Never Quit Looking — Case File
Missing Person
Case ID#: 0150
VICTIM’S PHOTOGRAPH
Missing
William Albert Day
May Also Be Known As: Billy
Unidentified Person Notice: In English, unidentified individuals are often known as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe.” This means the victim’s true name is currently unknown.
Biological Sex: Male
Age at the Time: 24
Country: Australia
Date Missing: August 1, 1970
Brief Overview: The victim vanished in 1970 while traveling abroad in Australia. His last known companion was Peter Macari, who would later gain notoriety for attempting to bomb a Qantas airliner. Authorities believe Mr. Day may have been one of Macari's victims.
Public Awareness Notice: This case file is provided for public awareness and responsible information sharing. If you have relevant information, please contact the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Victim Description
Physical Description
Date of Birth
May 29, 1946
Birthplace
Britain / United Kingdom
Age
24
Age Group
20s
Biological Sex
Male
Hair Color
Brunette
Eye Color
Brown
Ethnicity
Caucasian or White
Nationality
Australia
Language(s) Spoken
English
Physical Build
Physical Build
Medium
Height (ft’ in”)
5'8"
Height (cm)
173 cm
Description of Events
Disappearance
Date Last Seen
August 1, 1970
The Incident
William “Billy” Albert Day was a young British man who arrived in Australia in late 1968, embarking on what was meant to be a two-year working holiday. He traveled the country with his close friend—possibly boyfriend—David Burt, and together they spent about six months exploring and working across the country. Those who knew Billy described him as quiet, kind, and easygoing, someone who was simply looking to see the world and earn some money along the way.
After traveling through the Northern Territory, Burt and Day eventually parted ways. Burt made his way to Sydney to visit a friend named Ivan Jay, while Billy continued traveling independently. The two would cross paths again in Sydney a few months later. During that time, Burt tried to help Billy get settled and sent him Ivan’s address in Bondi Junction, hoping it would give him a place to stay. Billy later wrote to Burt, letting him know he had found work as a bus driver and was planning to travel up the coast to Brisbane once his job wrapped up.
It was around this time, in June 1970, that Billy met Peter Macari—another British citizen, though far more dangerous. Macari had a criminal history in England that included theft and weapons possession, and he had entered Australia under a false identity, using a forged passport under the name “Peter Brown.” Despite this background, Billy and Macari quickly became acquaintances and then roommates.
In July or August 1970, Billy mailed what would be his final letter to his family. In it, he mentioned plans to travel north to Brisbane with “Brown” in a camper van. After that letter, Billy vanished. No further contact was ever received. Alarmed by the silence, his family filed a missing persons report with both New South Wales and Queensland police. Unfortunately, the investigation at the time went nowhere. Letters that the family had written to Billy were eventually returned in a single large envelope. These were handed over to police—but, frustratingly, were later lost, along with any possible evidence they may have contained.
The mystery deepened almost a year later when, on May 26, 1971, Macari—still using the name “Peter Brown”—and his new partner Raymond Poynting carried out one of the most audacious crimes in Australian aviation history. The two orchestrated a bomb hoax on Qantas Flight 755, claiming there was an explosive device on board a flight en route to Hong Kong. As proof, Macari pointed police to another real bomb hidden in a locker at Sydney Airport. In exchange for revealing the in-flight bomb’s location, he demanded $500,000. Fearing for the passengers’ safety, Qantas paid the ransom.
Macari and Poynting went on the run and began spending the extorted money with abandon—buying property, luxury items, and flights. Much of this was done using the name William “Billy” Day. This detail would later prove chillingly significant. David Burt, Billy’s old travel companion, happened to see media reports mentioning that Macari had purchased a Jaguar under the name “Bill Day.” Alarmed, Burt contacted authorities to report that Day was a real person—and a missing one at that. But at the time, police dismissed the warning, assuming “Billy Day” was just another alias invented by Macari. The connection to the missing man was ignored.
Macari was eventually arrested on August 4, 1971, and sentenced to 15 years in prison for the Qantas blackmail plot. He served nine years and was deported to the UK in 1980. For decades, his connection to Billy Day’s disappearance remained overlooked. It wasn’t until the 1990s—more than twenty years after Day vanished—that police finally reopened the case and began asking questions about the alias Macari had used. When interviewed, Macari claimed the name “Day” was fictional, like “Brown.” However, witness statements and interviews, including from David Burt, proved that Billy Day had been real—and had last been seen living with Macari just before his disappearance.
Suspicion soon deepened. Macari had also been the prime suspect in the 1967 murder of his brother George in England, a case that remained unsolved. While there was not enough evidence to charge him in connection with either death, police concluded that it would not be unreasonable to believe that Billy Day had been killed, likely by Macari, sometime during or after their planned trip to Brisbane. Sadly, Billy’s body has never been recovered.
In 2019, nearly 50 years after his disappearance, members of Billy’s surviving family submitted DNA samples to assist in identifying any remains that might be found. As of now, no matches have been reported, and the case remains officially unsolved.
Multiple Victims?
No
Additional details
Related Vehicle
Description
Camper RV Van
Related Persons
Description
Peter Pasquale Macari was a British national originally from Devon, England. He arrived in Australia in 1969 under a false passport, using the alias “Peter Brown.” At the time of his arrest in 1971, Macari was around 36 or 37 years old and was described as being of medium build. He was known for his ability to disguise himself—wearing wigs, fake mustaches, and glasses. During the Qantas ransom operation, he deliberately altered his appearance to avoid detection. Macari had a long criminal history in the UK, including theft and firearms offenses, and he carried out the Qantas bomb hoax with meticulous planning and deception. After his conviction, he served nine years of a 15-year sentence before being deported back to the UK.
Raymond James Poynting, Macari’s accomplice in the bomb hoax, was an Australian citizen who was around 28 years old at the time of the crime. Formerly employed as a marine engineer, Poynting had transitioned to working as a barman by the time he became involved in the extortion plot. Poynting was frequently seen driving luxury vehicles like a Jaguar E-Type and a Ford Falcon GT, both purchased with ransom money. His lifestyle following the heist raised red flags, which eventually contributed to the pair’s arrest. Though less is known about his personal background and physical characteristics, Poynting played a significant logistical role in the extortion scheme, helping to draft the ransom letters and manage the cover-up.
Places of Interest
Disappearance
City
Sydney
State or Province
New South Wales
Country
Australia
Latitude & Longitude
-33.8472348,150.6023169
Photo Gallery
Resources
Articles & Other Written Works
- Doe Network (2013) ‘Case File 451DMNSW’. Available from: Link
- Judd, B. (2019) ‘The true story of the 1971 Qantas bomb hoax’, ABC News, 23 February. Available from: Link
- McNab, D. (2019) ‘Planes, bombs and murder: The curious case of the Peter Macari Qantas hoax’, 7 News, 24 August. Available from: Link
Contact Authorities
Police, Relevant Agencies, & Other Useful Personnel
Important Notice
This page is not intended for emergency use. Contact details may change over time, and the information listed below may be outdated or incomplete. If you notice an error or have a correction, please let us know.
To the best of our ability, we have provided contact information for the national police agency or, where that is not available, the police agency serving the capital city. Our hope is that these agencies may be able to direct readers to the proper office, even when a matter falls outside their immediate jurisdiction.
For the most accurate guidance, please contact the relevant embassy in your country or your own country’s embassy or consulate in the country involved.
Contact Information — Australia
Agency 🏢
National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC)
Phone Number 📞
Emergency Phone Number 🚨
Email Address 📧
IDD Prefix
0011
Country Code
+61
Additional Contacts
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