Bronwynne Richardson: The unsolved beauty queen murder has a $1m reward
The 1973 murder of 17-year-old beauty queen, Bronwynne Richardson, rocked the Albury community to its core. Decades later, her murder remains unsolved. But her family, and police, have not given up hope of finding the killer.
Albury Wodonga
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Stan and Noelle Richardson drove past a car parked by Horseshoe Lagoon in October 1973, unaware their daughter was floating in the Murray River after being raped and murdered.
“Somebody’s fishing late”, Stan remarked as he drove Noelle and Bronwynne’s sister Fiona past the popular swimming hole.
The 17-year-old beauty queen, Bronwynne Richardson, would lie in the river for two days before her body was found on Sunday, October 14.
Bronwynne’s parents were on their way to a birthday party in Albury two nights earlier while their daughter was set to take part in the coveted regional beauty pageant, the Belle of Belles Ball.
Stan received a phone call from a policeman while at the party, informing him that Bronwynne’s handbag had been found in the driveway of the Smollett St Catholic Church’s presbytery, opposite the Coles supermarket where she worked.
Her parents had still not heard from her by 1pm the following day, and her boyfriend reported that Bronwynne had never appeared at the Belle of Belles Ball.
Noelle asked her son Robert to visit Bronwynne’s place while her and Stan made the 45-minute drive to Albury police station to report their daughter missing.
Robert arrived at Bronwynne’s home to discover that she had not made it home after her shift at Coles on October 12.
Her brand new pink, water-weight taffeta dress was still hanging on her door unworn.
Stan had also begun searching for Bronwynne, stopping at the church presbytery where her bag had been found.
It was there Stan also uncovered one of Bronwynne’s black corduroy shoes, along with a copy of Dolly magazine that likely belonged to her.
Stan then closely examined marks on the ground that looked like someone had been dragged from the footpath onto the road, realising he may be standing at the spot Bronwynne was snatched from.
Stan and Noelle’s worst fears were confirmed the following morning on October 14.
Albury police broke the news that Bronwynne’s battered body was found floating in Horseshoe Lagoon, the swimming hole the Richardson family had driven past two nights earlier.
“We didn’t know at the time, but we were probably driving past Bronwynne …,” Noelle told author of Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls Justin Ford.
Bronwynne was only wearing a purple jumper when she was found.
Her vagina was bleeding while part of her pantyhose was tied around her ankle, suggesting she had endured a brutal sexual assault before she was strangled and drowned in the river.
Bronwynne’s family still cannot bring themselves to read the full extent of her struggle, outlined in the two post-mortem forensic reports carried out after her death.
“To this day, I’ve never opened it,’ her sister Fiona said.
Homicide detectives found Bronwynne was expecting a ride home from work from a friend of her boyfriend’s that never showed up because he thought he was collecting Bronwynne from home, not Coles, at 5.45pm.
The most chilling account came from a man who seemed to have witnessed the abduction itself at about 7.05pm.
He said he drove past Smollett Street where he saw someone being pushed into a green FB Holden by a group of people.
Bronwynne’s 1973 murder remains a mystery, with a $1 million reward posted by the NSW
government for information leading to her killer.
“We believe someone in the community knows what happened and has information about those involved in her death,” Fiona said.
“Please come forward and speak to the police – now is the time to put things right.”
Anyone with information should call 1800 333 000 or visit nsw.crimestoppers.com.au
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Contact Cassandra at cassandra.glover@news.com.au
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