Episode 4: Wendy Mayes

Ayla talks to Andi about Wendy’s disappearance in 1961, which at the time of writing is New Zealand’s oldest missing person case. At the age of 16 she met up with a photographer to do calendar work for money. The photographer, John Maltby, had placed the ad under a fake name due to his wife not agreeing with this type of work. Wendy and John first met later the day that John’s youngest child was born. A few days later, Wendy told her mum she was off to an interview and was last seen being driven by John. Her mum called the police when she did not arrive home. When questioned by police, John said he dropped Wendy off at Manners Street before viewing houses, getting some food, visited his wife in hospital and then going home. He answered questions confidently, which could have meant either he hid Wendy's body where nobody would ever find it, or he was not involved at all. Three days after Wendy’s disappearance, John ran away from his monitored house into the surrounding shrub. His body was found another three days later floating at Island Bay beach due to drowning. Sixty years later and no evidence has been found regarding Wendy’s disappearance.