True Crime Conversations
Mamamia Podcasts
True Crime Conversations explores the stories and the people behind some of the world’s most notorious crimes.
"What REALLY Happened When I Confronted Belle Gibson"
In 2015, Australian con woman Belle Gibson was living the dream. Her app The Whole Pantry was hugely popular and she was about to launch a book of the same name. With hundreds of thousands of followers online, Belle had become a celebrated wellness influencer who'd overcome terminal cancer and had cured herself with healthy eating and holistic therapies. But it was all a lie. The truth came to light when her friend, Chanelle McAuliffe, noticed gaps in Belle's story. The moment she expo
Maria Korp Was Left To Die In The Boot Of Her Car
Maria Korp, a 50-year-old mother of two from Melbourne, went missing in February 2005. She was discovered four days later in the boot of her car barely alive, after being strangled and left for dead. Police first suspected her husband, Joe, but it was more complicated than that. As his mistress revealed, he was the one who provided her with the weapon telling her it was the "only way they could be together." Former detective Narelle Fraser was the one who discovered Maria’s body in the boot that
25 Years Ago, A Revengeful Man Set Fire To A Queensland Hostel
On June 23rd, 2000, just after midnight, Robert Paul Long set fire to the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel in Queensland. He had recently been evicted for not paying his rent and in his anger, he sparked a tragedy. There were 84 travellers in the hostel that night. They woke up gasping for air and choking on smoke in the pitch-black darkness. 15 people lost their lives, making this one of the deadliest fires in Australian history. Our guest, journalist Paul Cochrane, interviewed the survivors.
We’re Finally Telling The True Story About The Slender Man Stabbing
What started as a typical sleepover in Wisconsin in 2014 turned into one of the most chilling true crime stories in America.Twelve-year-olds Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their friend, Payton "Bella" Leutner, into the woods with a plan to kill her as a sacrifice to Slender Man, the creepy internet figure.Both girls were charged as adults in a case that stunned the world.Now, with Morgan’s 2025 release from psychiatric care, the case is back in the spotlight, except this time we’re having
The Man Who "Knows What Happened" To The Beaumont Children [re-release]
The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest-running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century. Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. Over the years he has researched and co-authored investigative writing into their disappearance. He walks us through the case, and why he believes he knows just who is responsible for the di
Australia's Worst Mass Family Killer & His Shocking Second Life
On September 7, 1971, at a remote farmhouse 40 kilometres south of Adelaide, Clifford Bartholomew killed 10 people. His wife, his seven children, his sister-in-law and her 19-month-old son. He shot them all dead. He was sentenced to death, but because of changes to the law, he wasn’t killed. Instead, he was re-sentenced to life in prison and managed to serve just eight years before being released on parole. He changed his name, his identity and created an entirely new family who knew nothi
Meet The Former Australian Prosecutor With A Target On Her Back
Margaret Cunneen SC was one of Australia’s top Crown Prosecutors, renowned for securing convictions against some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including the Butcher of Bega and Robert “Dolly” Dunn. She also led the prosecution of the Skaf gang rapes in 2000, where brothers Bilal and Mohammed Skaf orchestrated a series of brutal, ethnically motivated sex crimes. One of the most harrowing incidents involved 14 men and boys sexually assaulting a single woman. Today, only one of the key
According To A Criminologist, Keli Lane Shouldn’t Be In Prison.
On September 12, 1996, Keli Lane gave birth to a baby girl at Auburn Hospital in western Sydney. Two days later that baby seemingly disappeared. After years of investigation, Keli was convicted of her daughter's murder in 2010 and sentenced to 18 years behind bars. But did they get it wrong? Keli Lane’s story has been compared to the wrongful conviction of Lindy Chamberlain. It’s been pulled apart and analysed for years. So is she a baby killer? Or is she a woman, misunderstood? THE END BITS
How ‘Cocaine Cassie’ Really Survived Three Years In A Colombian Prison
After she was caught trying to smuggle 5.8kg of cocaine out of Colombia in 2017, the media nicknamed her ‘Cocaine Cassie’. But Cassie Sainsbury’s life in a tough Colombian prison was so much more complicated. And interesting.In this episode, she speaks to Mia Freedman about prison life: the abuse, the relationships, the sex. And what happened afterwards. You can hear the second half of Mia's conversation with Cassie here.THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at
Why Women Kill And The Lives They Live Behind Bars [fresh episode]
Women are responsible for only 10 per cent of homicides in Australia, Canada, England, and the US, and because it’s such a small sample size not much research has been done into the motives and behaviours that drive female killers. Dr. Kathryn M. Whiteley, a feminist criminologist, has been researching women who kill for over 20 years. She’s spoken to hundreds of women behind bars, many of whom are serving life sentences with no chance of parole. Dr. Whiteley’s focus is on telling their stories
With Her Abuser Behind Bars, Dassi Erlich Is Ready To Talk
In 2023, Malka Leifer was sentenced to 15 years in prison for 18 counts of sexual abuse against Dassi Erlich and her little sister. Leifer was the sisters' former high school principal, and when whispers of their allegations came to light in 2008, she fled from her home in Melbourne to Israel before any formal complaint could be made. It took 70 extradition hearings and 13 years to bring her back to Australia. But finally last year, Dassi was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Leifer was finally
Eve Wiley’s Father Was A Serial Sperm Donor… And He’s Not Alone
Eve Wiley is one of the featured voices in the Netflix series The Man with 1000 Kids, but the story of how she came to be a fierce advocate for victims of fertility fraud is a deeply personal one…and one you have to hear to believe. In this episode of No Filter, Eve Wiley tells Mia Freedman how she finally found out that she is the child of fertility fraud and how she discovered who her biological father was - a discovery that turned her world upside down and transformed her into a fearless figh
Nicole Madigan Is Still Being Watched By The Woman Who Stalked Her
In 2018, while taking a picture of her son at a gathering, Nicole Madigan had a brief encounter with a stranger who asked her if she was photographing a man named Adam. The exchange felt bizarre, but Nicole thought little of it. That is, until later that night when she received a text from the woman. What started as one odd message soon spiralled into years of harassment, ultimately leading to the woman, Karissa, being charged with stalking. But even in 2024, a conviction hasn’t stopped her. Nic
A Doomsday Cult And Two Missing Kids
In November 2019, police conducted a welfare check on seven-year-old JJ Vallow. He hadn't been seen since September, and police will come to realise that neither had his teenage sister Tylee. They've stumbled onto a web of lies that are about to unravel. Affairs, mysterious deaths, a doomsday cult, and at the centre of it all two missing children. And a mother who isn’t trying to find them. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Leah Sottile, author of When The Moon Turns To Blood And
Tia Levings Escaped A Trad Wife Cult
Tia Levings was raised within the same strict Christian fundamentalist ideology as the infamous Duggar family from 19 Kids And Counting. By the time she was 19 years old, Tia found herself in an abusive marriage where the violence was sanctioned by the church. In this must-listen episode of No Filter, Tia tells Mia Freedman about the ways she was groomed to be a Trad Wife, and the moment she knew she had to run for her life. This is a story of indoctrination and survival, of reinvention and stre
Inside One Of Australia’s Longest Running Cults
The Geelong Revival Centre, one of Australia’s longest-running cults, has been hiding in plain sight for years. Led by Pastor Noel Hollins until his death in 2024, the ultra-conservative church controls every aspect of its followers' lives. For the past two years, investigative journalist Richard Baker has collected disturbing audio recordings from Hollins and testimonies from survivors. They’ve told him stories of alleged physical and sexual abuse, emotional stories of families being torn apart
The Baby Doll Serial Killer: America’s Most Unsuspecting Murderer
In the winter of 1999 in Detroit, Michigan, sex worker Monica Johnson entered a Jeep Wrangler with the licence plate 'Baby Doll' with a client. That client, John Eric Armstrong, brutally murdered her and placed her body face down on the sidewalk, before returning home to his wife and young son. Monica was one of several women he killed between 1992 to 1999 before the police finally closed in. Journalist and author B.R. Bates, co-author of The ‘Baby Doll’ Serial Killer: The John Eric Armstrong Ho
Bonus: The French Rape Trial, A Victim-Survivor's Story Of Which She Has No Memory
It's the case that has shocked France and led to protests outside of an Avignon court house. For 50 years, Dominique and Gisèle Pélicot were married, but for a decade of their marriage, Gisèle was being raped without her knowledge — drugged and sexually assaulted by dozens and dozens of men. If this case were to unfold in Australia, what kind of laws would there be to protect victim survivors from ever having to experience this again? If you or someone you know needs to speak to someone help
The Lindt Cafe Terrorist Was Listening To Gemma Read The News
During the Lindt Café siege, True Crime Conversations host Gemma Bath was reporting the news live with a police negotiator by her side. She later learned that her voice was one of the sources of information the gunman Man Haron Monis was using, as he held his hostages captive. In this bonus episode, Gemma looks back on that intense experience and talks about how it changed the way she approaches journalism, making her more mindful of the victims' perspective.
10 Years Ago A Man With A Gun Walked Into A Lindt Cafe In Sydney
On a sunny December morning in 2014, just 10 days before Christmas, breakfast was in full swing at the busy Lindt Café in Sydney’s Martin Place. Around 8:30am, a customer noticed a man talking to the café’s manager, who seemed tense. Just over an hour later, at 9:44am, Man Haron Monis told everyone in the café that he had a bomb in his backpack and they were being held hostage. His demand? To speak with the Prime Minister on national radio. Ten years have p
Amy Allwine’s Name Was Listed On A Murder For Hire Website
In 2020, journalist Carl Miller found himself staring at a murder-for-hire website on the dark web, introduced to him by a hacker friend who had stumbled upon it.What he discovered was chilling: a woman named Amy Allwine had already been killed after an anonymous user paid $13,000 in Bitcoin to have her murdered. But Amy’s name was just one of many on the kill list.After his discovery, Carl spent years intercepting kill orders and trying to warn people. He joins us to reveal the shocking cases b
Extra: What We've Finally Learned About Lilie James' Killer
Warning: This episode speaks of violence and suicide. Please take care when listening. A year on from her death, Lilie James' parents have spoken publicly - remembering their beautiful, hardworking daughter. Today we revisit the murder of Lilie James. If you or anyone you know needs to speak with an expert, please contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 Watch the 60 Minutes episode here THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Check out The Quicky Instagram here Did you miss the latest episode of True C
'I'm Confident My Son Is Still Alive': The Case Of The Lost Boy
In March 2015, Fiona Lu showed up at her son Mike Zhao-Beckenridge's school to pick him up, only to find he was missing. Panicked, she called the police, convinced that her ex-husband John Beckenridge, whom Mike adored, had taken him. By the time the authorities stepped in, John and Mike were already on the run. Days later, John’s car was discovered at the bottom of a cliff, but there was no sign of either of them. Journalist Michael Wright, co-host of The Lost Boy podcast, explores two possibil
Something Is Not Right About Phoebe's Fall
In December 2010, the body of 24-year-old Phoebe Handsjuk was discovered at the bottom of a garbage chute in her Melbourne apartment building.She had fallen 12 stories into a wheelie bin, where she ultimately succumbed to the injuries she sustained alone in the darkness of the rubbish room.In 2013, a coroner ruled Phoebe’s death as accidental, a finding her family doesn't accept.Investigative journalist Richard Baker, host of the podcast Phoebe's Fall, believes there’s more to the story. Was Pho
Extra: Is There Really A Serial Killer In Byron Bay?
There's a serial killer on the loose in Byron Bay... allegedly. People are starting to connect the dots between multiple cases of women going missing or being murdered in the Byron and New South Wales coastal areas, including women with their own first-hand encounters. So how likely is it all these cases and run ins are linked? And what's the underlying lesson we can all take away from these experiences? THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Check out The Quicky Instagram here Li
Did America Just Execute An Innocent Man?
In 2001, Marcellus Williams was sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of reporter Felecia Gayle. After over two decades on Missouri’s death row, he was executed by lethal injection on September 24, 2024. As time passed, doubts about his guilt grew. Marcellus’s defence team, the victim’s family, and even some jurors questioned his conviction. Despite this, the governor denied clemency, and the Supreme Court did not intervene. One of the few people to interview Marcellus during his time on death
Extra: Meeting The Terrorist Who Killed My Son
James Foley’s death was unimaginable. He was a journalist held hostage by ISIS for two years in Syria and killed in 2014 as a threat to America. Footage of him wearing an orange jumpsuit, and forcibly reading a message before being beheaded was posted to Twitter. The media coverage of the event had the second most recognition in recent American history after 9/11. That was 10 years ago now. His mother Diane Foley’s determination to understand her son’s fate led her to meeting with one of the men
The Little Girl Murdered By The Man Around The Corner
In 1984, the body of six-year-old Kylie Maybury was found in a gutter in the early hours of the morning following Melbourne Cup Day. So why did it take 32 years after her death for police to finally find her killer — a man with previous convictions for sexual assault and violence, who lived just around the corner? Former Herald Sun journalist and true crime author Keith Moor has covered the case since the day Kylie's body was found. He has interviewed her grieving mother many times and considere
Will The Menendez Brothers Be Released From Prison?
It’s August 1989, and a 911 call comes through from a Beverly Hills mansion on Elm Drive just before midnight. The call is from a hysterical Lyle Menendez, and you can hear his brother Erik crying in the background. The brother's parents, Jose and Kitty, are dead, shot a combined 16 times at close range while in their TV room. The crime scene is horrific. At first, police suspect a Mafia or mob hit. But seven months later, it’s the brothers who are arrested for murder in a case that catapults th
Bonus: The Spill: The Best True Crime Documentaries Of All Time
True crime documentaries have always been a cornerstone of the pop culture world and with recent releases such as The Menendez Brothers documentary dropping on Netflix our appetite for these stories is at an all-time high.So, we’ve brought in an expert whose job is hooked on watching every true crime documentary ever released and we’ve rounded up the best offerings out there, with true stories that will literally make your jaw drop.And we haven’t forgotten about Weekend Watch! Today we have a ne
The Many Faces of Samantha Azzopardi: The Con Artist Who Just Won't Stop
It's October 2013, and two police officers in Dublin spot a distressed young girl outside the General Post Office. She’s crying and unable to speak, using her fingers to show she’s 14 years old. They take her to a nearby children’s hospital while trying to figure out who she is. Local media starts speculating about possible sex trafficking as interest in her case grows. As a month goes by, police decide to release her photo to the public and are quickly flooded with calls from Australia. It turn
Judy Malinowski Testified At Her Own Murder Trial
At around 5pm on a hot August afternoon in 2015, a 911 call comes in about a fire at a service station in Columbus, Ohio. A man has poured two jerry cans of fuel over his partner, 31-year-old Judy Malinowski, and is watching as flames engulf her. Judy is rushed to the hospital with 90 per cent of her body burned. Doctors warn her family that her chances of survival are slim, but against all odds, Judy survives. She endures severe ongoing pain and dozens of surgeries in the years that follow, dyi
Has The Long Island Serial Killer Finally Been Caught?
