Nancye O'Reilly kissed her daughters Alicia and Juliet goodnight. A storm was rolling into Auckland and the girls had fallen asleep in the bedroom they shared, dozing just metres apart. It was the last time the 27-year-old solo mother saw Alicia alive. The next morning, the six-year-old was found dead in her bed. She had been raped and murdered. That was Saturday 16 August 1980.
It was a sickening crime which shocked the country, with even detectives struggling to get their heads around what happened; a little girl killed in the one place she should be safe. A massive police
investigation was launched to find the man responsible, but despite hundreds of suspects being nominated, no one was ever arrested. As months turned into years, Nancye O'Reilly's hopes of ever getting justice for her daughter faded, although her grief did not.
But 40 years later, a detective who once combed the lawn of the O'Reilly home for clues in 1980 still believes the case can be solved. The persistence of Detective Inspector Stu Allsopp-Smith has led to Auckland police reviewing the cold case file, which has already led to new avenues to investigate. "This is unfinished business," Allsopp-Smith said. "This case is one that has never ever gone away. It's certainly stayed with me throughout my whole career."
