Police offer $1m reward for information that solves mysterious cold case

THE mystery around these missing teenage lovers sounds like a movie. Some say she was pregnant and the pair ran away. Others say they were killed.

Maureen Braddy went missing in Bendigo in 1969.

THE mystery around missing teenage sweethearts sounds like a Hollywood movie.

Many have speculated the young girl was pregnant, the lovers ran away, or that they were killed after a night out.

Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte fell in love and worked together at a factory in Bendigo, 150 kilometres north west of Melbourne.

In November 1968, the pair went to a dance at the town’s YMCA centre, but their date would end in death.

For almost 50 years what happened to them remained a mystery and after intensive police and coroner investigations, all that has been determined is the lovebirds met with foul play.

Now a $1 million reward has been offered to anybody who can give police information that will solve the mystery.

It is believed Maureen was pregnant when she died, after she confided in a relative.

She was just 16-years-old and had short black hair, blue eyes and was pigeon-toed.

Allan Whyte went missing from Bendigo about 50 years ago.

Maureen Braddy may have been pregnant when she disappeared.

Maureen and her 17-year-old boyfriend left the dance about 9pm on November 23 1968.

Allan’s brother invited them to a party but the boyfriend wanted to take Maureen back to her home in California Gully, five kilometres from Bendigo’s city centre.

The lovers never made it to Maureen’s home and they haven’t been seen since they left the steps at the YMCA.

It is believed Allan left his car behind, one that he recently bought, and police think the couple may have died on the night they disappeared, as bank accounts had not been touched since they left the dance.

An inquest into the disappearance heard in 2013 Maureen told her grandmother she was “in trouble”.

The Bendigo Advertiser reported she said something happened at home and she had to get away.

The girl’s aunt, Valerie O’Donoghue, claimed Maureen’s mother may have helped the pair run away.

Ms O’Donoghue was criticised for not giving police this information when she first gave a statement and the Bendigo Advertiser reported the aunt didn’t think it was something police needed to know and if Maureen “wanted to disappear that’s her business”.

The police believed the disappearance could have been a double murder.

Maureen Braddy was last seen leaving a dance with her boyfriend.

Stan Braddy was questioned during the coronial inquest.

The Herald Sun reported Maureen’s father Stanley Braddy was questioned during the coronial inquest but there was no evidence to suggest Mr Braddy had anything to do with the disappearance.

Mr Braddy has denied his daughter is dead.

Maureen’s sister Debra MacDonnell told the Herald Sun she has a theory about what happened.

“It was all because of her being pregnant,” she said.

Mrs MacDonnell said she thought the bodies may have been discarded in a mineshaft.

Maureen’s other sister Lyn Ireland also told an inquest she saw two men carrying somebody covered with blood on the night she disappeared, though she was only eight at the time.

Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte were last seen on the steps of the Bendigo YMCA.

On Monday Allan’s brother Kevin Whyte said they used to go fishing and camping and worked away on farms.

When Allan disappeared, his family just thought he was away working and he wasn’t reported missing for six months.

“Allan was a happy go lucky boy,” he said.

“I don’t know what to think.”

Despite the disappearance being almost 50 years ago, Mr Whyte was still visibly distressed by the tragedy.

“I’d look at his photo every night nearly. It’s stuck in your mind, you can’t get rid of it,” he said.

Allan was meant to go to the party Mr Whyte was throwing the night of the disappearance but chose Maureen.

Ms Ireland told reporters on Monday she saw Maureen for the last time on the day she disappeared. Maureen got home from their grandmother’s house, upset about something.

Ms Ireland is sure somebody knows something and said during the coronial inquest a suspect sat back in the chair and said “prove it”.

“They showed very little respect to a judge. To me the attitude in those court rooms and what was said does state that what happened to the kids that night, they were definitely murdered,” she said.

Victoria Police Detective Inspector Stephen Dennis announced $1 million reward for information about Allan Whyte and Maureen Brady. Picture: Jay Town

Ms Ireland is asking herself everyday what happened to her older sister and it was a living nightmare.

“It’s something that goes through your mind. You look in the mirror and see Maureen. Being sisters, you look back. We all looked alike. Some of the things you do you think ‘yep, that’s Maureen, she would’ve done that,” Ms Ireland said. .

Maureen’s family was close growing up, but Ms Ireland said after she went missing they drifted apart. The family is begging for closure and Ms Ireland said they weren’t even after a conviction, they just want to find the remains.

“We just want them returned to the families so we can give them a burial they deserve and get on with life,” she said.

Detective Inspector from the Missing Persons Squad, Stephen Dennis, said police were confident there was somebody in the Bendigo area who knew what happened on the night Maureen and Allan disappeared.

“We’ve kept an open mind throughout the investigation and that’s why we are encouraging people to come forward to police,” he said.

Inspector Dennis urges people to reveal any information, even if it’s trivial.

“People may have seen them or heard talk about where they were going,” he said.

Anybody with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.