In the early hours of May 1, 2010, Shannan Gilbert called 911 from a Long Island house after working as an escort with a client she met on Craigslist. After seeking help from neighbours, she disappeared from the street before the police arrived.Months later, extensive searches turned up no trace of the 23-year-old, but authorities discovered the bodies of four other young women, later known as “The Gilgo Four,” all escorts who found clients online.Rex Heurmann has been charged with their murders
The Melbourne Mother Executed By Mistake
On an ordinary Melbourne afternoon in 1997, suburban mum of three Jane Thurgood-Dove pulled into her driveway with her kids in the back seat. As Jane got out of her car, a stolen Commodore pulled in behind her. A man with a gun chased her around the car and then shot Jane as her kids looked on in horror. For years, police were convinced she was killed by a man with an obsession, but they were wrong. This murder of a young Melbourne mother is believed to be a devastating case of mistaken identity
A Babysitter’s Deadly Obsession With The Girl Across The Road
When Rachel Barber failed to return home from dance practice one evening in 1999, her family reported her missing and launched a desperate search. They plastered Melbourne with over 2,000 posters, hoping for any news of her whereabouts. After days of searching, their hopes shattered on day 12 when they learned Rachel had been murdered. Her killer was a 19-year-old former babysitter and family friend who had been consumed by jealousy and obsession with Rachel, stalking her for years. Criminal cou
Cold Cases & Serial Killers: Inside The World Of A Famous Homicide Prosecutor
From solving cold-cases to putting multiple serial-killers behind bars, Matt Murphy is one of America’s top homicide prosecutors. Many of his cases are known as some of America’s biggest crimes that have made headlines worldwide, including the Dirty John case that became a global media phenomenon. In this episode, we dive deep into the cold-case of Cathy Torrez that Matt successfully prosecuted, as well as what makes a serial killer different from a “one-off” murderer, and the dangers of online
The Murder That Broke A Detective
From domestic violence to murder, sexual assaults, and abuse against children, former Australian detective, Luke Taylor, has sadly seen it all. But after struggling with his mental health from the job, one murder was the final catalyst for Luke's retirement: an attack on an unsuspecting nurse, killed by her very own family. Luke Taylor has since founded Crime Story Australia, hosting workshops where school students recreate crime scenes to learn how to problem solve and analyse crimes. THE END B
Inside The Mind Of A Sexual Predator
Brent is a former police officer who has done extensive work investigating sex crimes, which led him to become one of Australia’s top experts on the methods and psychology of rapists. For the last 30 years, he has dedicated his career to sex crime education, teaching over one million people about sex crimes and how to protect yourself from a dangerous situation. When he's not teaching students, Brent hosts his own podcast, Crime Insiders. He's also the author of ‘How Dangerous Men Think: And H
A Cop Cover-Up Or A Killer Girlfriend: Is Karen Read Being Framed?
Ever since the mysterious death of Boston Policeman John O’Keefe, during a snowy night in 2022, the small town where he died has been divided. There are two very distinct camps. Was John killed by those at a house party, inside a house full of police and law enforcement, who then proceeded to cover up his murder? Or did his girlfriend Karen Read kill him with her car, before he even made it through the front door? The case has since snowballed into an international debate fueled by both The Free
The Australian Filmmakers Determined To Solve America’s Burger Chef Murders
The bodies of Danny, Jayne, Mark and Ruth were found two days after their final shift at Burger Chef in late 1978, 20 miles away in a rural field. They’d been shot, stabbed and bashed - each of their murders telling its own devastating tale of the teenagers' last terrifying moments alive. Their deaths shocked their small tight-knit community and now, 40 years later, two Australian filmmakers are searching for answers. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Find out more about Mamamia's charity par
The Mother And Daughter Murder Australia Forgot
In 1984, Margaret Tapp and her nine-year-old daughter Seana were found dead in their beds, still in their nightgowns. The killer surely strangled Margaret first. It's inconceivable she would not have fought to save her little girl. 9-year-old Seana died the same way, except she was raped first. Journalist and author of Life & Crimes, Andrew Rule covered the story when it first broke in the 1980s and now years later, he's adamant that reporters and police sometimes get it wrong - including h
Three Months After Her Wedding, Anthea Bradshaw Was Murdered
In 1994, the body of 26-year-old Anthea Bradshaw was found on the floor of the apartment her husband Jeff Hall was living in just three months after their wedding day. So why did it take four years after her death for Anthea's family to find out that her husband was not only an official suspect - but the only suspect - in her murder? Nine Senior Reporter Ben Avery is on a mission to uncover what really happened to the Adelaide teacher, in a new podcast called The Anthea Bradshaw mystery. THE EN
The Real Story Behind The Attempted Assassination Of Donald Trump
Thomas Crooks managed to send eight bullets flying in 26 seconds, before he was shot dead by secret service agents. He missed his target Donald Trump, but managed to draw blood - grazing the former president’s right ear with a bullet. Now, as more details emerge, Host of ABC podcast If You're Listening? Matt Bevan joins us to delve into the details of the crime, the shooter, and the aftermath that we might have missed. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia For more on Trump, the assassination attem
Inside The Deadliest Police Shooting In Queensland History
On December 12, 2022, Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were killed in the line of duty. A neighbour, Alan Dare, also died that day. As did the three people who were firing at them. But there are still many unanswered questions from that night, which will be examined when an inquest gets underway at the end of this month. 9News presenter and host of podcast The Ultimate Sacrifice, Melissa Downes, joins us to discuss the deadliest shooting in Queensland Police history. THE END BITS Subs
An Affair, A Murder And A Cover-Up: Inside The Missing Campers Trial
The Wonnangatta Valley is the perfect place for anyone hiding a secret, or anyone who doesn’t want to be found. The perfect place to have an affair. But also, the perfect place to get away with murder. Over the years, several people have gone missing there, never to be found again, and that very nearly happened to 74-year-old Russell Hill and 73-year-old Carol Clay. But thanks to some careful police work, detectives were able to track down a man named Greg Lynn. And with his trial just conclud
Sarah Everard And The Policeman She Should Have Been Able To Trust
In March 2021, Sarah Everard’s body was found in a stream in Kent, wrapped in a bag. The 33-year-old had been raped and murdered after being abducted off the street in London’s south. But Sarah wasn’t dragged away kicking and screaming. She went willingly with her captor because - as a serving police officer - he pretended to arrested her. We speak to LBC journalist Henry Riley to revisit this crime, the impact it had on us and the changes that have been made since. THE END BITS Subscribe to M
How The Amish Wife’s Husband Got Away With Murder
When Ida Stutzman perished in a barn fire on a warm summer night in 1977, her husband Eli’s side of the story didn’t add up from the start. But the Stutzmans were part of the Amish community. The very nature of their insular world meant the suspicious nature of Ida’s death went unspoken for many years. They rarely talk to outsiders, which is why author Greg Olsen had his work cut out for him when penning his latest book The Amish Wife. But slowly, with the help of his researcher Robin Lassen, a
Hedley Thomas Is Searching For Bronwyn
The disappearance of Bronwyn Winfield was barely covered by the media in 1993. It took 11 days for her husband Jon Winfield to report her as missing after that Sunday night. Very little was done in the way of a police investigation in those early days, in fact it would be years until her case was actually taken seriously. A coronial inquest nearly a decade later determined that Bronwyn had likely been murdered. It went as far as recommending Jon be prosecuted - but that never happened. Hedley
How The Parents Of A School Shooter Ended Up Behind Bars
What a 15-year-old student unleashed on Oxford High School in 2021, didn’t just land himself in prison, he took his mother and father down with him. Jennifer and James Crumbley became the first parents convicted in a US mass shooting, each receiving at least 10 years in prison. Speaking with Sins of the Child podcast creators Jessica Lowther and Cooper Moll, we aim to unpick some of the most complex questions within this story about community, school responsibility and the role parents have in
Eurydice Dixon Was Just Walking Home
It’s been six years today since the rape and murder of 22-year-old comedian Eurydice Dixon as she was walking home in Melbourne. Six years since her boyfriend, Tony, and her family learnt the horrendous details of her death. Six years since Australia erupted with anger at the circumstances surrounding her murder. Our guest Sarah Krasnostein is a criminal law expert and award-winning author of The Trauma Cleaner, The Believer and the Quarterly Essay Not Waving, Drowning: Mental Illness and Vulne
The Unravelling Of Jennifer Pan’s Double Life
As police arrive at an ordinary suburban home to find a mother dead, a father seriously injured, three people on the run and a terrified Jennifer Pan, they soon discover that something doesn't seem right. Was the 24-year-old really the Olympic-caliber figure skater, award-winning pianist and straight-A student she had led her parents to believe? Or was she a high school drop out who had hired hitmen to brutally carry out their murder? Ahead of a controversial retrial, House of Mystery Radio Sho
There Were 105 Bruises On Her Body
When Kirra-Lea McLoughlin died on a property near Gympie, Queensland, law enforcement and medical examiners were baffled. Kirra’s former partner would claim she went to sleep after a fight and simply didn’t wake up. Family said there had been a party at the property the night before, but neighbours disputed that. Kirra’s body had 105 signs of bruising, and there was a 12 hour period where emergency services weren’t contacted about her rapidly declining state. Former police officer Jamie Pultz me
Jennifer & Jack Edwards Had Just Come Home From School
On July 5th, 2018 Jennifer and Jack Edwards were murdered in their home on Hull Street in the Sydney suburb of West Pennant Hills. Their mother Olga Edwards returned from work that day to a wall of lights and sirens in front of her home. Police wouldn't let her inside, but she knew almost instantly who was responsible for whatever evil had happened inside her house. She knew there was only one reason police would be at her doorstep. “It’s my husband,” she told police. “It’s my husband. We have
Tara Did Everything 'Right'
Tara Costigan was murdered in 2015, one day after taking out a DVO on her ex-partner Marcus Rappel. The day he laid a finger on her was the day he murdered her. Before that the abuse had been verbal. Emotional. Tara did everything ‘right’. She followed advice and took steps in the system designed to protect her, even though she was nervous about how he might react. And then she died, in the most horrendous of ways, while cradling her one-week-old daughter. Her murder changed the fabric of Canb
It’s Been 10 Years Since The Murder Of Luke Batty
In 2014, 11-year-old Luke Batty was murdered by his father at Tyabb cricket ground on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
The following year a coroner ruled that no one could have predicted that Luke would be killed by his father, but the inquest did point out several gaps in the family violence system in the lead-up to his death.
Ten years on, Luke's mother Rosie remains on the frontline campaigning for change.
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The Woman Counting Australia’s Murdered Women
This month, we’re doing things differently. Over the next few weeks well be revisiting stories from our archives to highlight crimes involving male violence against women in Australia because right now the rate at which we are losing women is alarming and terrifying.
But first, we wanted to talk to someone who lives and breathes violence against women every single day.
Sherele Moody is a journalist and the founder of The Red Heart Campaign and the Australian Femicide Watch. She has created a m
The News Snowtown Victims Families Have Been Dreading
In May 1999, two detectives followed a trail of suspicious missing persons cases to an old, red-brick bank in Snowtown, South Australia. As they head inside, they head straight for the bank’s vault where they find six large plastic barrels containing human remains. They also find handcuffs, knives, a saw, boxes of disposable gloves and bottles of hydrochloric acid. They’d come to realise they'd found the dumping grounds of Australia’s worst serial killings, crimes that would see four men sent
A Triple Murder And A Broken System
In May 2016, police arrived at a farmhouse in Hillier, north of Adelaide. The scene that awaited them was horrifying beyond words. Stephen Graham Peet had just murdered three people. The bodies of his girlfriend, Adeline Yvette Rigney-Wilson, and her two young children were inside. But as his crimes unravelled in court, something became clear. Those two little kids shouldn’t have died. Their deaths, at least, were preventable. It was a series of failures from government agencies designed to pr
According To A Criminologist, Keli Lane Shouldn’t Be In Prison.
On September 12, 1996, Keli Lane gave birth to a baby girl at Auburn Hospital in western Sydney. Two days later that baby seemingly disappeared. After years of investigation, Keli was convicted of her daughter's murder in 2010 and sentenced to 18 years behind bars. But did they get it wrong? Keli Lane’s story has been compared to the wrongful conviction of Lindy Chamberlain. It’s been pulled apart and analysed for years. So is she a baby killer? Or is she a woman, misunderstood. THE END BITS
Dorothea Puente: The Serial Killer Granny
To the outside world, Dorothea Puente presented herself as a kind grandmotherly figure who cared for the disabled and vulnerable residents of her boarding house in downtown Sacramento. But behind closed doors, nothing was as it seemed…
Not only was she stealing the money of her tenant, but she was also a serial killer. Allegedly murdering up to nine people.
In today's episode, we explore the crimes of the ‘Death House landlady’ who even after she was convicted managed to win over people with her
Secrets On Death Row: America’s ‘Killer Clown’
John Wayne Gacy is one of the worst serial killers in American history, murdering at least 33 teenage boys and men in the late 1970s. He was executed by lethal injection in 1994, but many are confident he killed even more victims than the ones he admitted to, and took plenty more secrets to the grave. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Want to try our new exercise app? Click here to start a seven-day free trial of MOVE by Mamamia. CREDITS Guest: Karen Conti. You can find out more about her book K
Inside The Rise & Fall Of Ruby Franke
Ruby Franke and her husband Kevin started posting their family online in 2015 under the pseudonym 8 Passengers. Things like birthday parties, grocery hauls, tips on getting toddlers to sleep through the night, and Sunday baking. It was an all-access pass inside their lives, and people loved it. But over the years, the criticism grew about the way Ruby and Kevin were choosing to discipline their kids. Fast forward to 2024, and Ruby and her business partner Jodie Hildebrandt were both charged with
How A Perth Girl Ended Up In A Thai Prison
Holly Deane-Johns grew up in a wealthy area of Perth. When her family’s real estate business went bust, her mother started a successful escort agency to keep their lavish lifestyle intact. But her parent’s relationship was abusive, and when they finally split Holly’s mum met someone new that changed everything. Simon was a heroin addict. Pretty soon her mother was too, and the family’s comfortable lifestyle collapsed as addiction took over. It didn’t take long for Holly and her siblings to also
Scotland’s ‘Lynette Dawson’ Case
In April, 1998, Arlene Fraser disappeared from her home in Elgin, north-east Scotland.
On a seemingly normal Tuesday morning, the 33-year-old waved her two children off to school and was never seen again.
Arlene’s disappearance sparked the biggest missing person search in Scotland’s history. To this day her body has never been found.
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‘Sit Down & Shut Up. The Man In The Coffin Has Something To Say’
Bill Edgar is the world's only Coffin Confessor. He attends people’s funerals, sits quietly amongst the mourners, and then at a time pre-determined by the deceased, he stands up and confesses. Sometimes, it’s a shocking secret. Sometimes, it's their last wish. What started as a favour for a friend, has turned into Bill's life calling. And as he’ll tell you, it’s not an easy job, but it’s worth it. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Want to try our new exercise app? Click here to start a seven-da
How Australia’s ‘Bug Whisperer’ Solves Crimes
Insects never lie. And in Paola Magni’s job, she's the person who helps translate what these tiny little witnesses have to say to give justice to victims of crime. Known as Australia’s ‘bug whisperer’, Paola is the global face of the specialist forensic science that uses insects and other small creatures to help solve murders, suspicious deaths and cold cases. She joins us today to take us behind the scenes of forensic entomology. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Want to try our new exercise
Escaping One Of Australia's Most Secretive Cults
Laura McConnell grew up in a fundamentalist sect with no name. Along with no official title, the group also claims to have no registration around the world, no formal hierarchy, and no official places of worship. According to Laura, it's this secrecy and denial that has allowed abuse to flourish within the community. She joins us today to expose what she witnessed and experienced inside the group she calls The Truth. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Want to try our new exercise app? Click here
Meet The Man Who Does 200 Autopsies A Year
Johan Duflou has seen a lot of dead bodies. In his four decades as a forensic pathologist, he estimates he’s done about 200 autopsies a year. Sometimes the people on his table have been the victim of a crime. Sometimes they’ve simply died unexpectedly and he’s been tasked to find out why. As he’ll tell you, the job is not like what you see in movies or on TV. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Want to try our new exercise app? Click here to start a seven-day free trial of MOVE by Mamamia. CREDIT
Come With Us Behind The Scenes Of Crime...
Mamamia’s True Crime Conversations is back for 2024, exploring the world’s most notorious crimes, by speaking to the people who know the most about them. And over the next month we're taking you behind the scenes of crime, interviewing a forensic pathologist, a cult survivor, a forensic scientist who uses insects and other small creatures to help solve crimes, and the world’s first and only Coffin Confessor. Hear True Crime Conversations’ Behind The Scenes Of Crime Special throughout February,
With Her Abuser Behind Bars, Dassi Erlich Is Ready To Talk.
In 2023, Malka Leifer was sentenced to 15 years in prison for 18 counts of sexual abuse against Dassi Erlich and her little sister. Leifer was the sisters' former high school principal, and when whispers of their allegations came to light in 2008, she fled from her home in Melbourne to Israel before any formal complaint could be made. It took 70 extradition hearings and 13 years to bring her back to Australia. But finally last year, Dassi was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Leifer was finally
The Complicated Crimes Of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
In 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She admitted to planning and orchestrating the stabbing death of her mother Dee Dee at the hands of her boyfriend Nick Godejohn, who was convicted of first-degree murder. Nick remains behind bars, but in December 2023, Gypsy was released after serving eight years of her sentence. This case is about more than just murder. It’s one of the most famous cases involving the alleged diagnosis of
Inside The Life Of An Australian Prison Guard
Stevie Munro is a Senior Correctional Officer with Moree Court Escort services, in charge of things like processing offenders who’ve just been arrested, and escorting them to and from court.
