MURDER OF GIRL

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30170, 29 June 1963, Page 13

MURDER OF GIRL

Clue Found In Search

(N.Z Press Assn.—Copynglit) SYDNEY June 28 A piece of rag used to gag Monica Schofield before she was criminally assaulted, strangled and buried is in the posses-

sion of the police. The Ilin x 9;n piece of material has been identified bv a woman who gave it to a charitable organisation Scientific *ests have proved conclusively that the piece of material was used as # gag One thread from it was found on Monica’s cardigan Other threads were caught in a knot in rhe rope used to kil her

The material is of imported woven cotton

A police officer engaged on the search found the cloth dinging to a tree in thick scrub at Heathcote, near the death scene last Friday About five yards from where the cloth was found police found a piece of rope about 30 inches long which tney believe could have been used to strangle the little girl who lived at the Hammondvile immigrant hostel on the out* irts of Sydney Monica, who was aged 12. disappeared after leaving the hostel just before 8 a m on June 17 on her way to East Hills high school Her bodv was found in a shallow grave A post-mortem showed she bad been strangled and. that ar attempt had been made to criminally assault her Part of her clothing was found near the grave Superintenden* R Walden said the cloth had been identified by a Sydney woman who told police her sister sent the material from England to her about fpur or five years ago “The woman has told- us that she made a blouse a-nd tress from the material Later, the woman told police that some time ago she gave the blouse and dress to a charitable organisation "The woman has positively identified the piece of material by her own hemstitching and the machine stitching,” he said.