The Unsolved Murder Of Another Child: Allen Redston, Queensland, Australia, 1966.
Allen Redston. A tribute still hangs on the wall of the school he attended.
There are so many aging murder cases where the pattern is similar. Just the child’s name and location change. Who kills these kids and then walks away leaving the family with the anguish of wondering?
On 28th September 1966 this six year old boy was waiting outside his friend’s house on Holman Street. Something tempted him to wander off.
His body was found in a creek bed the next day. The location was very close to where he was last seen, but cops don’t believe he died there. He was wrapped in a carpet and a dressing gown. He had been strangled. The gown he was entangled in was one a local resident had discarded in a waste tipping site. This poor little lad had been tied up both by his hands and feet.
Holman Street intersects with Dry Street which then leads onto Services Street. These are all in south west Canberra. That is a thriving city now but back then the area of Curtin was being built up. The Yarralumla is the creek in question where the boy was found. It runs north to south a short distance from where Allen was last seen.
By teatime his younger brother had returned home. The two had been together earlier buying ice cream. Such an innocent way to spend a Wednesday afternoon in a safe, nicely spaced neighbourhood.
According to the police website (below) in 2003 and 2004 links were made to an individual and further witnesses were sought. In a 2021 article by the Canberra City News the way the lad had been tied included a noose leading to his neck. The design meant as he moved he slowly strangled himself.
It is tempting in these sort of cases to think that the offender will be long dead or at least living on the edge of an aging life. What does it really count in these times of war and uncertainty?
The killer, this sadistic mess of a human, might well be in their 60s not 80s. It has happened before that those that kill young children are not that much older than the victim. Of course this creature who destroyed the blond haired little boy in 1966 could be long in his or her grave. That should not mean we bury these cases. We should remember the victims like Wesley Neailey, Allan Graham, Gennette Tate, Dana Bradley , Johanna Young and Roy Tutill . Their tales give us the means to try and keep our own safe.
If you know anything about the death of this defenceless six year old boy and you think it is time to bring some peace to his family the link to the Federal cops is below. By the way…It is time.
Regards
Nina
https://www.police.act.gov.au/crime/unsolved-homicides/allen-redston