She deals with prisoners from all over Australia, and has seen it all. Kicking, screaming, lashing out, attempted suicide…
She is dealing with people during their most emotional times in prison. But as she will explain, her toughest days have nothing to do with the criminals themselves.
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Mamamia Investigates The Disappearance Of Peng Shuai: But Will She Ever Be Free?
This episode was originally published as part of Mamamia’s Extraordinary Stories podcast. In the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics, the world began to wonder how and if Peng Shuai would be used in the games, and whether the IOC was going to have anything to say to the Chinese Government about their silencing of the tennis star. So how did the Chinese propaganda juggernaut shift its attention to the global sporting stage? And what happens when the international community’s peak sporting body
Mamamia Investigates The Disappearance Of Peng Shuai: Proof Of Life
This episode was originally published as part of Mamamia’s Extraordinary Stories podcast. For three long weeks in November 2021, the tennis community, news organisations and human rights advocates the world over had one question; Where Is Peng Shuai? In the aftermath of a Weibo post detailing allegations of sexual assault against one of China’s top political figures, concerns for Peng Shuai's freedom were escalating swiftly. Then suddenly, proof of life. On this episode, we’ll learn more about t
Mamamia Investigates The Disappearance Of Peng Shuai: The Tennis Star Who Vanished
This episode was originally published as part of Mamamia’s Extraordinary Stories podcast. It was after 10 pm, on November 2nd, 2021 when 35-year-old Peng Shuai - China’s beloved global tennis star - sat down and began typing. Truncated sentences of an open letter, detailing an affair and sexual assault involving one of China’s highest-ranking political figures, would go on to rock the international community. It took only a few minutes before the post had amassed thousands of shares, likes, and
Mamamia Investigates Belle Gibson: Reckoning & Reinvention
This episode was originally published as part of Mamamia’s Extraordinary Stories podcast. Belle Gibson spent years lying about her health. From those early skater chatroom claims that she had died on the operating table during heart surgery, to a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, and finally, revelations that cancer had spread through her entire body. She had built a business out of peddling her strategy for treating that cancer; with food. She said it was curing her, and could (for a small fee)
Mamamia Investigates Belle Gibson: The Email No One Wanted To Believe
This episode was originally published as part of Mamamia’s Extraordinary Stories podcast. Belle Gibson was travelling to Queensland for a funeral when she was first contacted by Melbourne newspaper, The Age. Reporters were seeking clarification. They wanted to know exactly how much of the money that Belle was making was going to charity. By 2015, The Whole Pantry had become a hugely successful app, blog and book. Belle had always publicly pledged that a sizeable chunk of the money it was making
Mamamia Investigates Belle Gibson: From Teen Mum To Internet Infamy
This episode was originally published as part of Mamamia’s Extraordinary Stories podcast. Belle Gibson spent years lying about her health. From those early skater chatroom claims that she had died on the operating table during heart surgery, to a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, and finally, revelations that cancer had spread through her entire body. She had built a business out of peddling her strategy for treating that cancer; with food. She said it was curing her, and could (for a small fee)
The Adelaide Schoolgirl Taken From Her Bed
On a summer evening in January 1983, 10-year-old Louise Bell went missing from her bedroom in Adelaide's Hackham West. It was a case that horrified Australia, as every parent's worst nightmare became reality for the Bell family. How could a young girl tucked up in her bed in a safe, suburban neighbourhood just go missing in the middle of the night? It would take 30 years, and advances in DNA technology, to find out who was responsible for the disappearance of Louise Bell. THE END BITS Subscri
The Murdaugh Murders
The Murdaughs were one of South Carolina's most prominent legal families for nearly a century. They were so influential in the area, that locals nicknamed the county they practised in ‘Murdaugh country.’ But in 2019 a fatal boating accident put the family under a microscope, and what was uncovered about the Murdaughs over the next four years is almost too shocking to believe. This story is complicated. You’re about to hear about the deaths of five people in South Carolina, all with ties to the
Inside The Mind Of The Hoddle Street Killer
On a Sunday night in August 1987, 18-year-old Julian Knight unleashed terror on the streets of Melbourne. It was just after 9:30pm when the recently discharged army cadet opened fire on innocent civilians, murdering seven people and seriously injuring 19 more. After the incident, a group of psychologists were tasked with analysing Knight to try to understand the motivations of such a callous, unprovoked attack. Our guest today was part of that team. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Gue
The Baby In The Mailbag
In May 1965 a horrific discovery was made at a Darwin post office. A package carrying the remains of a newborn baby boy had been sent there from the Russell Street post office in Melbourne. The sender and the intended recipient were unable to be identified at the time. Now, almost 60 years later, there are new leads in the case. Finally, after all this time, detectives might be on the precipice of solving this cold case. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia If you have any details about this cas
Shanelle Dawson: Coming To Terms With The Teacher's Pet
The murder of Lynette Dawson was a crime that unravelled in real-time via a podcast called The Teacher’s Pet in 2018. It was a groundbreaking investigation. One that forced police to re-investigate things they’d filed away as unimportant decades prior. Shanelle Dawson, Lynette's daughter, had already pieced together the truth before investigative journalist Hedley Thomas came knocking. But his podcast helped put her father behind bars. Since then, Shanelle has released her own story, in her ow
The Forgotten Victims Of Malcolm Naden
Malcolm Naden was once Australia's most wanted man. The prime suspect for the murder of his neighbour, as well as in the disappearance and suspected murder of his cousin, Naden was on the run from 2005 until 2012. Today’s guest, Dimity Clancey, followed this story as it unfolded and was the journalist who first acquired and published Naden’s confession in 2016. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Dimity Clancey. You can watch her award-winning coverage of Malcolm Naden's confessi
The Most Famous Poisoning Murder You’ve Never Heard Of
On New Year’s Eve, 1927, Ethel Griggs and her baby daughter Alwyn returned home to Victoria after six months away in Tasmania.
After eating supper with her husband Ethel quickly became ill, and just over 48 hours later she was pronounced dead.
At first, it was thought to be heart trouble or even sea sickness that caused her death, but when police exhumed her body just two weeks after Ethel was laid to rest, they found enough arsenic inside her stomach to kill not just Ethel, but several people.
Inside Australia's Most Infamous Prison
For more than a century, Australia's infamous Pentridge Prison was an ominous presence just 30 minutes away from Melbourne’s CBD. A place of murder and mayhem, it was home to Victoria’s worst criminals. Everyone from Ned Kelly and Chopper Read, to mass murderers Julian Knight and Craig Minogue. Pentridge officially closed in 1997 after decades of controversy. Over the years, everybody in Victoria had an understanding that Pentridge was a bad place, and the criminals who spent time inside can att
Six Deaths. One Uncomfortable Truth.
Over the last two years, Indigenous Affairs Reporter Douglas Smith and his team have been looking into the deaths of six Indigenous women, from three different states across Australia. Each case occurred in different jurisdictions, involving different individuals, but the investigation conducted by Doug's team uncovered a commonality that is impossible to ignore. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Douglas Smith host of the Dying Rose podcast. Host: Gemma Bath Executive Producer: G
Hunting The Kimberley Killer
In June 1987, Australia's top end lost it's innocence. The murders of five tourists across the Northern Territory and Western Australia marred the reputation of this idyllic tourist region, sparking fear in locals and visitors alike. These horrific events sparked one of the biggest manhunts in Australian history and saw today's guest, Former WA Police Inspector Bob Brown, on the front lines of the hunt for Josef Thomas Schwab: ‘The Kimberley Killer’ THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia If you have
From Journalist To Witness: Inside The Teacher's Pet Podcast
In 2018, Hedley Thomas’ podcast The Teacher's Pet captivated millions of listeners around the world as he unravelled the disappearance of Lynette Simms in real time, week by week. Throughout his meticulous investigation more evidence and information came to light, leading to the arrest of Lyn's former husband Chris Dawson. In 2022, Hedley found himself a witness in Dawson's high-profle murder trial. He joins us today to discuss the podcast that landed Hedley in the courtroom, and Dawson behind b
The Wrongful Conviction of Evaristo Salas
Evaristo Salas Junior was just 16 when he was sent to an adult men’s prison convicted of the murder of Jose Arreola in 1995.
But in the nearly three decades since his conviction, the evidence has been re-examined in great detail. Cracks, lies and omissions have been uncovered by journalists and documentary makers alike, leading to Evaristo's exoneration and release in August of this year.
So how did this happen? How did the justice system fail him so monumentally, and why did it take so long t
The Disappearance Of Rhianna Barreau
In October 1992, 12-year-old Rhianna Barreau disappeared. On the day she went missing it was school holidays, and Rhianna had spent the morning wandering to the local shops to buy her American pen pal a Christmas card. When her mother got home at 4pm, expecting to find Rhianna, she was nowhere to be found. It's one of South Australia's most enduring cold cases. Her disappearance didn’t just change the lives of her family, it changed her community and the streets of Adelaide forever. THE END BI
Australia’s Biggest Terror Campaign You’ve Never Heard About
In September 1988 a campaign of terror was unleashed upon Perth’s Chinese community through a series of targeted firebombings that decimated a number of restaurants around the city. The motive behind the attacks was impossible to ignore, but it would take a drastic escalation of violence for WA police to start taking the firebombs seriously. Once they finally started to piece the crimes together and close in on the culprits, police realised they’d happened upon a plot in the making that was a lo
Australia's Dark History Of Forced Adoptions
For nearly half a century, Australia was engaged in a shameful and shocking practice that would tear babies from the arms of their mothers, sometimes before they ever even laid eyes on their precious little faces.
Today, Amelia Oberhart shares with us the journey of her discoveries about her mother’s life before she was born in her podcast, Secrets We Keep, Shame, Lies and Family…and in the process of unveiling her own story, found the buried stories of women whose numbers will shock you.
THE
The Murder Squad
In Australia in the 1920s a 'murder wave' gripped the country, as the desperation of The Great Depression rippled through society. Cases like The Human Glove, The Hammer Horror, The Park Demon, The Bungendore Bones, and most famously The Pyjama Girl, were splashed across tabloid headlines. At the same time a new age of methods and technologies were being rolled out to help investigate crimes that would've previously gone unsolved. In NSW there was an elite group of hardened and cunning detective
Inside The Trial Of Lucy Letby
Last week, 33-year-old nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven newborns, and attempting to kill six others who were under her care in 2015 and 2016. During her time in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwestern England, her colleagues noticed a significant rise in the number of babies dying and suffering serious collapses in the unit. Police and medical experts were called in for a large-scale investigation and discovered one common factor linking these o
Karen Bell Escaped Her Husband, But She Couldn’t Save Her Children
Karen Bell met Gary Poxon in 1993. She was 17, he was 29. By 2008, the pair were living in an isolated farmhouse in Pericoe with their three children - Maddie, Jack and Bon. Their 15 year long relationship was filled with emotional and physical abuse, with multiple AVOs taken out against Gary to protect Karen. He faced charges more than once for assaulting her, but he'd never once hurt their kids. They were his trump card. Every time Karen tried to leave Gary he would withhold them. 'You can g
‘Look What You Made Me Do’: The Murder Of Mimi Acar
What little kid doesn’t want their Dad to take them to the shop and get them a kinder surprise?
That’s what Ramazan Acar told his ex partner Rachelle D’Argent in November 2010, when he turned up at her Melbourne home, breaking yet another intervention order that she had taken out against him. He just wanted to take his daughter to the little shop down the road and get her a treat.
But Yazmina Acar would never return from that trip with her dad. Angry and upset over his perception that he was bei
Murder On The West Gate Bridge: The Story Of Darcey Freeman
In January 2009, Darcey Freeman’s father, Arthur Freeman, was driving her to her first day of school when he acted out of revenge. He threw his four-year-old daughter off Melbourne’s 58-metre-high West Gate Bridge. Darcey’s mother, Peta Barnes never got the chance to say goodbye to her only daughter.
Today, we are joined by Megan Norris, the author of Look What You Made Me Do: Fathers Who Kill, to examine Peta’s story and how the system placed blame on everyone but the aggressive and abusive fat
Fathers Who Kill: The Revenge Murder Of Kelly East
You can listen to our first-hand interview with Michelle Steck here. In 1993, Michelle Steck lost her daughter Kelly at the hands of her former partner Kevin East. It was an horrific act classified as retaliatory filicide, when domestic violence perpetrators use their children to get back at their partners who dare to leave them. Today we're joined by Megan Norris, the author of Look What You Made Me Do: Fathers Who Kill, to examine Michelle's story and the systemic failures that left a vulnera
The Cold Case Still Haunting Australia’s Cape York
When Bevin and Brad Simmons went missing off the coast of the Cape York Peninsula in 2003, a massive air, land and sea search was launched to find the pair.
The operation covered a huge area but in the days and weeks that followed, no evidence was found. Not their boat, not a body, not even a piece of fishing gear that may have floated away if they'd capsized.
To this day, the final resting place of Bevin and Brad is unknown. But the story uncovered during the investigation - of an ongoing turf
The McCulkin Murders
The notorious Whisky Au Go Go nightclub fire in Brisbane in 1973 left behind questions that remain unanswered to this day. Who was really behind it, who was there that night, why did 15 people have to die and did it go beyond just criminal activity to include corrupt police too? But the deaths of 15 people that night wouldn’t be the only ones linked to the blaze. When the McCulkins, 34 year old Barbara, 13 year old Vicky and 11 year old Leanne went missing in 1974, the investigation into their d
Murders In The Nightclub: Inside Queensland's Worst Firebombing Incident
The Whisky Au Go Go Fire is just as much a mystery today as it was in the hours after the tragedy that took the lives of 15 people in Fortitude Valley on March 8th 1973. Police would start a major investigation that would drag in some of Brisbane’s most well known criminals, gangsters, bosses and violent offenders who had spent time together in jails over decades, creating networks and ties that spread down the coast into Sydney. But the investigation would also expose police and political corru
The Prison Guard Who Fell In Love With An Inmate
In 1992, career criminal Peter Gibb met prison guard Heather Parker while serving a 12-year sentence at the Melbourne Remand Centre. Heather claimed she didn’t notice Peter at first, but she quickly became smitten and their relationship developed from flirtatious to physical. When their affair was exposed Heather was immediately transferred, with communication between the two forbidden. But they couldn’t be stopped, and with the help of another inmate acting as their middleman, the pair hatched
Surviving The Butcher Of Bega
You can listen to our interview with a second victim or Dr Reeves here. In the later months of 1995, 28-year-old Jayne Mansfield found herself in need of an obstetrician. She was pregnant with her first baby and, as most first-time mums do, she put her trust in the medical professional her GP had referred her to - a doctor named Graeme Reeves at The Hills Hospital in Sydney’s Baulkham Hills. Throughout her pregnancy care, Jayne felt there was something not quite right about her doctor, but it wa
The Butcher Of Bega
Listen to our interview with a survivor of the Butcher Of Bega here. In 2011 gynaecologist Graeme Stephen Reeves was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on one of his patients. A case that was just one of many allegations of heinous offences against his female patients, that dated back nearly two decades. Claims of assaults, molestation and mutilation plagued his career from the 90s, and in 1997 the NSW medical board banning Reeves from practising ob
Abuse, Fraud & Control: Unravelling Hillsong
Pentecostalism has been practised in Australia since the 1920s. But it wasn’t until husband and wife team Brian and Bobby Houston launched Hillsong church in 1983 that Pentecostal Christianity really began to surge in popularity.
From its humble beginnings in Sydney’s Baulkham Hills, by 2018 Hillsong had 80 branches in 21 countries. But after a spectacular and meteoric rise to international popularity, over the last several years Hillsong has been dogged by controversy. Allegations of fraud, c
Where Does Kathleen Folbigg Go From Here?
Earlier this week, in an historic decision, the NSW attorney general made the extraordinary announcement that Kathleen Folbigg had been granted a pardon after 20 years in prison. In 2003, Kathleen was sentenced to thirty years for the murders of three of her children and the manslaughter of a fourth. And while she always maintained her innocence, it wasn’t until a second inquiry into Kathleen's convictions, that new scientific developments led to revelations that three of her children could have
After 20 Years In Prison, Kathleen Folbigg Has Been Pardoned
After 20 years behind bars, Kathleen Folbigg has been pardoned, and released from prison.
