Derek Percy is a suspect in two notorious crimes that shocked Australia: the 1965 Wanda Beach murders and the 1966 disappearance of the Beaumont children in Adelaide. Both cases occurred at beaches and resulted in reports of a mysterious young man at the scene.
The hunt for the killer of Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, both 15, at the Sydney beach became one of Australia's biggest police investigations. Peter Crawford, a resident who visited beaches near where the murders occurred, was the same age as the victims. 'Everyone was so shocked by it. It generated enormous publicity,' he said.
Marianne and Christine, neighbours in West Ryde, accompanied by Marianne's younger brothers and sisters, went to Cronulla, arriving at about 11am. The beach was closed, so they went to its southern end. Marianne suggested they walk north, past Wanda Beach.
The next day, resident Peter Smith was walking behind Wanda Beach and discovered the bodies of the girls, who had been raped and bashed to death. No one was caught. But there have been suspects - including Percy.
Crime writer John Silvester drew parallels between the case and Percy's 1969 murder of Yvonne Tuohy. 'As in the Tuohy case, the victims were taken from the beach and dumped nearby. The crotch area of one of the girl's bathers had been cut out. Percy had been slashing female underwear ... just weeks earlier.'
Wayne Gordes recalls similarities between a police identikit picture and Percy, who he knew as a teenager. 'I jokingly thought to myself, 'that's Derek',' Mr Gordes told The Age.