TERRIBLE FATE

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 170, 14 April 1932, Page 7

TERRIBLE FATE

Murder of Man and Girl

POLICE DISCOVERIES Motive Complete Mystery By Telegraph—Press Assn.— Copyright (Ree. April 13, 7 p.m.) Sydney, April 13. The battered body of Dorothy Denzel (not Denzll, as spelt previously) was lifted from its shallow grave in the bush three miles from Liverpool to-day. Police had kept vigil overnight, the object being to allow experts to obtain by daylight all available evidence likely to afford clues to the murderer. It was quickly evident that the girl had met the same terrible fate as her companion, Frank Wilkinson, with whom she went for a motor ride last Tuesday week. Her features were practically obliterated, for she had been shot at close range with a shotgun. The body was practically naked except for a woollen pullover and a piece of her dress was drawn tightly round the neck. The remainder of her clothing was missing. Hands Tied Behind Back. As in the case of Mr. Wilkinson, her hands were tied behind her back with strips of rug. The police are of opinion that the girl was brutally murdered within ten feet of her grave. Bloodstains indicate the position where she fell. Owing to the heavy rain since th.e crime was committed all footprints had been obliterated. One of the girl’s shoes was found in the grave and one of her stockings on the way leading to the grave. Twenty feet from the spot the police found pellets of shot and portions of a human skull. These and other grim relics were gathered by the police to assist in tracing the murderer. The motive of the crime is a complete mystery. The only theory is that the person or persons responsible for it wanted to steal Mr. Wilkinson’s car, which was a sporting model, and that he put up a fight, was rendered unconscious and killed. The girl was then gagged and finally killed in order to escape all possibility of identification. Community Stirred. The community is thoroughly stirred by the crime, many citizens declaring that the murderer deserved lynching. Detectives possess the most valuable evidence, not the least Important being a shotgun which was found in a Burwood home, the owner of which is now being sought. The detectives are as certain of the identity of the murderer as they were that the young couple had been slain. The hills surrounding the Anzac rifle range in the Liverpool district are being searched diligently in the hope that the murderer is hiding there. Mr. Wilkinson’s funeral to-day was most impressive, thousands gathering to witness it. Miss Denzel’s body will be interred to-morrow alongside Mr. Wilkinson’s, under arrangement with the parents.