A landmark inquiry saw NSW’s top prosecutor accept there was reasonable doubt about her convictions over the deaths of her four children.
If you’re not aware or Kathleen’s story, you’re about to hear our episode with investigative journalist Jane Hansen who unpacked the forensic evidence that was to be examined in the inquiry. The evidence that has now led to Kathleen Folbigg’s freedom...Become a Mamamia su
The Disappearance Of Gordana Kotevski
In November, 1994, 16-year-old Gordana Kotevski was abducted while walking home from a local shopping centre in the Newcastle suburb of Charlestown. Gordana was just moments from her aunt's front door when she was dragged into a white Toyota Hilux by two men, and never seen again. Her loved ones have spent years since her kidnapping in an unrelenting search for answers. But despite wide scale police searches and multiple eye-witness accounts, as well as ongoing public appeals and rewards, Gorda
Australia’s Most Wanted Father & Son
Listen to part two of this conversation with Nino, here. In the mid 90s, the Stoccos seemed like any other Aussie family. A mum and dad, Connie and Gino, and their two teenage kids, Mark and Christina.But in 1997, the breakdown of this seemingly happy family marked the beginning of a dark new chapter for Gino of crime and violence. It was a path he wouldn’t walk alone though, as little by little, Gino’s son Mark, would join him in his offending. What started as stolen groceries or a fall out wi
The Wrongful Conviction That Divided New Zealand
The murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in June 1970 were labelled the death of innocence in New Zealand, and would go on to become one of the country’s most infamous cold cases. In the immediate aftermath, a man named Arthur Allan Thomas was found guilty of the crime. His fate sealed by a piece of evidence so compelling that a jury had no doubt he was the killer. A piece of evidence that years later would be revealed to have been planted. Thomas was granted a royal pardon after serving nine
‘I Was Stalked For 3 Years’: Nicole Madigan’s Story
The phenomenon of stalking is as prolific as it is insidious. The breadth of quiet suffering perpetrators calculate and inflict on their subjects often leads to victims being completely unable to identify what’s happening to them, and to seek help. Journalist Nicole Madigan was stalked by a woman she barely knew for three years. Her experience led her to investigate the power, fixation and control that drives stalkers, and the havoc they wreak on the lives of their victims. THE END BITS Subscri
The Black Widow Of Adelaide
Michelle Burgess is one of Australia’s most infamous ‘black widows’ - a term given to female psychopaths who either kill or organise other men to kill other men.
In 2001, Michelle plotted two murders. The targets were her husband Darren, and a woman named Carolyn Matthews - a mother of three whose husband Kevin had become involved in an affair with Michelle.
While Michelle & Kevin would only see through one half of this twisted plan before they were stopped, they would eventually be served w
The Clifftop Murder Of Janet Fisicaro
In 2010, 52-year-old Des Campbell was found guilty of murdering his wife Janet Fisicaro. The pair had only been married six months when they embarked on a camping trip in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney. A trip that sadly only Des would survive. Initially he would tell police that Janet had fallen from a 50-metre cliff, but investigators would soon come to realise that the 49-year-old hadn’t fallen at all… she’d been pushed. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Ian W. Shaw
Life In Prison With No Parole: The Man Who Killed Karen Chetcuti
In January 2016, 49-year-old Karen Chetcuti was viscously attacked on her property in Whorouly, a rural town in north-eastern Victoria.
What happened to Karen at the hands of her neighbour, Michael Cardamone, was described as so unfeeling, so excessive and sadistically executed that those prosecuting him worked to make sure that Michael would never walk freely amongst the community again.
The Chetcuti family’s lawyer, John Suta, joins us today to discuss the investigation and legal proceedings
The Frankston Murders: Why A Serial Killer Could Walk Free
In the early 1990s, 21-year-old Paul Denyer terrorised the Victorian suburb of Frankston. He preyed on the local women; stalking, abducting and eventually murdering three young victims.
Their names were Elizabeth Stevens, Deborah Fream and Natalie Russell.
But after three decades behind bars, a parole board in Victoria must now consider an application to free the man behind what became known as the Frankston Murders.
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Guest: Vikki Petraitis
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The South Australian Woman Who Turned To Stone
In 1951, the discovery of a petrified female body in the raging floodwaters of the Murray River triggered an investigation that spanned multiple Australian states. And while evidence suggested foul play, the truth of her identity and what really happened to her would remain a mystery, with the death of a vital witness in the aftermath of the discovery leaving the case cold. But seven decades on, investigative documentary filmmaker and author Peter Butt believes he’s uncovered new information. A
The Moment That Could’ve Saved Gabby Petito
In August 2021, Gabby Petito went missing while on holiday with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The pair were six weeks into a four month trip across the United States. They'd been living out of Gabby's specially decked out van, documenting and filming every adventure so she could share it on her growing social media platforms. But when the 22-year-old suddenly stopped posting, her family began to fear the worst. Gabby's high-profile disappearance sparked an unprecedented social media movement to fi
Fake Identities, Kidnapping & Murder: Uncovering The True Identity Of Sharon Marshall
In April 1990, a 21-year-old woman was found dead on the side of a highway in Oklahoma City. The investigation into her death, which initially seemed like a straight forward hit-and-run, would lead police to uncover a violent trail of lies, abuse, false identities, kidnapping and murder, spanning multiple decades. Journalist Matt Birkbeck, our guest today, spent two decades researching this case and played an integral role in uncovering the woman's true identity. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mam
The Secret History Of Catholic Orphanages
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, impoverished populations within urban areas were struggling to keep up with the rising number of abandoned children. And with little support or infrastructure in the way of social and government services, the responsibility to house these children fell largely on local parishes. The image of these grand manors, large estates surrounded by manicured lawns, of a safe space for innocent children could not have been further from the truth of what was occurr
The Cruise Ship Death Of Dianne Brimble
On the 23rd of September 2002, Dianne Brimble stepped aboard what should have been a ten-day cruise through New Caledonia and Vanuatu with her family. But within less than 24 hours, Dianne was found unconscious, in a strangers room. The cabin belonged to four men, travelling as part of a bigger group of eight. The Adelaide Eight, as they’d soon become known. A group of young men ready to indulge in the vices of the infamous party cruise industry. The death of Dianne Brimble exposed a dangerous
The ‘Child Bride’ Who Brought Down Australia’s Biggest Doomsday Cult
William Kamm is the self-proclaimed Messiah behind Australia’s biggest doomsday cult.
After the inception of The Order of St Charbel in the late 1980s, Kamm spun of web of lies, peddling end of the world prophecies to coerce his trusted flock into subservience, with the promise of salvation.
But when a young girl’s diary surfaced, the true horrors of life inside the community were revealed. A life of strict hierarchy, coercive control, and abuse. All hidden from the outside world.
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A Deal With The Devil To Find Matthew Leveson
In September 2007, after a night out on Sydney’s iconic Oxford Street, 20-year-old Matthew Leveson went missing. Although police investigated his disappearance at the time, it would be a decade before they finally uncovered his body. His 43-year-old boyfriend, Michael Atkins, was the last person to see Matt alive. His aversion to telling the truth about that night would torment Mathew’s family, see a murder acquittal, a coronial inquisition, and an historic immunity deal. CREDITS Guest: Grace
Meet The Woman Who Caught The Mornington Monster
Today’s episode is about one of Victoria’s most disturbing cases of familicide. The death of Anna Kemp & her daughter Gracie at the hands of John Sharpe, the husband and father who’s crimes would see him branded ‘The Mornington Monster’. Our guest, Narelle Fraser, is a former Victorian Police officer, whose discoveries were instrumental in solving the case and bringing John to justice. She joins us to discuss this shocking case, and her role in finding out what happened to Anna & Gracie
Inside The Mind Of Australia’s Most Perverted Killer
In 1969 Derek Percy was arrested for the brutal killing of 12 year old Yvonne Tuohy.
While he was held responsible for that crime, a string of unsolved heinous child murders in the 60s bear chilling resemblance to that violent crime that put him behind bars.
But Derek Percy never confessed to, nor was he convicted of the crimes he’s strongly suspected of having committed. He died in custody in 2013 as Victoria's longest serving prisoner, taking to the grave all his secrets. Depriving families
Re-Opening The Closed Case Of Sandrine Jourdan
Sandrine Jourdan vanished from a Queensland property in July 2012. A coroner would eventually rule her death a probable suicide. But her body has never been found, and while most in her life have concluded Sandrine is probably dead, many suspect she may have met with foul play. Among them is retired detective-turned-private investigator Graeme Crowley who's been investigating the case for the Bring Home Sandrine podcast. He joins us today. CREDITS Guest: Graeme Crowley Host: Emma Gillespie Exec
We’ve Got Some News
Our host Gemma Bath is taking a short break, while she's on maternity leave a familiar voice will be stepping in to keep the mic warm...Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Daniella Was 15 When She Escaped A Cult
Daniella Mestyanek Young was born into the Children Of God religious cult. Her childhood was lived out behind the tall gates of a commune in Brazil, where the children were subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse masked as religious discipline and divine love. At fifteen years old, she escaped. But the effects of what she experienced have had lasting impacts. CREDITS Guest: Daniella Mestyanek Young You can find out more details about her book Uncultured here. Host: Gemma Bath Executi
Gary Jubelin’s Life As A Homicide Detective
After 34 years in the police and 25 years in homicide, it was former Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin’s job to catch killers. He worked on some of the biggest criminal cases in Australia, including the Lindt Cafe siege, the Bowraville murders, and the gruesome killing of drug dealer Terry Falconer. But it was the case of William Tyrrell that would cost Gary his career. In 2020, he was convicted for illegally recording four conversations with a person of interest in that investigation. Overnight,
Crime Through The Eyes Of A Psychic Detective
Debbie Malone is used to sceptics. She’s been brushed aside, turned away, and sworn at by people who say she’s a liar. That she’s making things up. You see, Debbie is a psychic. For the past 30 years, she’s been using her abilities to help police investigate murders and find missing people, working on everything from the Ivan Milat backpacker killings, the disappearance of Bob Chappell, and the murder of six-year-old Keisha Weippeart. Debbie's worked with some of the most highly respected polic
Meet The Woman Who Cleans Up Crime Scenes
Lee Iordanidis has been cleaning crime scenes for over thirty years. Her job has her brushing up against things most of us couldn't even imagine in our worst nightmares, and on a rare occasion, it even had her coming face to face with the person responsible for the crime scene she was cleaning. It's a job not many of us would choose for ourselves, but if it weren't for Lee many families would be left to clean up their loved one's remains alone. This is a True Crime Conversation that's stuck with
Inside The Mind Of A Criminal Psychologist
Tim Watson Munro has sat across from the worst of the worst. Rapists. Terrorists. Mass murderers. Tim’s a psychologist, who started his career in the prison system as the resident psych at Parramatta jail, before turning to the private sector - where he mainly worked for defence lawyers defending alleged crooks. He’s assessed everyone from Julian Knight, the man responsible for the Hoddle Street massacre, to members of The Family, a so-called doomsday cult. But it’s a job that took its toll ov
Catching Sydney’s North Shore Rapist
Graham James Kay is known in the media as The North Shore Rapist. In the 1990s he terrorised the suburbs of Balgowlah, Artarmon, Epping, Eastwood, and Wollstonecraft with victims ranging in age from 16 to 39. Today's guest, Craig Goozee, was one of the officers that brought Graham to justice in 1996. He joins us to discuss the operation that saw The North Shore Rapist put behind bars and the criminal justice system that saw a repeat offender back out on our streets in 2015. CREDITS Guest: Crai
From Missing To Matricide: Inside Melbourne’s Society Murders
In April 2002, millionaire socialite Margaret Wales-King and her husband Paul King disappeared after a dinner at her son Matthew's house in Melbourne. Less than a month later their bodies were found in a shallow grave just outside the city and it didn't take long for police to piece together what had happened. On this week's episode we're joined by barrister Hilary Bonney & former detective Charlie Bezzina to take you through this case that captivated Australia. CREDITS You can find out more
The Disappearance Of Olivia Newton-John’s Lover
On June 30, 2005, Korean American cameraman Patrick McDermott went missing from an overnight fishing trip off the coast of Los Angeles. Initial investigations proved difficult with no other passengers or crew members having noticed his disappearance, but when the media realised that the missing man was also the on-again off-again boyfriend of superstar Olivia Newton-John, a whirlwind of speculation began. Did Patrick fall overboard? Was he murdered? Did he take his own life? Or, as has been ru
The Cafe Recruiting For One Of Australia’s Most Sinister Cults
The Twelve Tribes are a Christian fundamentalist sect with followers all around the world, from Germany to America and even here in Australia.
Their cafes in Katoomba and Picton have rave reviews but behind these storefronts is a community masked in secrecy and disturbing allegations.
Journalist Tim Elliot has spent over a decade investigating their practices. He joins us on today's episode to discuss what he's uncovered.
CREDITS
Guest: Tim Elliot
You can listen to his podcast Inside The Tribe h
The 93 Victims Of Samuel Little
Samuel Little is known as the 'most prolific serial killer in US history'. It's believed he murdered more than 90 women over the course of almost four decades before he was finally caught in 2005. In today's episode, journalist Jillian Lauren takes us through Sam's crimes and victims, as well as the unconventional relationship they developed while she was researching his case. CREDITS Guest: Jillian Lauren You can watch her documentary Confronting A Serial Killer here. Host: Gemma Bath Executiv
Is Australia’s Worst Female Serial Killer Innocent?
Kathleen Folbigg has been described as 'Australia’s worst female serial killer' and 'Australia’s most hated woman'... but what if she never actually committed the crimes she was convicted of. In 2003 she was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of manslaughter over the deaths of her four children, but now over 150 world-renowned scientists are petitioning for Kathleen's release, with a fresh inquiry underway this week reexamining the evidence of the case. CREDITS Guest: Jane Han
The Mysterious Deaths Of Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler
In the early hours of New Year’s Day, 1963, the body of a man and woman were discovered on the banks of Lane Cove River in Sydney. They were half naked and arranged bizarrely a few metres apart, but there was no obvious sign of injury. The pair were quickly identified as Dr Gilbert Bogle and Mrs Margaret Chandler, and while their deaths became front page news for years to come their cause of death remained a mystery for decades. CREDITS Guest: Peter Butt Listen to Peter's podcast Who Killed Dr
Murder In The Goldfields With Caroline Overington
On March 19, 2015, Ray and Jennie Kehlet went fossicking with their friend Graham in the goldfields outside Sandstone, WA. A week later when police came across their campsite they found half-empty coffee cups, dirty dishes, and clothes still hanging on a makeshift clothesline. But they couldn't find Ray & Jennie. The couple's disappearance sparked the biggest and most expensive search in WA history at the time. To this day police and their families are still searching for answers. (Please no
A 'Love Triangle' And A Death Sentence
In February 2009, 26-year-old Heather Strong went missing. She stopped turning up to her waitressing job at a diner in Florida and stopped contacting her family.
Her estranged husband said she'd left the kids with him and was taking some time to herself to figure things out, but their abusive relationship left people questioning his version of events. And when police started to investigate, it wasn't just Heather's husband who became their prime suspect. His girlfriend Emilia, who was eight mont
The Wanda Beach Murders
On an overcast January day in 1965, teenagers Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock went missing in the sand hills of Wanda Beach. What happened to them remains one of Australia’s most infamous unsolved murders, despite more than 14-thousand interviews, and 5-thousand suspects. Today we're joined by author Alan J Whiticker to discuss how the case unfolded and the one suspect who hasn't been ruled out THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Alan J Whiticker You can find out more abou
'The Most Violent Woman In Sydney'
Iris Webber was no stranger to the inside of a police cell. Labelled a 1920s gangster and the ‘most violent woman in Sydney’ in the history books, she lived during a time in our history when male homosexuality was criminalised and lesbianism was admonished. Married to two men during her short life, Iris was also in relationships with women. Something the police were well aware of. Her rap sheet between the years of 1932 and 1937 alone was extensive. She was charged with everything from murder an
Where Is Theo Hayez?
