Murder of Betty Shanks
The murder of Betty Shanks is one of the oldest and most notorious unsolved murder cases in Queensland, Australia. On the night of 19 September 1952, Betty Shanks was brutally murdered while walking home in Grange, Brisbane, after getting off a tram. Her body was discovered the next morning, leading to Queensland's largest criminal investigation at the time. Various theories and false confessions have surfaced over the years, but the case remains Queensland's oldest unsolved murder.
Overview
Betty Shanks was a University of Queensland graduate and worked as a public servant for the Commonwealth's Department of Interior. She had grown up in the neighbourhood of Grange and continued to live with her parents.On the night of 19 September 1952, Shanks attended a night lecture at the State Commercial High School in Brisbane, finishing around 9:00 PM. Her lecturer drove her to a tram stop in Windsor, where she boarded a tram to Grange. She was last seen alive disembarking at Days Road Terminus in Grange shortly after 9:30 PM. From there, she began her 400-meter walk along Thomas Street towards her home on Montpelier Street.
Shanks' father stayed up waiting for her, and when she did not return home, her parents reported her missing to the local police at 1:30 AM.
Her violently beaten body was found in the garden of a house on the corner of Carberry and Thomas Streets the next morning at 5:35 AM, by a nearby resident who was a policeman.
Investigation
Police believe Shanks was murdered within a narrow 12-minute window between 9:38 PM and 9:53 PM. Witnesses reported hearing screams between 9:38 PM and 9:45 PM, and Shanks' wristwatch stopped at 9:53 PM.Early in the investigation, police considered the possibility that Shanks was attacked by a sex offender. Another theory suggests that the murderer may have targeted the wrong woman, intending to attack a doctor's receptionist who walked the same route at the same time and had keys to a surgery containing drugs. Over the years, several individuals have confessed to the crime, but all confessions have been proven false.
At the time it was Queensland's biggest criminal investigation. As of 2024, a reward of A$50,000 remains current for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of those responsible for the murder.