Police in Australia are offering a $1 million reward for information that could lead to an arrest and conviction in a nearly 50-year-old unsolved case. According to Western Australia Police, James Patrick Taylor, known as Jimmy, disappeared on August 29, 1974 after walking from his family’s home in Derby to a local shop about half a mile away.
Taylor was 12 when he disappeared. Taylor describes his profile in the police’s online missing persons report as independent and “easygoing,” adding that the boy “always carried a plastic hair comb.” He lived with his parents, five siblings and other relatives in Derby, a small, remote town in northwest Australia, according to the description, which also notes that the boy had previously done grocery shopping alone for and with his family had traveled “on numerous occasions” to go to the local shop called Lwoys.
He was last seen getting into the passenger seat of a dark-colored vehicle outside of Lwoys after buying a soft drink there. A witness later told police that a man, between the ages of 25 and 35, was driving the car and “resolutely asked Jimmy to get into the vehicle” before Taylor got in. At this point, Taylor was barefoot and wearing a gray sleeveless shirt and black football shorts.
Jimmy Patrick Taylor was 12 years old when he disappeared near his family’s home in Western Australia on August 29, 1974. / Photo credit: Western Australia Police
Taylor’s family understood the child was visiting a friend at Myroodah cattle station, about 90 minutes’ drive outside Derby, and did not expect him to return home on the night of August 29. His father reported him missing days later, on September 5.
Police say there have been no confirmed sightings of Taylor since the day of his disappearance, and he has not contacted family or friends. The boy never had access to bank accounts and never appeared in government databases.
No suspect has been identified in connection with Taylor’s case. Still, half a century after his disappearance, police are asking anyone with information about the boy’s disappearance to contact Western Australia Police’s crime-fighting unit directly or provide tips online.
The story goes on
Taylor’s disappearance is one of 64 missing persons and murder cases currently unsolved in Western Australia. Although one of the oldest cases, a few cases date back to the 1970s, with several involving children and adolescents. Many of the victims of these unsolved cases have never been found.
To move them forward, police recently announced that the government would be offering a $1 million reward for information leading to a conviction in any of the unsolved cases.
“Western Australia Police have always treated every case as equally important,” Paul Papalia, Western Australia’s Police Minister, said at a news conference announcing the new rewards last week.
“Unfortunately, our reward system does not reflect this approach. It is a wrong that we are righting today,” he said.
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