In the early hours of Saturday, June 1st, 2019, 18-year-old backpacker Theo Hayez disappeared from the streets of Byron Bay. He'd been in Australia for six and a half months and was due to head home to Belgium in a matter of days. But Theo never checked out of his hostel. This is a missing person case that stopped Australia in its tracks. One that attracted a $500, 000 reward for information. A story that to this day, four years later, has left so many questions, unanswered. THE END BITS Subscr
Finding Jill Meagher’s Murderer
On Friday September 21, 2012, Jill Meagher went out for celebratory drinks with her colleagues at ABC Melbourne. That night she didn't make it home. It's been 10 years and what happened to Jill continues to haunt the women of Australia, as they do something as simple, as walking home alone. In this episode, Gemma Bath is joined by journalist and author Megan Norris to discuss the investigation that brought Jill's killer to justice. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Megan Norris
UPDATE: Tasmania’s Most Controversial Murder Conviction
In the last week you might’ve seen the news that Sue Neil Fraser, who was found guilty of murdering her partner Bob Chappell aboard their yacht in Tasmania in 2009, has been granted parole. Sue’s expected to leave prison within weeks, after serving more than 13 years behind bars. Up until now, she’d always maintained her innocence and her supporters insisted she wouldn’t apply for parole. In light of this new information, this week we’re revisiting our conversation with true crime author Robin B
Andrea Yates & The Unspeakable Side Of Post Partem Psychosis
On the morning of June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates took the lives of her five children in her home in Houston, Texas. After struggling with mental illness throughout her life, it was the birth of Andrea's children that saw her pushed to breaking point. Today we explore how and why this unspeakable tragedy occurred. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Dr Sohom Das You can hear more of his analysis of criminal cases on his YouTube channel - A Psych for Sore Minds Host: Rebecca Davis Execut
Gary Jubelin Used To Catch Criminals, Now He Befriends Them
After 34 years in the police and 25 years in homicide, it was former Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin’s job to catch killers. He worked on some of the biggest criminal cases in Australia, including the Lindt Cafe siege, the Bowraville murders, and the gruesome killing of drug dealer Terry Falconer. But it was the case of William Tyrrell that would cost Gary his career. In 2020, he was convicted for illegally recording four conversations with a person of interest in that investigation. Overnight,
Australia’s Most Notorious Bank Robber
In the late 1990s Brenden Abbott was notorious around Australia. Known as 'The Postcard Bandit', he was the most wanted man in the country after escaping prison not once but twice. While on the run it's estimated he robbed up to 30 banks, making off with $5 million. Today Gemma Bath's joined by journalist Derek Pedley as well as Brenden's former lawyer Chris Nyst to discuss Abbott's life and crimes. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guests: Derek Pedley & Chris Nyst Australian Outla
The Drug Smuggling Grannies
In 1977, retirees Vera Hays and Florice Bessire were offered a trip of a lifetime. All they had to do was drive a motorhome from Germany to India for Vera's nephew. What they didn't know was that there'd be two tonnes of hashish hidden in the vehicle. Journalist and author Sandi Logan joins Gemma this week to tell us how two American women who unwittingly became Australia's 'Drug Grannies'. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Sandi Logan You can find Sandi's book Betrayed here. Hos
Melbourne’s First Terror Attack
On March 27, 1986, Constable Angela Taylor was standing in front of the Russell Street Police Headquarters complex in Melbourne when a car bomb was detonated, injuring dozens of people. She was the sole fatality from the attack and the first female police officer to be murdered in Australia in the line of duty, at the age of just 21. It was a crime that terrified the country. An act of pure evil by a gang of criminals with a hatred for authority. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Gues
Inside Australia's Most Elaborate Diamond Heist
In the 1980s, up to $50 million of Argyle Pink Diamonds were smuggled out of one of the world’s most secure mines, seemingly without anyone noticing. The gems were dispersed from Western Australia around the world to Hong Kong, New York and Switzerland with only a few ever recovered. Journalist Sinead Mangan joins Gemma Bath this week to discuss her investigation into this previously unsolved case. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Sinead Mangan You can hear Sinead's full investi
Solving The Somerton Man Mystery
After 74 years, Australia’s most baffling mystery has finally been solved. When the body of a man was found slumped on Adelaide's Somerton Beach in 1948, with no clear identity and no clear cause of death, it set off an investigation that spawned curiosity, concern, and conspiracy theories. But after decades of following leads, The University of Adelaide’s professor Derek Abbott and US forensic genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick finally have a name. Colleen joins Gemma today to discuss their findi
The Kingsgrove Slasher
From 1956 to 1959, Sydney's southern suburbs were terrorized by a knife-wielding menace known as The Kingsgrove Slasher. He made 18 attacks over that three-year period, with his victims ranging from grown women to a little girl only two years old. It's a case that over the decades has fallen through the cracks of history, until now. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Glen Humphries, author of Night Terrors: The True Story of the Kingsgrove Slasher Host: Gemma Bath Executive Produce
Tasmania’s Most Controversial Murder Conviction
On the night of January 26, 2009, Bob Chappell disappeared from his yacht in Tasmania's Derwent Estuary. Police were alerted to trouble when the boat was seen sinking the next morning.
When they examined the scene there were signs of foul play... but no sign of Bob.
His partner Sue Neill-Fraser would soon become the prime suspect in Chappell's disappearance. But was her conviction sound?
Crime author Robin Bowles joins Gemma this week to discuss why many of Australia's leading legal minds have s
Melbourne’s Brownout Strangler
In 1942, the streets of Melbourne were dim and eery. To assist with World War II efforts, the city was complying with a 'brownout' order, similar to a blackout but less severe. This low lighting was the backdrop for a series of murders committed by Edward Joseph Leonski, a 'smiling psychopath' who became known as The Brownout Strangler. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Ian W. Shaw, author of Murder at Dusk Host: Gemma Bath Executive Producer: Gia Moylan Audio Producer: Rhiannon
The Unsolved Mystery Of Sharron Phillips
In 1986, 20-year-old Sharron Phillips disappeared from the side of the road in Wacol, Brisbane. She used a payphone to make two calls to a friend after running out of petrol, but by the time he arrived she was nowhere to be found. Those calls were the last time anyone ever heard from Sharron. And her disappearance remained a mystery for 30 years until a deathbed confession changed everything. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Kate Kyriakou Host: Gemma Bath Executive Producer: Gia
The Kidnapping Of Eight-Year-Old Graeme Thorne
On July 7, 1960, eight-year-old Graeme Thorne went missing from the corner store near his family's Bondi home. It was five weeks after his parents, Bazil and Freda, had won a massive $100,000 in an Opera House lottery. His disappearance was the country's first well-known kidnap for ransom, and would lead to the biggest manhunt in Australia’s history. In this episode, Gemma Bath is joined by Mark Tedeschi QC to discuss how the case unfolded and why it's imprinted in the Australian psyche. THE
UPDATE: Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Crimes
News has come through overnight that Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking. From 1994 to 2004, Ghislaine Maxwell conspired with her late partner Jeffrey Epstein to recruit, groom, and sexually assault underage girls. In this episode, Gemma Bath takes you through the early years of Ghislaine Maxwell, the power that the men in her life held, and the trial that would convict her as a criminal. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Nigel Cawthorn
A Doomsday Cult And Two Missing Kids
In November 2019, police conducted a welfare check on seven-year-old JJ Vallow. He hadn't been seen since September, and police will come to realise that neither had his teenage sister Tylee.
They've stumbled onto a web of lies that are about to unravel. Affairs, mysterious deaths, a doomsday cult, and at the centre of it all two missing children. And a mother who isn’t trying to find them.
THE END BITS
Subscribe to Mamamia
CREDITS
Guest: Leah Sottile, author of When The Moon Turns To Bloo
QLD’s Most Crooked Cops
From the late 1950s through to the late 80s, the streets of Queensland were dominated by a trio of crooked cops known as The Rat Pack. They ran a complex system of bribery and extortion as they pocketed the profits of local sex workers for decades. In this episode, Gemma Bath is joined by investigative journalist Matt Condon to discuss their operation and the women who had the courage to bring them down. THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Matt Condon, the host of DIG - Sirens Are C
The Family Court Murders
Want to hear more about the Family Court Bomber? Find our extra True Crime Conversations episode here. From 1980 to 1985 Sydney was ravaged by a domestic terror crime spree that became known across Australia as The Family Court Murders. All of the attacks - including four murders, two shootings, and five bombings - were carried out by a man who was motivated by a drawn-out custody battle with his ex-wife. In this episode, investigative journalist Debi Marshall discusses how he manage
A Day In The Life Of A Crime Scene Cleaner
Lee Iordanidis gets a phone call.
“Hi Darlin, how are you? How you feeling?”
She asks the person on the other end of the line.
It’s compassion first, always, and then she gets down to business.
She’s been flown to New Zealand, Germany, England. Not to mention right across Australia. There’s only four individuals with her expertise in this country and she’s in hot demand.
That’s because she’s doing a job most people would run away from. A job that h
Ghislaine Maxwell: From Favourite Child To Child Trafficker
The name Ghislaine Maxwell is synonymous with one of the most notorious child trafficking crimes the world has ever known. From 1994 to 2004, Ghislaine Maxwell conspired with her late partner Jeffrey Epstein to recruit, groom and sexually assault underage girls. But how did the favourite child of 10 grow up to be someone the world knows as a monster? Join Gemma Bath as she takes you through the early years for Ghislaine Maxwell, the power that the men in her life held and the trial t
The Assassination Of Robert Maxwell
It’s 4:45am on the 5th of November 1991 and English media mogul Robert Maxwell is aboard his $35 million dollar yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, cruising through water off the Canary Islands in Spain. He’s on the phone with a crew member. "The temperature is now too cold. Turn the air-conditioning off," he says gruffly down the line from his luxurious master suite. He’d only called 20 minutes earlier complaining it was too hot…and “could they turn the air-condition
The Mosman Collar Bomb
It’s about 2pm on a crisp Wednesday afternoon in August 2011, and 18-year-old Madeleine Pulver is in her family’s three-story waterfront mansion in the glitzy Sydney suburb of Mosman. She’s studying for her HSC trials, the practice run before the final exams for Year 12s in the state of NSW. The house is quiet today. Her two younger brothers are at school and her older brother is away. Her dad Bill, head of a multi-million-dollar global software company, is in his city office a
The Widow Of Walcha
It’s just after 2am on an icy, winter morning in 2017. Frost glistens on the paddocks of Pandora, a sprawling property in country NSW owned by local grazier Mathew Dunbar. The old homestead on the outskirts of the town of Walcha, five hours drive north of Sydney, sits on 1200 acres on Thunderbolts Way. On this Wednesday morning, Mathew’s girlfriend Natasha Darcy is leaning over him in the bedroom, panicked, as a triple-zero operator guides her through chest compressions. Distressed,
New Zealand’s Most Controversial Disappearance
It’s New Year’s Eve, 1997, and 17-year-old Olivia Hope is getting ready for a party at Furneaux Lodge, a beautiful old residence that sits at the head of one of the bays and coves that make up The Marlborough Sounds. A picturesque holiday spot on the northern end of New Zealand’s south island where the bush meets the sea. The lodge is only accessible by boat, so Olivia, her older sister, and their friends have booked a chartered yacht called Tamarack that will deliver them
The Murder of Allison Baden-Clay
It’s the early hours of Friday, April 20, 2012, and police are knocking on the door of a blue weatherboard home in Brisbane’s west, after reports a mother of three young girls has gone missing. Her husband, Gerard Baden-Clay, answers. He’d called triple zero at 7:15am that morning to tell them he hadn’t seen his wife, Allison, since the night before. 'Allison often went for a walk in the morning around 5am,' he told the operator. He assumed that was where she
Michelle Carter: The Girl From Plainville
Six days after the death of her boyfriend Conrad Roy in 2014, Michelle Carter sent a text to her friend. “I just had it all planned out. Now I have to do something different, maybe something better, I just don't think that that's possible. He was my person you know?” she wrote.
Except in Michelle and Conrad’s reality, their relationship was so private neither of their families knew they were even an item. It was a relationship that had blossomed almost exclusively on
A Message From Jessie...
Introducing the new host of True Crime Conversations, Gemma Bath.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The System That Failed Hannah Clarke
It was a summer morning in Camp Hill, an eastern suburb of Brisbane, when 31 year old Hannah Clarke helped her three children, six year old Aaliyah, four year old Laianah, and three year old Trey, get ready for the day ahead. It was Wednesday, February 19, 2020, and the morning was characteristically chaotic. Hannah was staying with her parents, following the breakdown of her relationship with Rowan Baxter, a man who had become increasingly abusive. As Hannah buckled her three
The Double Murder That Shocked Australia
Women like Dorothy Davis, a 74-year-old widow, rarely go missing. She lived in the seaside suburb of Lurline Bay in south-east Sydney. She had friends, children, and grandchildren. Her life was peaceful. She was financially comfortable. The people who loved her knew where she would be on any given day. She had a lot to live for. But in May 1995, Dorothy went to visit a friend, and never came home. Kerry Whelan, a healthy and well-liked 39-year-old, was also not the kind of woman who goes missing
The Jaw Bone At Kingscliff Beach
It’s the 23rd of September, 1979, and a cabin cruiser, known as the Nocturne, is cruising through deep blue waters just off the far north coast of NSW. It’s a near-perfect day for the five passengers on board. A light nor-easter is blowing and the sun is glistening off the boat’s sleek, white hull. But as the day wears on conditions begin to change… clouds form on the horizon… but the Nocturne presses on with its voyage. As night falls the warm breeze of the
The Bain Family Murders
It’s the 20th of June 1994, and the residents of Andersons Bay, in Dunedin, are waking up to a crisp, dark morning. Ice frosts the roads and despite it being after 7 o’clock the sun is still yet to appear in the sky. Three police officers stand alert on the doorstep of 65 Every Street, a ramshackle house home to the six members of the Bain Family. Eleven minutes earlier, a distressed call was made to emergency services from this location… The officers try to gain access
Sallie-Anne Huckstepp: The Ultimate Whistleblower
It’s 1981 and Sallie-Anne Huckstepp sits across from Ray Martin on 60 Minutes, one of Australia’s most-watched current affair programs. She speaks clearly and emphatically. With a piercing blue stare, and a cigarette hanging from her right hand, she tells a story that Australia is not yet ready to hear. Every word of it, we now know, is true. Sallie-Anne’s boyfriend, a man she loved, had been murdered the week before in broad daylight. She knew the perpetrator
The Double Life Of Herman Rockefeller
It’s the 21st of January, 2010, and Vicky Rockefeller is in her house in the affluent suburb of East Malvern - roughly 8 kilometres southeast of Melbourne's CBD. Her two children are out. And she’s expecting her husband, Herman, any minute now. Herman has been away on a business trip, a regular practice for his line of work as a property developer, and had messaged her earlier to say his flight had been delayed. Herman was good like that, he’d text her updates so she woul
The Disappearance of Sarah MacDiarmid
Kananook railway station is located on the Frankston line in Victoria, about 50 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD. At approximately 10:20pm, on the 11th of July, 1990, a 23-year-old woman named Sarah MacDiarmid can be seen alighting from the train and walking in the direction of the poorly lit car park, where she parked her red Honda Civic that morning. She is no doubt in a hurry to get home. She has work in the morning, and her train had been running 20 minutes late. Despite
The Day Noosa Lost Its Innocence
It’s 1987 and a coastal town named Noosa Heads in Queensland is about as idyllic as it gets. On the Sunshine Coast, Noosa Heads isn't yet the popular and developed tourist destination that it is today. It is surrounded by rivers, lookouts, bays, national park and of course expansive coastline. Families feel proud to bring their kids up in such a beautiful and safe coastal town, where they often play outside until the sun goes down. Sian Kingi is 12 years old, tall for her age with lo
The Singh Family Murders: Did They Get The Right Man?
It was a Tuesday in April 2003, when an emergency phone call was made from a visitor at 20 Grass Tree Close, Bridgeman Downs in Brisbane's north. The phone call was made by a 33-year-old man named Massimo Sica, known to most as Max. The purpose for his visit, according to his testimony, was to see his on and off again girlfriend, 24-year-old flight attendant Neelma Singh. Neelma was the second eldest child of Shirley and Vijay Singh, who had migrated to the northern suburb of Brisban
Catching Daniel Morcombe's Killer
Daniel Morcombe, a 13-year-old boy with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair, stands at a bus stop beneath an overpass. Today, he is wearing a bright red t-shirt.
