Two N.Z. men sought

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 6

Two N.Z. men sought

NZPA Melbourne The Melbourne police hope that persons on the fringe of an Australasian drug ring will come forward with information which may solve the Rye double murder mystery. The bodies of two New Zealanders, Douglas Wilson, aged 26, and his wife, Isabel, aged 24, were found in a bush grave at Rye, 75 km south of Melbourne, a week ago. The head of the Victoria police homicide squad, Detective Chief Inspector P. Delianis, told reporters yesterday that the couple were believed to have been killed because they fell out with persons high in the drugs organisation.

He said that the police were particularly trying to get in touch with two men, whom they believed could help with investigations. Identikit photographs of the two, both New Zealand-

ers, were released in Melbourne yesterday and have been passed to the New Zealand police.

Mr Delianis said one man was aged 33, 167 cm (sft 7in) tall, with brown hair, balding, and of medium build. The other was aged 39 years, with brown hair and of medium build. Investigations showed a strong connection between the Wilsons’ deaths and rhe running of an Australasian drug ring which had been in Australia for some time, said Mr Delianis.

This ring hid been known to police sources for some time before the killings. "The Wilsons may have fallen out with someone high up in the organisation,” Mr Delianis said. “We would like to hear from persons on the fringe of this drug opera, tion to talk confidentially.” He said the Australian police wanted to hear especially from New Zealanders, as well as Australians

and the New Zealand community in Australia.

Detectives had spoken to many persons in the last few days and the Identikit pictures were drawn up as a result.

Mr Delianis said the two New Zealanders were helieved to be in Australia, possibly in Melbourne, at present.

“They move fairly frequently between Australia and New Zealand,” he said. The police were almost certain that the Wilsons were killed on the evening of Good Friday or the next morning. “We know that they came to Melbourne for 24 hours on the Sunday before Easter, and they returned on Good Friday,” Mr Delianis said One theory’ is that thev were lured to Melbourne and killed after drifting out of the organisation. An autopsy’ revealed that both were shot several times with a .22 calibre weapon.