Maria Smith
Maria and Stephen Smith had been married just eight weeks when he returned from work on April 22, 1974, to discover her dead in the bedroom of their Sydney unit.
Maria, 20, had been bound, sexually assaulted and strangled with her own stockings. The estimated time of her death was around 8.15am, about an hour after Stephen left for his shift as a barman at the Malabar RSL.
At that time, Maria would usually catch a bus to her work as a trainee teacher at Brigidine Convent School. Maria also worked with her husband at the RSL.
Police were puzzled by how an intruder got in when there were no signs of forced entry, while neighbours told them they hadn’t heard any knocks at the door that morning.
In May 2018, four decades on from the attack, a $1 million reward for information was announced. Police also asked to speak with anyone who lived in the unit block at 14-20 St Marks Road, Randwick in early 1974, whether they’d previously been interviewed or not. But despite these investigations, and a coronial inquest in July 1975, which found that Maria had been strangled by an unknown person, no one has ever been charged in connection to her murder. Stephen, who has since remarried, said in 2018 that every anniversary of Maria’s death was a disappointing reminder that no one had been caught.
“I am assuming that somebody knows something. And they are not coming forward. Now’s the time.”
These cases each hold a $1 million reward for information. If you have any knowledge about these crimes, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, call Crime Stoppers any time on
1800 333 000. 0.