It’s Sunday, the 7th of December 2003, at 2:10pm. He’s waiting for a bus to take him to the Sunshine Plaza Shopping Centre so he can get a haircut and buy some Christmas presents. At home, are his parents, Denise and Bruce Morcombe, his identical twin brother Bradley, and his older brother, Dean.
A bus passes bu
Part Two: The End Of The Razor Wars
It’s the 7th May, 1929. Nearly two years since gangster Norman Bruhn was gunned down in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. The man who’d tried to interfere with the stronghold Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh had on East Sydney had failed, and paid with his life in the process. But two years on from his death, the streets are still dripping with the blood of razor victims. With or without Norman Bruhn, chaos still reigns on the streets of Darlinghurst. Tilly’s brothel empi
Part One: The Razorhurst Wars
It’s 1926, and Sydney’s underworld is held tightly in the hands of Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine. But down in Melbourne? They’ve got a fella called Joseph Theodore Leslie Taylor running the show, or ‘Squizzy’ as he was better known. Squizzy Taylor is a bonafide gangster in every sense, backed up by a handful of savage henchmen and crooks, known as The Fitzroy Gang. Norman Bruhn is one of Squizzy’s closest confidants. Well, he was. Until…he crossed him. Us
Kate Leigh: The Worst Woman In Sydney
It’s the 4th of February 1964. Once dubbed ‘The Worst Woman in Sydney,’ Kate Leigh lies unresponsive in a hospital bed at St Vincent's in Darlinghurst. She suffered a severe stroke just a few days earlier, and she’s about to take her final breath. But the twilight years of Kate Leigh’s life have not been marked by the debauchery and violence of her heyday. There’s no more sly grog, no diamonds and fur, no more cocaine, and no more razor gangs. She
Tilly Devine: The Brothel Queen Of Darlinghurst
The year is 1927. Sydney is in a post-war party that’s been raging on for almost a decade. The suburb of Darlinghurst is the beating heart of it all, and the surrounding areas of Kings Cross, Potts Point, Woolloomoloo and Surry Hills are slums of debauchery, crime and vices. It’s an underworld run by two rival crime queens. Kate Leigh and Tilly Divine. In an effort to stamp out excessive alcohol consumption, pubs have shut at 6pm since 1916, giving rise to what they call
Coming Soon: Sydney's Razorhurst Wars
This month on True Crime Conversations we’re examining the life and crimes of Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine, and the violent razor wars that erupted between their two gangs with special guest host Emma Gillespie. Coming to your ears from January 6th. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Life & Disappearance Of Melissa Caddick
It’s the 21st of February, 2021, a summer’s day on the south coast of New South Wales. A small group of campers are walking along Bournda Beach, an incredible expanse of pristine sand, and clear, blue water, surrounded by national park. Along the shore, washed up, they spot a single, grey, Asics shoe. It is only when they look more closely that they realise inside it holds human remains. The group, visiting for a surfing trip, are alarmed. Quickly, they contact the police. It w
The Weeping Woman
It’s an unusual place to start a true crime story - at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1985.
The director of the gallery, a man named Patrick McCaughey, purchases a single painting for $1.6 million. Due to currency fluctuations, the cost increases to $2 million, the most expensive purchase ever made by an Australian gallery. The painting is by Pablo Picasso, titled The Weeping Woman. The work represents suffering - oddly fitting for the story that was about to unfold.
Also
An Eerie Silence: Inside A Hospital On 9/11
A plane colliding with the South Tower at 9:59am, on September 11, 2001, would become the first terror attack watched in real-time by millions of people around the world. News anchors struggled to maintain composure. New York, and more broadly, the United States, was under attack. The north tower continued to burn. Images and video footage were broadcast on every news channel. For a generation, those images would become imprinted on our psyches. We watched as the buildings collapsed, thous
The Most Critical 17 Minutes Of 9/11
It’s a clear, still Tuesday morning in New York City. The autumn sky is bright blue and the two World Trade Centres mark the highest points of the Manhattan skyline.
At 8:30am the business district is bustling. Workers are making their way into elevators or stopping for a quick coffee. Their minds are on their morning meeting or the kids they just dropped off at school. Most don’t notice the plane flying too low, far too low, until they hear it. A terrible sound pierces through
The Teenager Who Came Back From The Dead
It’s May 9, 2001, and the family of missing teenager, Natasha Ryan, are holding a memorial service in Bundaberg, Queensland. Today would have been her 17th birthday. Natasha, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and fair, freckled skin, had disappeared on August 31, 1998. She was 14 years old. For almost three years, there has been no trace of her. Her father, Robert Ryan, and mother, Jenny Ryan, have accepted that their daughter is dead. They may never find her remains. But at th
The Disappearance of Shelly Miscavige
It was December 1982, when 21-year-old Shelly Barnett, described by Vanity Fair as a willowy beauty with strawberry blonde hair, married 22-year old David Miscavige in Los Angeles. She would become the First Lady of Scientology. Those who knew her described her as shy, often appearing lonely and isolated. At the same time, some witnesses say she was prone to losing her temper, much like her husband. In all the years they were together, members of Scientology who have gone on the reco
Who Killed Shandee Blackburn?
Mackay is a city on the Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia, located about 970 kilometres north of Brisbane. It’s known as the sugar capital of Australia, producing more than a third of the country’s cane sugar. In South Mackay, sits a spacious pub called Harrup Park Country Club. In February 2013, this was one of the last places Shandee Blackburn was seen alive. The 23-year-old finishes her seven hour Friday night shift and begins to make her way home to her m
The Family Murders Of Adelaide
It’s 1983, and a 15-year-old boy named Richard Kelvin is in a laneway in North Adelaide. He is 50 metres from his beautiful family home. He has spent that Sunday, June the 5th, playing footy, until the afternoon when his best friend Karl came over. They kicked the footy around. Richard called his girlfriend. And then he walked Karl to the bus stop. It’s 6:15pm, and the sun is disappearing. He says to Karl that he doesn’t want to walk back alone. There are surr
Missing In Two Minutes: The Baffling Disappearance Of Janet Castrejon
Rustler Park sits high in the Chiricahua Mountains in southern Arizona. Campsites belonging to the park are scattered along a number of roads, sectioned off from the meadows to avoid damaging plants and fragile soils. Paths from these campgrounds lead into the Chiricahua Wilderness, a national forest full of ponderosa pine and swarming with wildlife. Large animals, like black bears, are often spotted there. In the early afternoon of Father’s Day, 2015, three members of the Castrejon
The Bondi Clifftop Murders
Between the beaches of Bondi and Tamarama in Sydney’s picturesque Eastern suburbs, lies a steep cliff face. Parks and a walking track sit above, attracting tourists from all over the world. But below is rock and the white, foamy Pacific Ocean, the water appearing black at night time. In the 1980s, there was no railing separating the track from the steep cliff. And at night, sometimes screams were heard by locals. Bloodstains were found along the walkway. And in the very worst-case scenario
Australia's Jack The Ripper
It’s 1888, and a man who will become perhaps the most infamous serial killer in history is terrorising the streets of London. Fog rises from the damp streets of the Whitechapel district, a largely impoverished area, which has earned itself a reputation for being a cauldron of immorality. Poverty, racism, hundreds of lodging houses which function as brothels, and social unrest mean that the slums in the East End of London have already earned themselves a reputation. It’s Septemb
Juanita Nielsen: The Woman Who Vanished
It’s a bleak, cold morning, on July 4, 1975. A 34-year-old man named Eddie Trigg waits inside the Carousel Cabaret nightclub, known to most as a seedy bar located in the heart of Sydney’s Kings Cross. But that’s not why Eddie, with a beard and sharp hazel eyes, is there. After all, it’s just past 10:30am. He is there to meet someone. Juanita Nielsen, the 37-year-old owner and publisher of the newspaper NOW, makes her way towards the establishment. These
The Satanic Panic
In 1983, in Manhattan Beach, California, one woman named Judy Johnson put forward an allegation. Her two-and-a-half-year-old son was, at the time, attending McMartin preschool. Johnson claimed that her son had been sexually abused by a teacher at the school named Ray Buckley. Her claims were unlike anything police had heard before. Although there was no evidence of abuse taking place, police decided to send a form letter to about 200 parents of students at the pre-school. It asked them to
A Dinner Party In Canberra
It’s October 24, 1997, and 25-year-old Anu Singh, a promising young law student, invites friends over for a dinner party. She lives in a Canberra townhouse with her 26-year-old boyfriend Joe Cinque. The pair met two years prior at a night out in Newcastle. He was said to be immediately taken by Singh, and they quickly became inseparable. But something wasn’t right about this dinner party. Friends who attended had heard of Singh’s plans. She’s calle
Myra Hindley: The Most Evil Woman In Britain
It’s Boxing Day, 1964, when a 26-year-old man named Ian Brady, and a 22-year-old woman named Myra Hindley, attend a fair in Ancoats, an area in Manchester, North West England. The pair had met three years prior when Myra had developed an infatuation with Ian. Finally, Ian showed interest and asked her to the movies. They have been inseparable ever since, although their relationship is anything but conventional. While at the fair, the couple notice that a ten-year-old named Lesl
Australia’s Most Notorious Female Killer
It was 6am on March 1, 2000, when John Price’s neighbour noticed his car was still in the driveway. It struck him as unusual. John’s supervisor noticed his absence at work too. An off-handed comment he’d made the day before made his co-workers feel uneasy. At 8:10am, Officer Matthews and Officer Furlonger arrived at John’s home. His front door was locked. The two policemen decided to walk around the side of the house, and break in through the back door. What t
America's Boogeywoman: The Story Of Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos stares down the barrel of the camera, her eyes looking almost black. Her mousy brown hair is pushed back off her face, revealing a pink face. But the most notable thing about the mug shot, taken in front of a bright blue backdrop, is the expression on her face. A snarl. Like she is a moment from breaking out into laughter. She would go on to say, “I’m one who seriously hates human life and would kill again…. I really got tired of it all… I was
The Day Dalia Dippolito Tried To Have Her Husband Murdered
It’s a warm morning in August, 2009, when 26-year-old Dalia Dippolito decides to go to the gym.
Dalia has long brown hair, tanned skin, and has only recently started working out. She leaves her house just before 6am, and drives the two kilometres from her house in Palm Beach, Florida, to the local gym.
In the months prior, she’d started exercising with her husband, 38 year old Michael Dippolito. They’d been married less than a year, and to anyone who knew them, they seemed happ
Introducing Extraordinary Stories: The Demonisation Of Lindy Chamberlain
We’re popping into your feed to share with you our new episode of Extraordinary Stories: The Demonisation of Lindy Chamberlain. Episodes two and three of the season, and all past seasons of Extraordinary Stories are available to stream now, exclusively to MPlus subscribers. To subscribe to MPlus and find out more head to www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/extraordinary-stories/ Demonised by the press. Vilified by the country. The subject of gossip and innuendo. From the viewpoint of 2021, the sto
A Startling Murder In West Cork
West Cork in Ireland sits on the edge of Europe.
It’s rugged and windy, cold in the winter, and beautiful in the summer.
Since the 1960s, the district has been developed by what the people call ‘blow-ins’. People from around the world who somehow end up in West Cork, hoping to start their lives again.
Often these people are artists or runaways, living in little cottages, desperate for a reset. Sometimes, they’re people running from something. A life they
Did He Really Do It? The Disturbing Case Of Robert Farquharson
It’s Father’s Day, 2005, and Robert Farquharson is driving his three sons, Jai, Tyler and Bayley, home to their mother’s house. They’d spent the day together, with their mum, Cindy Gambino, helping the boys put together a Father’s Day gift for Robert. It was a framed photo of his three sons, aged 10, seven, and two. As a treat, Robert took the boys to Kmart where he bought them toys, and then to KFC for dinner in Geelong. Afterward, they set off along th
Who Killed Leanne Holland?
On the eastern edge of the city of Ipswich in Queensland, lies a small suburb named Goodna. About 20 kilometres from the Brisbane central business district, Goodna is peppered with Jacaranda, Hoop Pine, and Mango trees, and boasts numerous parks which are frequented by the public. It was the 26th of September - a spring day - at 1:42pm when two police were stopped in their tracks. They had been searching the bushland on Redbank Plains Road after a young girl, 12-year-old Leanne Holla
The Frankston Murders
It’s a quarter past seven in the evening on Friday, June 11, 1993. 18-year-old Elizabeth Stevens is freezing. She’s soaking wet from the rain, her short hair clinging to her neck. She steps off the bus which she caught from Frankston to Cranbourne Road, Langwarrin, and hurries towards her aunt and uncle's house where she lives. She doesn’t know she’s being watched. She had spent her Friday evening at Frankston Library on an English assignment. Her goal is to o
MH17: The Passenger Plane Shot Down From The Sky
It’s just after midday on July 17, 2014, when 283 passengers, and 15 crew members board MH17 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Among the passengers are 12-year-old Mo, 10-year-old Evie, and eight-year-old Otis Maslin, along with their 68-year-old grandfather, Nick Norris. MH17 is bound for Kuala Lumpur International Airport, due to arrive at 6:10am local time. The family would then go on to Perth, Australia, where they live.
But a few hours into the flight, the plane loses
The Real Life Dr. Death
It was late 2011 when 54-year-old Kellie Martin had her accident. Along with her husband Don Martin, Kellie was retrieving Christmas decorations from their attic in Garland, Texas, when she missed a step on a ladder. The fall resulted in a herniated disk in her back, an incredibly painful injury that she treated with physical therapy, muscle relaxers and pain relief. Eventually, her doctor recommended surgery. An elementary school teacher, Kellie scheduled her surgery in the break of
Life With The Serpent: The Story Of Charles Sobhraj
It was October 18, 1975, when a farmer found the body of a young woman floating face down in the Gulf of Thailand. Teresa Knowlton was wearing a floral bikini - a detail that journalists would use to eventually brand her murderer 'The Bikini Killer'. The 21-year-old had traveled to Bangkok, from Seattle in the US, and was following the “Hippie Trail” that would eventually lead her to study Tibetan Buddhism at Kopan Monastery in Kathmandu. But along the way, she’d me
The Myall Creek Massacre
It’s an hour and a half before sunset on a Sunday afternoon in June, 1838. A group of Indigenous Australians, the Wirrayaraay people, are cooking their evening meal. As the day nears its end, things are quiet. Calm. They’re at Myall Creek Station, in north western NSW, between the towns of Bingara and Delungra. They’ve been camped there for a few weeks, seeking safety and protection from stockmen who have been roaming the district, killing any Indigenous person they could
The Devil’s Grip: A Deadly Secret
Seven gunshots ring out through Victoria’s green and vast Barrabool Hills. On the western outskirts of Geelong, the Barrabool Hills is sparsely populated, best known for grazing sheep and lamb. It’s the early hours of Wednesday, March 18, 1992, and the sun has not yet risen. Everyone should be asleep. But those seven gunshots will have killed three people. For the youngest casualty, 23-year-old Guy, a gunshot shatters his watch. The time reads 4:25am. A
The Good Girls: A Double Tragedy In A Quiet Village
Hanging from a mango tree, on the edge of their village in Uttar Pradesh, are the bodies of two girls.
It’s May 27, 2014, and the sun is just beginning to rise in India’s north. It’s already blisteringly hot, the air thick and overbearing. A man, a member of the village, is the first to see them. The two girls who went missing last night.
Lalli is 14, her lifeless body beside her 16-year-old cousin Padma. They were inseparable in life, neighbours who were more like sister
Barrenjoey Road: The Case Of Trudie Jeanette Adams
On today’s episode host Jessie Stephens is speaking with award-winning investigative journalists Ruby Jones and Neil Mercer, co-authors of the book Barrenjoey Road.
For 43 years, the case of Trudie Jeanette Adams has intrigued people on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Trudie decided to hitch-hike home, but she was never seen again.
