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At 11.25am on Tuesday the 21st of March 1978 the body of 13–year old Denise Gail McGREGOR was discovered beside the roadway along Merriang Road Wallan East about 3km from Beveridge Road. Denise was partially clothed and had been sexually assaulted and bashed to death.
At the time of her death, Denise was living in Bell Street Pascoe Vale with her mother and 3 siblings.
At about 6.15pm on Monday the 20th of March 1978, Denise and her 11 year old sister left home and walked to a hamburger shop in Bell Street to buy takeaway food and soft drink.
Denise and her sister arrived at the shop around 6.30pm.
Denise paid for the food with a $5.00 note given to her by her mother.
Denise and her sister left the shop and walked towards home when Denise handed the parcel of food to her sister telling her she was going to get the soft drink from the milk bar on the corner of Bell Street and Anderson Street Pascoe Vale.
Denise’s sister arrived home about 7.00pm and was sent back to the Milk Bar a short time later when Denise failed to return.
Denise’s sister returned home and left in the car with her mother to search the nearby streets before reporting Denise missing to the Police at Coburg.
At 11.25am the following day, being Tuesday the 21st of March 1978, the horrible discovery of Denise’s body was made.
The terror Denise would have endured before her death is unimaginable. The extent of the attack and injuries suffered by Denise was sickening and graphic in nature.
Denise was well known and popular amongst children of her age from the area and was known to frequent an amusement parlour in Broadmeadows.
Denise attended the local high school and by all accounts was a typical teenager.
Of particular interest to investigators is the fact Denise, on a couple of occasions, had used a CB radio at one of her girlfriend’s houses. During these radio calls, Denise had contact with an unidentifiable male with the call sign “Lightning One”.
To date the person or persons responsible for the vicious murder of this innocent teenager have not been apprehended.
If you or some you know has any information about Denise’s murder we appeal for you to come forward now, and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The loss and heart ache Denise’s family have endured over the past 43 years would be inexplainable, and I’m asking you to help us give them answers.
Homicide Squad detectives are continuing to appeal for information in relation to the 1978 murder of Pascoe Vale teenager Denise McGregor.
About 6.15pm on the night of Monday, 20 March 1978, 13-year-old Denise and her 11-year-old sister left their Bell Street home to walk to a nearby hamburger shop in the same street.
They arrived about 6.30pm and paid for their food with a $5 note their mother had given them.
The pair left the shop and started to walk home when Denise handed the parcel of food to her sister and told her she was going to buy drinks from a milk bar on the corner of Andersen and Bell Streets in Pascoe Vale.
Denise’s sister arrived home about 7pm and when Denise failed to return, was sent back to the milk bar to look for her.
Unable to locate Denise, her sister returned home and she and her mother got in their car and started searching nearby streets.
They then reported Denise missing at Coburg police station.
About 11.25am the following day, Denise’s body was located beside the road on Merriang Road in Wallan East, approximately 3km from Beveridge Road.
Denise was only partially clothed and has been sexually assaulted and beaten to death.
The extent of the attack and injuries suffered by Denise were sickening and graphic in nature.
Of particular interest to investigators is the fact Denise had previously used a CB radio on a couple of occasions at one of her girlfriend’s houses.
During these calls, Denise had made contact with an unidentified male with the call sign ‘Lightning One’.
Denise was well known and popular amongst children of her age from the area and was known to frequent an amusement parlour in Broadmeadows.
She also attended the local high school and by all accounts was a typical teenager.
Detectives believe there are still people out there who know what happened to Denise and who is responsible for her sexual assault and brutal death.
The terror the innocent teenager would have endured before her death is unimaginable and investigators want to hold those responsible to account.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via the Crime
Reviewed 01 September 2021