Marcus Wayne ALLCORN

DOB: 1959    
HAIR: Brown BUILD: Medium EYES: Brown
CIRCUMSTANCES:
Marcus was last seen on 29 January, 1980 (his 21st birthday) leaving the Imperial Hotel Paddington, Sydney, where he lived and worked. His friends arranged a birthday party for him at the hotel and had invited his mother. He never arrived, and has not been seen since. Marcus was a reliable and caring person who was very close to his mother. He was always in regular contact with her and his failure to do so is out of character.

**"Marcus' vehicle was found abandoned on 1 February at Watsons Bay." - EDITOR'S NOTE - This statement has now, in 2009, been found to be UNTRUE even though Police at the time stated this. Very important! Police have now stated no car was found.

Reported missing to: Missing Persons Unit

Police apply modern forensics in 29 year old Missing Persons Case

2009-07-30 10:36:47

 
NSW Detectives investigating the disappearance of a man in Sydney 29 years ago have called in crime scene experts as they re-trace his last known movements.
 
Marcus Wayne Allcorn was last seen at the Imperial Hotel in Oxford Street, Paddington, around 1am on 29 January 1980, his 21st birthday.
 
Police were alerted when the barman's brother and mother travelled to Sydney from their country home later that day, only to discover he was missing.
 
Police believe he met with foul play.
 
At the time, police tried a range of measures to identify witnesses in the case to determine what happened, including a public campaign featuring Missing Persons posters and badges, all to no avail.
 
Nine years after his disappearance, the case was featured on the television show, "Australia's Most Wanted," but failed to generate enough information to solve the matter.
 
In 2007, police from the Surry Hills Local Area Command reopened the case, forming Strike Force Christine.
 
On Tuesday 28 July, Forensic Services Group (FSG) crime scene experts began an examination of the hotel where Mr Allcorn worked and lived before his disappearance.
 
The forensics experts have utilised modern, scientific processes not available at the time of the disappearance.
 
One of those processes involves Luminol, a substance used to identify traces of blood.
 
Crime Scene Video unit officers recorded the layout of the hotel while other FSG police provided 360 degree images of the premises using the Interactive Scene Recording and Presentation System (ISRAPS).
 
Police have renewed their appeal for public information in the case.
 
In particular police are asking for a witness by the name of John BROWN to come forward and assist police.
 
Mr Brown was a New Zealand national working at the Imperial Hotel with Marcus and police believe he may be able to assist with their enquiries.
 
Anyone who can assist the investigation is urged to contact Surry Hills Police on (02) 9265-4144 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
 
Information can be provided anonymously.
 
The appeal for public information comes just days before National Missing Persons Week from 2 - 8 August.
 
Information about the whereabouts of other missing persons can also be provided to police through Crime Stoppers.
 

 

Kiwi sought as Sydney bar case re-opened

Last updated 07:13 31/07/2009
 

Police searching a Sydney hotel for blood traces 29 years after a barman went missing on his 21st birthday want to talk to a New Zealander who was working at the hotel at the time.

Marcus Wayne Allcorn was last seen around 1am on January 29, 1980, when he finished a night shift at the Imperial Hotel on Oxford Street in Paddington, ABC reported.

Detective Sergeant Karol Blackley said police now want to talk to a New Zealand man, John Brown, who also worked at the bar.

"We believe he moved on to other hotels working," she said. "Obviously, the name, John Brown, is fairly common and at the time it was difficult to track down Mr Brown."

"We are seeking again to locate Mr Brown and allow him to give some evidence about the background of Marcus. . . and the circumstances at the time."

Police said Mr Brown was not a suspect, only someone who had valuable information.

An actor playing Mr Brown featured in a re-enactment of Mr Allcorn's disappearance on a TV programme, Australia's Most Wanted, nine years after the disappearance.

According to the TV show, days after Mr Allcorn disappeared Mr Brown found Mr Allcorn's car with keys in the ignition near The Gap at Watsons Bay, a common suicide location.

But police yesterday said no such car belonging to Mr Allcorn had been found.

Police have stated both yesterday and in the years after Mr Allcorn's disappearance that they did not believe Mr Allcorn took his own life.

Officers who suspect Mr Allcorn was a victim of foul play have returned to the pub to use technology that was not available at the time of the disappearance to look for traces of blood.

"We used Luminol examination, which can be used in identifying where DNA and blood might be located," Ms Blackley said.

She could not say if traces of Mr Allcorn's blood were found during the examination.

The case was reopened in 2007, when police formed Strike Force Christine to investigate.

"He was a happy go-lucky young man, with everything to live for," Ms Blackley said.

"He expressed no unhappiness at all and just disappeared without a trace."

- NZPA