Ruby Jones first investigated the case for ABC’s Unravel podcast. The second season, titled Barrenjoey Road, investigated the disappearance of Trudie Adams. Th
Finding Cleo: The Story Of A Lost Child
On today’s episode Jessie is speaking with award-winning investigative journalist Connie Walker, whose podcast ‘Stolen’ & ‘Missing & Murdered’ uncovers an overlooked epidemic of violence against Indigenous women and girls in North America. Her ‘Finding Cleo’ series tells the story of the young Cree girl who was taken from her family by child welfare workers in Saskatchewan in the 1970s, and unearths what truly happened to her... CREDITS Gue
The Dunblane Massacre: Britain's Deadliest Mass Shooting
It’s a Wednesday morning in March 1996, and the bell sounds at Dunblane Primary School near Stirling in Scotland. Students scramble to their classrooms, their minds are caught up in homework and friendships, and the game they were just playing in the yard. A class of twenty-eight Primary 1 pupils, aged between four and six, congregate in the gymnasium, preparing for their morning PE lesson. In a nearby classroom sits an eight-year-old boy whose name is Andy. He has blue e
The Belrose Bomb
It’s June 15, 1998, a cool winter’s evening on Sydney’s northern beaches. The leafy, quiet and friendly suburb of Belrose is located about 19 kilometres northeast of Sydney’s CBD. For a man named Brett Boyd, it's no accident he lived there. The 27-year-old had moved away from the bustling nightlife of Kings Cross. His friends were involved heavily in the club scene - some dealing drugs like cocaine. Elements of the work had begun to scare him, and so he
Introducing Extraordinary Stories: Belle Gibson
We’re popping into your feed to share with you our new episode of Extraordinary Stories: Belle Gibson. Episodes two and three of Extraordinary Stories; Belle Gibson are available exclusively to MPlus members.
To become a member and listen to the full series right now, head to www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/extraordinary-stories/
Belle Gibson fooled not only her hundreds of thousands of followers, but the most prestigious book publishers in Australia, the tech giants of silicon valley, and eve
Buried Without A Body: The Murder Of Helen McCourt
It’s 4pm on the 9th of February, 1988. A 22-year-old woman named Helen McCourt, with long, dark brown hair picks up the phone. She's about to leave work at the Royal Insurance office in Liverpool, having negotiated with her boss to leave an hour early. Helen is ringing her mother, Marie. She tells her that tonight she’ll be going out with her new boyfriend, but asks that her mother have tea ready when she arrives home so she’ll have enough time to wash her hair.&nbs
The Husband Poisoner
For Desmond Butler, it began with a headache. Then diarrhoea. Nausea that felt like a hangover. He was otherwise a healthy man, not yet 30. He shared two children with his wife Yvonne Gladys Butler, a striking woman, small and doll-like. Desmond also attracted the attention of neighbours, with dark, thick floppy hair, an athletic physique and perhaps a wandering eye. It was October 1947, and the young couple lived in a small house in the then working-class suburb of Newtown in
The Man Who Murdered Luke Batty
It was February 12, 2014, a hot summer evening, and eleven year old Luke Batty was at cricket practice on a sports oval in the Melbourne suburb of Tyabb.
With blue eyes and dark blonde hair, Luke had just started Year Six. He was happy and empathetic, a best friend to his single mother Rosie.
Rosie was on one end of the cricket ground, and his father, Greg Anderson was at the other.
After speaking to his father, Luke ran back over to Rosie and said: “Oh mum, I haven’t see
Dennis Costas: The Murderer Who Forgets
In July 2011 a man named Dennis Costas called in sick to work. He told his employer he was suffering from sciatica. For the rest of the afternoon, he drank heavily, characteristic of a man with a serious drinking problem. Speaking to Dr. Richard Taylor, he said he couldn’t remember much from that day. “My recollection is very distorted…” he said. He took a nap at some point and “After that,” he explained, “I really don’t know wha
The Queensland Backpacker Murder Of Mia Ayliffe-Chung
It’s August 23, 2016, in a sleepy Queensland town named Home Hill, south of Townsville. Shelley’s Backpackers is a modest hostel in the small regional town, where backpackers on working holiday visas stay while completing their mandatory farm work. The days are long. And hot. They see snakes and operate heavy machinery without any training. Aren’t those brown snakes meant to be deadly, they think to themselves. At night, they sleep in dormitories, some sharing rooms with
The Ugly Business Of Illicit Sex In America
Los Angeles is known as the city of dreams. The most populous city in California, Los Angeles is surrounded by mountain ranges, forests, beautiful beaches belonging to the Pacific Ocean and desert. It is the home of countless celebrities - and even more who hope to become celebrities. It is the land of hope. But Los Angeles is also one of the largest sites of human sex trafficking in the United States. If you were to drive down Figueroa Street at night, you’d see women on the s
The Apology Line
A man calls a phone number in Manhattan. His name is Johnny. And he has a confession. The phone line connects him to Mr Apology. A man whose real name is Allan Bridge, an artist performing a long-form social experiment. There are posters up all around New York City, inviting “amateurs, professionals, criminals…” who have “wronged people.” It continues: “It is to people that you must apologise, not to the state, not to God, get your misdeeds
Exposing The Secrets Of Luna Park's Ghost Train Fire
It’s a cold winter’s night at Sydney’s Luna Park, nestled in the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. It’s June 9, 1979, and swarms of people ride the roller coaster and play inside Coney Island. The Tagline for the amusement park is “just for fun” - and it’s arguably one of the biggest attractions in Sydney. But one of the most popular rides is The Ghost Train, which runs along 180 metres of electric track, most of it in total darkness. Dancing skele
What Really Happened At Port Arthur: A Survivor's Story
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This month we’re focusing on Australia’s most notorious crimes... It’s lunchtime, on a cool Sunday in April, and the Port Arthur historic site is buzzing with visitors. Located at the southern tip of the Tasman Peninsula, Port Arthur is located about 100 kilometres south-east of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. The quaint village was once a penal set
The Story Behind Snowtown
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This month we’re focusing on Australia’s most notorious crimes... It’s the 20th of May, 1999, an autumn day in South Australia. For 12 months, there has been an inquiry into the disappearance of a woman named Elizabeth Haydon, a 37-year-old mother of eight. But it isn’t just her. Two other people from a similar area have been reported missing.
Peter Falconio And The Real Life Wolf Creek
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This month we’re focusing in on Australia’s most notorious crimes...
It’s a Saturday night in the middle of July, 2001, when Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees travel down the Stuart Highway in their orange Kombi van.
Peter is 28, and in the driver’s seat. His girlfriend, 27-year-old Joanne, is in the passenger seat. They’ve been in Australia
Anita Cobby: The Full Story
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This month we’re focusing in on Australia’s most notorious crimes... It’s the morning of February 6, 1986. Australia as a nation, but more specifically New South Wales, is in a state of shock. Two days prior, the body of 26 year old nurse Anita Cobby had been found in a paddock in Prospect, 32 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD. The news had broke
Coming Soon: Australia's Most Notorious Crimes
True Crime Conversations explores the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. This March we’re focusing on Australia’s most notorious crimes...from Anita Cobby to Snowtown. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a
The Night Stalker
It’s May 30, 1985, in Burbank, California. Spring is turning to summer, and the wide streets in the San Fernando Valley are lined with their signature palm trees. A 42 year old woman named Carol Kyle is at home with her 11 year old son. She doesn’t know yet that there is a man in her neighbourhood, driving a stolen car. At some stage during the night, in the shadow of darkness, this man enters her home. At gunpoint, he binds Carol’s son with handcuffs and ransacks their h
The Edward Street Baby Farm
It’s February 5, 1907, and a short, dark haired man in his late thirties named Corporal O’Halloran is on the doorstep of a house on Edward Street in the city of Perth. He has been called there by the owner, a woman named Alice Mitchell. Alice Mitchell is known to care for babies. Specifically, babies belonging to single parents, who have no choice but to return to work and earn a living. She has cared for dozens over the last six or so years. But she’s called Corporal O&r
The Execution of Melbourne's Vampire Gigolo
It’s August 16, 2002, when a man named Shane Chartres-Abbott meets a client at South Yarra’s Hotel Saville. The 27-year-old is a male prostitute, who specialises in sadomasochistic sex. With him, he carries a black bag full of sex toys, including a whip, ropes, condoms and handcuffs. The woman he is meeting, 30-year-old Penny, is not a stranger. She too works in the sex industry. They’ve met for his services before, but have started to get to know each other, with Penny being o
Sydney’s Infamous 'Granny Killer'
It’s the first day of Autumn, 1989, in an affluent Sydney suburb. Mosman is on the lower north shore and known for being comfortable and safe, a short distance from Taronga Zoo and Balmoral Beach. An 82 year old woman named Gwendoline Mitchell Hill is walking down military Rd towards her apartment in the late afternoon. She doesn’t know a man has spotted her, concocting a plan of what to do next. She won’t make it inside. And she will be the first known victim of a vicious pred
The Abduction of Wendy Pfeiffer
The small town of Mylor, buried in the Adelaide Hills, has a population of just over one thousand people. Properties sit on sprawling bushland, between the mountainous terrain, and today people visit to camp or see the native animals. It was October 1966 when eight year old Wendy Jane Pfeiffer, petite with short hair and rosy cheeks, decided to walk the family dog on a quiet Sunday afternoon. She took Bonnie, a brown and white farm dog, down a dirt track, which has barely changed in 55 yea
The Melbourne Schoolgirl Strangler
It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in Spring, 1930. Mena Griffiths is 12 years old and living with her family in suburban Melbourne. There’s a park she often visits with her friends and she asks her parents if she can go out and play. Her parents can’t know that there’s a man sitting at a local hotel bar. He’s about 30 years old. He is known to the community as a family man, with a wife named Bernice and a baby named Joan. At 18 he had been sent to a reformatory p
The Melbourne Schoolgirl Strangler
It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in Spring, 1930. Mena Griffiths is 12 years old and living with her family in suburban Melbourne. There’s a park she often visits with her friends and she asks her parents if she can go out and play.
Her parents can’t know that there’s a man sitting at a local hotel bar. He’s about 30 years old. He is known to the community as a family man, with a wife named Bernice and a baby named Joan. At 18 he had been sent to a reformatory prison for theft. Shortly after
BEST OF 2020: The Fake Diving Resort
In the 1980s, a brochure was printed across the world, for an idyllic holiday resort called Arous. It was a diving resort on the Red Sea, in the Sudanese desert. The brochure featured pictures of chalets on a bright beach, the sea almost the same colour as the skyBut what guests of the resort didn’t know was that Arous wasn’t really a holiday resort. At least not primarily. And the staff weren’t really managers, or diving instructors, or waitresses. Once the sun went down, thos
BEST OF 2020: Blood On The Tracks: What Happened To Mark Haines
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. In 1988 the death of Mark Haines just outside of Tamworth in regional NSW was barely investigated by local police. The 17-year-old’s body was found on train tracks outside of town, but law enforcement treated his death as less than suspicious. You have only to pull on the threads of the case to find that the truth could be very far from that. Allan Clarke is a
BEST OF 2020: Gary Jubelin & The Case That Cost Him His Job
It’s July 2018 when Detective Gary Jubelin stands in front of microphones and news cameras and says the words: “I suggest you come to us before we come to you.”
He is addressing the person who knows what happened to three-year-old William Tyrrell on September 12, 2014. Little did Gary know that this case would be the one to cost him his job, but as he tells host Jessie Stephens on the latest episode of True Crime Conversations, he has no regrets.
Gary Jubelin is one
BEST OF 2020: How Nicola Gobbo Became Lawyer X
It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated. Nicola is a successful defence barrister, best known for defending Melbourne’s most prolific organised crime figures, from Carl Williams to Tony Mokbel. But things have become very messy. She wants to get what she calls the ‘Mokbel monkey’ off her back. She’s become too involved in ways she says she never intended. She’ll later say she’s tired of b
The Vanishing Of Vivienne Cameron
Phillip Island lies just off Australia’s southern coast, about two hours from the city of Melbourne. In 1986, the Cameron family were well known on the island. Fergus Cameron was a founding shareholder of the Phillip Island Grand Prix, but day to day worked on the family farm. He was married to Vivienne Cameron, and the pair had two small children. One night in September, the body of a 23-year-old woman was found inside her home in what has been described as one of the most horrific
After The Night: How The Night Caller Terrorised Perth
It’s Australia Day 1963, in the middle of a hot summer in Perth. A couple are sitting in a car, kissing and talking, in the beachside suburb of Cottesloe. They feel safe. It’s a safe neighbourhood in a safe city, and the night is still and empty. That is until the female notices, at around 2:40am, something outside the car window. It’s a man. Watching them. She alerts her male companion to the figure … who they realise is holding a rifle. They spring to action, trying to
The Cost Saxon Mullins Paid For Being A ‘Witness’
It was 2018 when Saxon Mullins, now 23, came out and said the four words: “I am that girl.” People had heard what had happened to a young woman in a laneway behind the Soho nightclub in Sydney’s King’s Cross. They heard what a man, Luke Lazarus, son of the nightclub owner, said to her. The public was also aware of what happened next. But it took five years for Saxon to say those words, “I am that girl”, and she said them to ABC journalist Lou
Decades Of Abuse: The Case Of The Tasmanian Nurse - Part Two
This is the second part of a two part episode. If you haven't listened to part one, listen here now.Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities. Just south of the city centre stands Launceston General Hospital, one of the main public hospitals in the state of Tasmania. The hospital treats a quarter of a million patients every year, and over 150 years has built trust within the local community. The children’s ward is known as Ward 4K - filled with doctors and nurses doin
Decades Of Abuse: The Case Of The Tasmanian Nurse - Part One
Launceston is one of Australia’s oldest cities. Just south of the city centre stands Launceston General Hospital, one of the main public hospitals in the state of Tasmania. The hospital treats a quarter of a million patients every year, and over 150 years has built trust within the local community. The children’s ward is known as Ward 4K - filled with doctors and nurses doing their best to make a child’s stay as comfortable as possible. But for more than 20 yea
How Laura Frizzo Caught The Black Widow: Part Two
This is the second half of a two-parter. If you haven't heard part one yet, listen here and then come back to listen to part two. Chris Regan, a 53-year-old war veteran and father of two sons, hadn’t been seen since October 14, 2014. Weeks turned into months, and as the lakes of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula turned to ice, there was still no sign of him. Inside Chris’ car, police had found one item of interest; a handwritten note that appeared to be directions. At firs
How Laura Frizzo Caught The Black Widow: Part One
Iron River, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is known for its scenic lakes, hiking trails, exceptionally cold winters and dense forest. It’s sparsely populated, and many who do live there are blue collar workers. Laura Frizzo was the first female Police Chief in Upper Michigan and worked for the city of Iron River for almost 22 years. She knew what sorts of crimes to expect. And then came a woman named Terri O’Donnell. Towards the end of October, 2014, 50 year old Terri arrived a
How Angela Jay Survived Her Tinder Stalker
It was mid 2016, when 28-year-old Angela Jay downloaded Tinder. Angela had come out of a long term relationship and had decided it was time to start dating again. That’s when she came across the profile of a man named Paul Lambert. He had used the ‘Super Like’ feature on her, which meant he was especially interested in striking up a conversation. He was conventionally attractive with dark hair, friendly eyes, and a wide, warm smile with dimples on either side. Angela deci
How Nicola Gobbo Became Lawyer X
It’s August, 2005, and Nicola Gobbo’s life is about to go in a direction she never anticipated. Nicola is a successful defence barrister, best known for defending Melbourne’s most prolific organised crime figures, from Carl Williams to Tony Mokbel. But things have become very messy. She wants to get what she calls the ‘Mokbel monkey’ off her back. She’s become too involved in ways she says she never intended. She’ll later say she’s tired of b
Janine Vaughan: The Woman Who Disappeared Into The Night
It was a Thursday night in December, 2001, when a woman named Janine Vaughan attended a nightclub in Bathurst called the Metro Tavern. Janine had lived in the small town, with a population of about 27,000 for the last three years, working as a manager at a local menswear shop. Hers was a face many in the community knew, considered conventionally beautiful with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big smile. In the early hours of that Friday morning, 31-year-old Janine walked out onto George Stree
The Secret Hidden In Matthieu Heimel's Family
Matthieu Heimel grew up knowing nothing about his biological parents. His life in Perth had been enough for him until his two children began asking unanswerable questions about where he came from. So in late 2018, Mattieu embarked on a DNA search for his mother and father. He found his father Jerry relatively easily. He was a US serviceman who had been stationed in the Philippines in 1978 when Matthieu had been conceived. Finding his mother proved far more difficult. 
