting of the teens.
In November the Deputy State Coroner approved a week-long
inquest.
“It is an amazing feeling but emotionally stressful,” Ms
Ireland said.
“We have been waiting for this for so long.
“I have paid for everything myself.
“It has been hard trying to find the money and this won’t
be the end.
“The Coroner’s findings might put it back in the police’s
hands and they will have to deal with it. It is going to take a
long time.”
Authorities treated the disappearance as a missing persons
case until Detective Sergeant Brendan Murphy reopened the case
in 2001, declaring it a murder investigation.
The inquest will analyse the circumstances on the night of
the disappearance and assess the adequacy of the police
investigation between 1968 and 1998.
The hearing will also determine if there is any evidence
that suggests foul play, any allegations of criminal activity,
any suspects or issues around self-incrimination and where the
bodies might be.
Almost 30 witnesses will give evidence.
The inquest is in Bendigo and starts on March 26.
'Gunshots and screams': 50-year-old mystery of teen couple's
disappearance
It’s been 50 years since 16-year-old Maureen Braddy and
17-year-old Allan Whyte disappeared from the once-small town of
Bendigo.
Disregarded as teenage runways, the young couple's mysterious
disappearance wasn’t fully investigated by police for years.
Not until their families pushed for more did police to have a
closer look at the case.
Since 1968, police reports and a coronial inquest finding have
listed one man as the main suspect – Maureen’s own father,
Stanley Braddy.
A Current Affair reporter
Martin King visited Stan at his rural property to question him
about the allegation that he murdered his daughter.
Stan said it was all “rubbish” and that he has “b----- trouble
killing something to eat”.
Lyn Ireland, Maureen’s younger sister, told the Melbourne
Coroners Court on the night Maureen and Allan disappeared, she
saw a man carrying a body.
“Dad and another man – that's passed on – they had a body, but
it was really hard to explain how they were carrying that body,”
she said.
Lyn believes the body was that of Allan Whyte.
“I wouldn’t take much notice of what Lynney told you,” Stan said
to King about Lyn’s recollection of the night.
“I think she exaggerates a bit.”
Lyn says she’s far from exaggerating and has been working
tirelessly to get the police to dig up a well and mineshaft
where she believes Stan disposed of Maureen and Allan’s bodies.
But there are two problems the Braddy and Whyte families are
facing before they can get police to act.
The first is Stan concreted over the well in question and built
an extension room over it.
And since then, new homeowners have moved in.
The second problem is police don’t feel as though there’s enough
evidence to dig up the well and search the nearby mineshaft.
“They're saying there's no evidence, not enough evidence even
though you've seen something, there was gunshots, there was
screams, there was everything,” Lyn said.
These days, Stan lives with his dog on a bush road outside a
Victorian country town, and maintains he was not involved in the
disappearance of her daughter and her boyfriend.
When King asked Stan if he could remember if he killed two
people, Stan replied that he “certainly would” remember it but
then said “as far as remembering things, I got trouble
remembering what I done a couple of days ago.”
Victoria Police still have a $1 million reward for any
information leading to an arrest of the murder of Maureen Braddy
and Allan Whyte.
A Current Affair is
not suggesting Stan Braddy is guilty, only that police consider
him to be the prime suspect. Both families, the Braddys and the
Whytes want the investigation to continue.
Anybody with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.
Missing kids campaign: “We’re frozen in time”
Help us give Aussie families the greatest gift
of all by reuniting them with their kids for the festive season
It doesn’t matter how long a child has been missing, they are and always
will be someone’s beloved son, daughter, brother, sister, grandchild,
niece or nephew – that sense of loss never fades.
Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte have been missing for 455,520 hours …
18,980 days … 2711 weeks … 624 months – no matter how you break it down,
time has not been a healer for their long-suffering, heartbroken
families.
Fifty-two years ago on November 23, 1968 – 16-year-old Maureen and
17-year-old Allan left together for a dance at the local YMCA club on
Mundy Street in their hometown of Bendigo, VIC – but what happened after
that remains unknown.
The two teens – who had their whole life ahead of them – have never been
seen since.
“I remember Maureen looked so pretty that day, wearing a red dress and
white boots,” her sister Lynie Ireland Butterworth tells New
Idea. “And Allan was such a nice lad, she was always happy when
they were together.”
Little Lynie – the second youngest of 10 Braddy children – was just 8
years old when her big sister vanished.
“When they left the dance at around 8.30pm, Allan’s brother, Kevin,
invited them to a party, which they politely declined,” Lynie explains.
“Allan said he was going to take Maureen home, but they never returned.”
Allan had a big family too – 14 siblings – and when both families
realised the pair hadn’t returned home, they raised the alarm the next
morning.
In the days following, it sadly appeared that their disappearance had
been brushed under the carpet, with the police branding them as
runaways.
Time passed and the case
remained unsolved – and it eventually went cold.
But Lynie refuses to believe her sister – who they affectionately
remember as being a happy, headstrong teen – simply left them.
“Us kids had a tough time growing up,” Lynie admits. “We were weary of
dad and not close to him, but we adored our mum and my brothers and
sisters were thick as thieves! Maureen was so protective of us and she
had high standards and morals, she was the kind of person that would
always do the right thing – she’d never just leave us.”
Disappearing with only the clothes on their backs, Maureen failed to
collect her wages from the Crystal Egg Company, where she worked, and
Allan left behind the new car he’d recently bought. His bank savings
were also untouched.
With little to go on, time marched on and all too quickly the teens
became nothing but a memory. It’s a nightmare
for any family, and one that has tortured and tormented the Braddys
and the Whytes for years.
In 2014, a Victorian coroner ruled the pair likely met with foul play –
it was a ruling Lynie was disappointed to hear.
“I want answers during my lifetime,” Lynie says, resolute. “Mum’s no
longer with us, we’re not in touch with dad, but we believe someone who
lived in the local area at the time can unlock the key to their fate.”
Taking matters into their own hands, the family have not left a stone
unturned – even pushing for a $1million reward, which was put in place
in 2017.
While they longed for it to lead to crucial information, once again
hopes were dashed and the teens’ disappearance that has gripped the
Bendigo community for decades has reached a stalemate.
“We’re frozen in time,” Lynie says. “The rest of the world has moved on,
but for us, the longer there are no answers, the harder it gets.”
Yet Lynie and her family – as well as Allan’s – will never give up and
have been trying to retrace the pair’s last-known steps to piece
together the timeline of their movements.
There have been many theories, sightings and reports over the years.
One witness report states they saw Maureen and Allan sitting on the
steps outside the YMCA that night, and overheard them planning to run
away.
Another witness believes they saw them going home on the tram after the
dance.
“We’re begging for help – especially from those that lived in Bendigo at
that time. Please cast your mind back to landmarks or streets they
could’ve passed that night,” Lynie says.
“Did you see them on Vinton Street or by the well on our property on
Vinton Street, were they on Mundy Street, by the YMCA, on the tram or
near the Sandhurst pub?”
Lynie misses her big sister every day – a work colleague even crocheted
the 60-year-old mother and grandmother a doll of Maureen to bring
comfort that she was always by Lynie’s side.
“Maureen was always someone who would do the right thing,” Lynie says.
“So if you know something, please, do the right thing by her and speak
out and let us know where my sister and Allan are.”
friends
or contacts. 
