Victoria Police have announced a $1 million reward for information concerning the 1976 disappearance of eight-year-old Eloise Worledge from her Beaumaris, Melbourne home. The reward, a significant increase from the initial $10,000 offered in 1976, uniquely includes payment for information leading to the discovery of Eloise's remains. This development comes as the investigation, which remains active, sees a renewed focus on potential leads and individuals, including a deceased local man identified through recent journalistic inquiry.
Disappearance and Initial Investigation
Eloise Worledge, aged eight, was last seen in her Beaumaris home on January 12, 1976, around 11:40 PM. Her parents, Lindsay and Patsy Worledge, reported her missing the following morning, January 13, 1976, around 8:00 AM. Her bicycle, a recent Christmas gift, was found at the home.
Investigators discovered that the fly screen on the window next to Eloise's bed had been cut and rolled up, and the window was open. The initial police search, involving over 200 personnel (some reports state over 250), became one of the largest ever launched by Victoria Police at the time. However, the initial response faced criticism for potential crime scene contamination.
Detectives noted the parents' emotional state, and it was revealed that their marriage was in a state of collapse, with Lindsay having planned to move out on the day Eloise disappeared. Some senior police later suggested that the initial broad search strategy might have diverted resources, and some local residents reported not being interviewed despite police claims of doorknocking 6,000 homes.
Early Forensic Findings and Subsequent Challenges
In late January 1976, forensic examiners re-examined the scene, determining that the cut in the fly screen was likely made from inside the bedroom, suggesting the scene was staged to simulate an abduction through the window. It was theorized that Eloise was likely carried out through the front door. An unexplained adult asthma pill was also found in the Worledge driveway during initial searches.
A handwritten letter addressed to Eloise, described as 10-20 lines long with "strong religious overtones" and references to her being "saved," was found in her bedroom during a second sweep. This letter was reportedly dismissed by original detectives as insignificant and has since been lost. Eloise's aunt confirmed no such uncle from the UK, as initially suggested, existed.
Leads pursued included sightings of young men acting strangely near the home, a suspicious green 1966 Holden station wagon, and reports from two neighbors who heard a car door slam and a child cry out around 2:00 AM on January 13, 1976. Despite extensive efforts, the investigating taskforce was disbanded just over a month after the disappearance.
Later Developments and Reinvestigations
Decades later, in 2021, reports emerged of sexual abuse by teachers at Beaumaris Primary School, where Eloise was a student. This prompted speculation, but a 2023 review, initiated by a Board of Enquiry, found no links between the school's alleged offending and Eloise's case.
During a reinvestigation in the early 2000s, two individuals were interviewed: David MacGregor, a teacher from Beaumaris Primary with a history of abuse, and Alistair Webster, a local man with a history of sexual offenses. At the time, no evidence linking them to Eloise's disappearance was found. A coroner ruled in 2003 that Eloise had likely died but could not determine the specific circumstances. The coronial inquest yielded an open finding.
Renewed Focus and Potential Suspect
Recently, journalist Russell Jackson's investigation, stemming from a past encounter with David MacGregor, has brought new information to light. MacGregor, a twice-convicted paedophile schoolteacher, reportedly asked about Eloise Worledge, stating he was meant to be her teacher in 1976 and recalled asking the principal to remove her from the school roll shortly after her disappearance. MacGregor identified Alistair Webster as the likely perpetrator.
Alistair Duncan Webster (born 1938, died 2020) was a Scottish psychiatric nurse who arrived in Australia in the late 1960s and resided in Beaumaris in the 1970s and 80s, within walking distance of the Worledge home. Public records indicate Webster had a history of convictions, including indecent assault in Scotland (1953) and Victoria (1970, on a young girl), and a 1972 conviction for drugging and raping a trainee nurse, for which he served two years of an eight-year sentence, returning to the community by late 1974.
Upon his release, Webster moved his family to Beaumaris, where his children attended primary and Sunday school with Eloise. Webster served as a referee for the Beaumaris Primary soccer team, coached by David MacGregor, and they later co-founded the Beaumaris Junior Soccer Club. Former players described Webster as short-tempered and physically sadistic.
Further information came from Sally, the fiancée of Webster's youngest son, Andrew, who stated that Andrew was in the same class as Eloise. Sally reported that Andrew had begun discussing his father being a paedophile before his death in a motorcycle accident in 1985. She also recalled an "unspoken rule" in the Webster household: "Never bring up the topic of Eloise Worledge." Andrew had reportedly expressed an intention to speak with police, which caused conflict with a sibling.
The 2003 coronial inquest report briefly mentioned Webster, but some information is now considered inaccurate or incomplete. The inquest did not thoroughly explore details such as Webster's prior convictions or his access to drugs. Webster was a regular at St Martin's Anglican Church, 170 meters from the Worledge home. His soccer club shared a phone number and address with an amateur theatre group Eloise's mother, Patsy, was briefly a member of. Webster was also known to be part of the local "swingers" scene, which may have brought him into contact with Patsy Worledge. Despite being a neighbor, affiliated with Beaumaris Primary, and a known sex offender fitting three of the police's initial suspect categories, Webster was reportedly not interviewed until 2002.
Official Stance and Ongoing Appeals
Victoria Police have recently informed Eloise's aunt, Margie Thomas, who has advocated for answers for decades, that Eloise's parents, Lindsay (who died in 2017) and Patsy (who died in 2022), were not involved in her disappearance. Police confirm that no evidence implicating them has ever been found. Lindsay and Patsy Worledge also endured the later death of their son, Blake, in a car accident.
Police have also confirmed that Alistair Webster is "back on their agenda." However, investigating a deceased individual presents challenges as they cannot be charged or questioned.
Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan stated that despite nearly five decades passing, the case can still be solved, and Eloise's remains potentially located. The $1 million reward is being offered for information that identifies those responsible or leads to Eloise's remains. Margie Thomas has appealed for anyone with information to come forward and asked the community to leave porch lights on as a sign of remembrance, emphasizing that Eloise is not forgotten. Reward strategies are assessed on their merits, and Victoria Police remain hopeful that new information will lead to a resolution.