In September 1966, the disappearance of a young Canberra schoolboy ended in a horrifying discovery—and left investigators with a murder that has remained unsolved for decades.
Allen Geoffrey Redston, an Australian schoolboy, disappeared from the Canberra suburb of Curtin on September 27, 1966. The following day, his body was found in a creek bed nearby. Whoever was responsible was never identified or charged, and the case remains one of Canberra’s most disturbing cold cases.
A Simple Errand Ends in Disappearance
On the afternoon of September 27, Allen’s mother asked him to go to the local shops in Curtin to buy ice cream for himself and his brother.
Allen initially went with his brother but eventually sent him away. He then made plans to visit a friend’s home and spend some time around the Curtin tip.
At some point, Allen left the area.
After that, nobody saw him alive again.
His disappearance quickly became a serious concern, and a search began. The following day, police made a grim discovery in a creek bed in Curtin.
The Discovery
Allen’s body was located among reeds in the creek.
Investigators determined that the boy had been bound and strangled. His body had also been wrapped in carpet and apparently transported before being left at the creek.
The circumstances suggested that Allen had not simply wandered away. He had been deliberately restrained and killed.
Police launched a major investigation in an attempt to determine who had taken the boy and why.
Two Suspicious Figures
During the investigation, witnesses provided descriptions of two people who had reportedly been seen with Allen earlier that day and were also seen leaving the Curtin tip.
One was described as a blond-haired youth, approximately 13 to 15 years old. The other was described as a young man.
The investigation took an even more disturbing turn when two boys came forward with stories about encounters earlier in the same year.
Both described being approached and restrained by two men matching similar descriptions.
In one incident, a boy had been tied up and thrown into a lake. He managed to free himself and swim to safety.
In the other, a second boy was also bound but escaped after receiving assistance from friends.
Neither incident had originally been reported to police. Their accounts only came to light after Allen’s murder investigation began.
The similarities raised the possibility that Allen’s killing might not have been an isolated attack.
A Possible Link to Derek Percy
Over the years, suspicion surrounding Allen’s murder turned toward Derek Percy, an Australian convicted murderer and suspected serial killer.
Percy was known to have been in Canberra around the time of Allen’s disappearance and reportedly claimed that he had been visiting the city during that period.
However, Percy never confessed to killing Allen, and no charge was ever brought against him in connection with the case.
Percy died in 2013, taking whatever knowledge he may have had about Allen’s death with him.
A Mystery That Remains
More than half a century later, Allen Redston’s murder remains unresolved.
There was no successful prosecution, no confirmed killer, and no definitive explanation for what happened to the young boy after he left the Curtin area.
The accounts of other children who described remarkably similar attacks added another disturbing dimension to the case, but they were never enough to establish who was responsible for Allen’s death.
Allen was only a schoolboy when he disappeared. What began as an ordinary trip to buy ice cream ended with a murder that shocked Canberra and became one of the city’s enduring unsolved mysteries.
Decades later, the central question remains the same:
Who took Allen Redston—and why?
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.
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