Periodical Sydney Morning Herald When: June 12, 2013 What: A fire in Sydney, Australia that killed John's parents remains unsolved.
Mystery Blaze Still Unsolved Police look into husband's crime record for clues
SYDNEY, NSW — The death of Christian Allerdyce and his wife Ruby in the mysterious fire that erupted in late May have yet to find a true cause. Initially investigators believed the fire to be caused by a grease fire in the kitchen, however further testing ruled it out as a source. Christian Allerdyce (52) and his wife Ruby (50) perished in the fire. The first was isolated to the property and the fire department was able to come and extinguish the fire before it could spread further. Unfortunately the residents were unable to escape before rescuers could arrive on the scene.
Accidental causes have thus far been ruled out and the police are not looking into the possibility of arson. Allerdyce had a history of suspected spousal abuse and was in a dire financial situation on the brink of bankruptcy. Police are investigating the possibility that Allerdyce could be involved with a local loan shark of some sort. Allerdyce and his wife were buried in South Head General Cemetery and are survived by son, St. John Allerdyce who worked for the Sydney Morning Herald in the World News division as an international correspondent and currently resides in the United States.