The Real Life Narco
It was a tropical night in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and 45-year-old Luis Navia’s 25-year stint as a narco (a drug trafficker) was coming to an end. Ever since he’d first tried the stuff as a young man, Luis had dealt large quantities of cocaine. It was the era of Pablo Escobar, of the Netflix series Narcos, of Miami Vice, Scar Face and American Made. So much has been written and explored about the cocaine market of the late 20th Century but until now
The Woman Who Dressed As Anita Cobby
It was a summer night in 1986 when 26-year-old Anita Cobby met friends for dinner in Redfern. Afterwards, the registered nurse caught the train from Central Station at 8:48pm, and arrived at Blacktown station just before 10pm. Usually, Anita would call her father at the station and he would pick her up, but this night all the surrounding pay phones happened to be out of order. There were also no taxis available at the taxi rank. It was a beautiful, clear night and Anita decided to wa
A Web Of Lies: The Murder of Amy Allwine
It’s early 2016 when a description of American woman Amy Allwine is posted to the Dark Web: “She’s about five foot six, she looks about 200 pounds. She should be driving a dark green Toyota Sienna Minivan.This bitch has torn my family apart by sleeping with my husband (who then left me), and is stealing clients from my business. I want her dead.” This post was in fact a call-out for someone to murder Amy Allwine, and be paid 13 Bitcoin (approximately $190,000) in return.
Newcastle’s Grooming Of The Altar Boys
It’s 1974 in the suburb of Hamilton, which is about four kilometres from the heart of Newcastle. The area is an idyllic backdrop for an Australian childhood, surrounded by incredible natural beauty, with lush bushland and sprawling beaches. Many of the working class families in the suburbs of Newcastle are Catholic. Catholics belong to a parish, which has a church and a local priest. The Catholic schools in the area promise to propel students into the professional classes. Mayb
How Police Caught The Golden State Killer
It’s 1978 in the Californian city of Stockton. Bob and Gay Hardwick, a couple in their twenties, are asleep in the early hours of the morning. Suddenly, they’re awoken by a bright light shining in their faces. A man is standing at the edge of their bed holding a gun, with a black ski mask covering his face. Over several hours, Gay Hardwick is sexually assaulted by the armed intruder, while Bob is tied up, unable to move. The man behind the mask would come to be known as the East Area
Gary Jubelin & The Case That Cost Him His Job
It’s July 2018 when Detective Gary Jubelin stands in front of microphones and news cameras and says the words: “I suggest you come to us before we come to you.” He is addressing the person who knows what happened to three-year-old William Tyrrell on September 12, 2014. Little did Gary know that this case would be the one to cost him his job, but as he tells host Jessie Stephens on the latest episode of True Crime Conversations, he has no regrets. Gary Jubelin is one
Two Of The Most Wanted Men In Australia
When it comes to violent crime, can what happened to someone as a child, ever justify their actions as an adult? In today’s episode, Jessie is speaking with a journalist, screenwriter, and author Mark Dapin. In his book, Public Enemies Mark explores the lives of armed robbers Russell 'Mad Dog' Cox and Ray Denning. In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, armed robbers were the top of the criminal food chain. And Russell ‘Mad Dog’ Cox and Ray Denning were the best. Cox and Dennin
‘Nightmare Of Errors’: The Case Of Kelvin Condren
It was Saturday morning, when a routine police patrol drove past a mostly empty car park in the remote Queensland town of Mount Isa. When police edged closer, they saw that it was the body of a young woman, who they’d later discovered was named Patricia Carlton. She’d been brutally beaten and sexually assaulted. The woman was rushed to hospital, but later that night Patricia would die of her injuries. Following Patricia’s murder, the police made an arrest almost immediate
How An Internet Date Led To 7 Years Of Chasing Charlie
In today’s episode of True Crime Conversations Jessie speaks with Julia Robson. Julia is a private investigator, who spent 7 years on the trail of a New Zealand con man, who goes by the name of ‘Charlie’, who was scamming women online, promising them a better life, coercing them into relationships and even having children with them. In her seven-part podcast ‘Chasing Charlie’ Julia speaks with the women who have been psychologically and financially abused by t
Jose Martinez: A Killer Hiding In Plain Sight
When Jose Martinez’s sister was murdered, he got revenge by murdering her killers. This sparked what would end up being three dozen murders, he completed over more than three decades, many of them on behalf of drug cartels, as a hitman. Despite being a ruthless killer, Jose is described as a soft-spoken doting grandfather and complete family man. In today’s episode, Jessie speaks with Jessica Garrison. Jessica is a senior investigative editor for Buzzfeed News and spent more than a d
Lost in Larrimah: The Disappearance of Paddy Moriarty
In December 2017, Larrimah local Paddy Moriarty left his favourite pub and embarked on the two minute ride home, with his kelpie Kellie sitting beside him on his quad bike. And then, he disappeared into thin air. Along with Kellie. Larrimah is a small town in the Northern Territory located 431 kilometers from Darwin and the nearest grocery store is 90 kilometres away. This tiny town only has a population of 10 people, so when Paddy disappeared it was big news. In this episode Jessie speaks
The Life Of A 21 Year Old Undercover Cop
In this episode, Jessie speaks with one of Queensland’s most highly regarded police officers, Keith Banks, about his experiences as an undercover operative in the 1980’s. At 16 years old Keith traveled from Townsville to study at Brisbane’s Police Academy and by the time he was 21, the young, straight-laced country boy was risking his life to infiltrate some of Australia’s most dangerous drug syndicates. To hide his identity Keith often became involved in the exact
Australia's Most Notorious Con Man
Peter Foster is one of Australia's most prolific career criminals. From diet products to sports betting companies, this con man stops at nothing. His crimes have found him with links to Muhammad Ali and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. And he also appeared on Andrew Denton’s Enough Rope.
In this episode Jessie speaks with Justin Armsden, an award-winning journalist with over 30 years of experience in print and broadcast. He has worked as an anchor for CNN and an investigative reporter f
The First Time He Hit Her: The Murder Of Tara Costigan
Tara Costigan was a hard working mum, friend, close with her family and liked by those who she met. She was also killed by her partner one week after giving birth to their daughter. In this episode we speak with Heidi Lemon, that author of The First Time He Hit Her: the shocking true story of the murder of Tara Costigan, the woman next door. Heidi spent the past few years devoted to writing the book, and worked closely with the Costigan family during the project. Tara’s story is deva
Four Children, Three Murders: Kathleen Folbigg’s Story
Kathleen Folbigg is thought to be one of the most infamous serial killing women in Australia. She was found guilty of the murder of her three infant children, Patrick aged eight months, Sarah aged 10 months and Laura aged 19 months, between 1989 and 1999. She was also convicted of the manslaughter of her first child Caleb in 1989. The main evidence used against Kathleen were her personal diary entries, however there was very little physical forensic evidence to support the prosecution's case aga
The Fake Diving Resort
In the 1980s, a brochure was printed across the world, for an idyllic holiday resort called Arous. It was a diving resort on the Red Sea, in the Sudanese desert. The brochure featured pictures of chalets on a bright beach, the sea almost the same colour as the skyBut what guests of the resort didn’t know was that Arous wasn’t really a holiday resort. At least not primarily. And the staff weren’t really managers, or diving instructors, or waitresses. Once the sun went down, thos
Blood On The Tracks: What Happened To Mark Haines
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away.
In 1988 the death of Mark Haines just outside of Tamworth in regional NSW was barely investigated by local police. The 17-year-old’s body was found on train tracks outside of town, but law enforcement treated his death as less than suspicious. You have only to pull on the threads of the case to find that the truth could be very far from that.
Allan Clarke is a
Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier of global influence and moved in powerful social circles. He was also an alleged child sex trafficker, a convicted criminal who served time for soliciting a prostitute; an underage child in 2008. Epstein was arrested again in July of 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. While he awaited trial he was found dead in his jail cell on August 10th 2019. Diane Dimond is an award winning investigative journalist, author and
Salvation, Miracles And 900 Dead: Inside The Jonestown Massacre
Jim Jones was a charismatic pastor, preaching of salvation and a bountiful life for all those who followed him. He also was the man responsible for one of the largest incidences of loss of human life in modern American history.
Author and podcaster Jo Thornely has researched Jim Jones and his cult of followers for her book Zealot. She joins us for this episode to explain Jones’ psychology, the power of his charisma, and the terrible chain of events that lead to the deaths of more than 900
The Husband And Wife Serial Killers: Part Two
In the second episode of our two part series on the life and crimes of serial killers David and Catherine Birnie, we examine the crimes the pair carried out. Journalist and author Andrew Byrne explores further the motivations and machinations of the Birnie’s utterly maniacal and evil crimes. As Andrew is still working on his book he asks that if you or anyone you know has any information on the Birnies to contact him via his LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkbyrne/
The Husband And Wife Serial Killers: Part One
In November 1986, police visited a quiet residence on a suburban Perth street. The occupants of that house, lifelong lovers David and Catherine Birnie were arrested soon after. That house will be forever synonymous with five unimaginable crimes, known to history as the Moorhouse Murders. Catherine will never be released from jail. She is only the third woman in Australian history to be given this sentence Andrew Byrne is an acclaimed journalist and author. He reported on the Birnies for a televi
"Born With The Devil In Me": America's First Serial Killer
Dr Henry Howard Holmes was America’s first serial killer. The charismatic criminal lured his victims to his hotel dubbed “the murder castle” during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The building was riddled with trap doors and booby traps, a crematorium and gas chambers. The rumours of his depravity were far reaching and propelled H. H. Holmes to infamy. However the man dubbed America’s first serial killer may not have been responsible for the murders of as many people
The Mystery Of Beenham Valley Road
When Kirra McLoughlin died on a property on Beenham Valley Road near Gympie, Queensland, law enforcement and medical examiners were baffled. Kirra’s former partner would claim she went to sleep after a fight and simply didn’t wake up. Family said there had been a party at the property the night before, but neighbours disputed that. Kirra’s body had 105 signs of bruising, and there was a 12 hour period where emergency services weren’t contacted about her rapidly declining
The Untold Story Of The Bali Nine
On 17 April 2005, nine young Australians were arrested in Bali on charges of drug trafficking. Known as the 'Bali 9', some members received the death penalty for their crimes, while others are serving lengthy jail sentences. It seemed like a case burnt into the Australian consciousness. However, more than 15 years later the same crimes are being carried out, with just as devastating effects. Journalists Cindy Wockner and Madonna King were present at the trials and sentencing of The Bali 9.
Sex Slaves, Rituals, And Blackmail: The Lost Women Of NXIVM
The rise and fall of Keith Raniere and the now defunct NXIVM cult is one of the most disturbing scandals of our age. What began as a purported self-help group spiralled into a dark, secretive world of illicit sex, money laundering, and exploitation, all at the hands of founder Keith Raniere and his accomplices. Additionally, several women involved with the NXIVM founder died or disappeared under suspicious circumstances. A former NXIVM publicist turned investigative journalist Frank Parlato expl
Stephanie Scott: The Case That Shook A Small Town
When 26-year-old school teacher Stephanie Scott disappeared days before her wedding, her fiance immediately knew something was wrong. She wasn’t the type of person to vanish without a trace, or get cold feet.
An immense manhunt was swiftly organised with locals of the small town of Leeton, where Stephanie lived. It would be a devastating four days until Stephanie’s fiance and family were given the worst possible news.
In this episode, we speak with Leeton local Monique Patterson who
The Disappearance Of Sydney Model Revelle Balmain
It was November 1994 and Jan Balmain was confused. She was waiting for her 22-year-old daughter Revelle to get off the train from Sydney to Newcastle. Revelle was supposed to be visiting before heading off to Japan for a career changing modelling gig. But Revelle never got off the train. Instead, hours earlier Revelle, who was working as a sex worker as well as a model, allegedly finished her shift at a client’s house, was dropped at a nearby bar, and was never heard from again. Her
Drugs, Dictators, A Diabolical Plot: The Last Voyage Of The Pong Su
It was the afternoon of April 15, 2003, when residents of Lorne, a seaside town on the shoreline of the Great Ocean Road, noticed something they’d never seen before. It was a cargo ship. Of course, they saw big ships everyday but this was something different. The 106 metre long vessel came to within 500 metres of the rocks scattered along the coastline. What no one knew at the time, was that the ship knew precisely where it was going. And that the following day, a search of the beach
A Shark, A Tattooed Arm, And A Baffling Murder Mystery
When a shark vomited up a tattooed arm in the Coogee Aquarium in 1935, onlookers were horrified. This arm would be the catalyst for exposing the seedy underbelly of Sydney’s grimy and cut throat crime scene. Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher sit down with Jessie Stephens to explore the shark arm case. Together, the former high school history and english teachers collaborated on the book Shark Arm; A Shark, A Tattooed Arm, and Two Unsolved Murders, exposing one of the most baffling and fascin
Qandeel Baloch Was Murdered For What She Posted Online
Qandeel Baloch was dubbed Pakistan’s answer to Kim Kardashian but her story is very different. Her older brother murdered her for bringing dishonour to her family. Journalist and author Sanam Maher pieced together Qandeel’s life from her birth in rural Pakistan to her incarnation as a social media sensation; and she documents the public response to Qandeel’s shocking death, for her book, A Woman Like Her. In her research she spoke to Qandeel’s parents, family, friends and
Inside The Twisted Van Breda Family Murder
The Van Breda family appeared to be the perfect picture of success. So how did three of the five family members end up murdered in their family home on the De Zalze estate in South Africa? Martin Van Breda was an entrepreneurial, hardworking and kind man. His wife Teresa was a loving mother, heavily invested in the lives of her three children; Marli, Henri and Rudi. In 2014, the family sold their home in Buderim, on the Australian Sunshine Coast, for 2.5 million dollars and ret
"I Was In A Horror Film”: Surviving The Salt Creek Attacks
It was February 2016, dry and uncomfortably warm, when 23-year-old Brazilian backpacker Beatriz meets a German backpacker of the same age named Lena. The two travellers strike up a friendship and decide to head to Melbourne from Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road. They put an ad on Gumtree asking for a lift and 59-year-old Roman Heinze replied. Little did the women know they had just accepted a lift with a man who was planning a vile and terrifying attack. Jessie speaks with Sean Fewster, c
Diabolical And Detonated; The Collar Bomb Heist
Erie, Pennsylvania is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie, halfway between New York and Ohio. It was August the 28th, 2003, when a man named Brian Welles arrived at a local pizzeria where he worked as a pizza delivery driver. For 10 years he had been one of their most loyal employees, only ever missing one day of work, following the death of his beloved cat.
But this day, an order placed from a payphone to 8631 Peach Street, only a few kilometres from the pizzeria, would change the course of
The Eastern Suburbs Killer
In December 1932, a woman named Iris Marriott prepared dinner in a small flat in Sydney’s East. It was the peak of the Great Depression and the Australian economy had collapsed. The unemployment rate had hit an unbearable 32 per cent. While she cooked a lamb shank and vegetables, her partner sat at the kitchen table, looking through job ads. It was Iris who financially supported them both. And so, she applied her make up with a firm powder puff and after sitting down for
Perfect Murder Or Tragic Accident: What Happened To Rebecca Zahau
Rebecca Zahau was in the bathroom when she heard a bang. It was July 11, 2011, and the 32-year-old was caring for six-year-old Max Shacknai, the son of her 54-year-old boyfriend, Jonah Shacknai. Jonah was a millionaire and the CEO of a successful pharmaceutical group and Rebecca had been dating him for two years. At first she thought the bang was a dog barking but when she ran towards it, she set off an unthinkable chain of events that would eventually lead to the loss of two innocen
Katherine Knight: The Abattoir Murderer Of Aberdeen
It was 6am on March 1, 2000, when John Price’s neighbour noticed his car was still in the driveway. It struck him as unusual. John’s supervisor noticed his absence at work too. An off-handed comment he’d made the day before made his co-workers feel uneasy. At 8:10am, Officer Matthews and Officer Furlonger arrived at John’s home. His front door was locked. The two police men decided to walk around the side of the house, and break in through the back door. What
The Claremont Serial Killer
Claremont was a buzzing, wealthy suburb, about 20 minutes from Perth, Western Australia. With pubs and bars along wide, safe streets. It was known for its nightlife, with patrons often spilling out onto the footpath in the early hours of the morning. But that all changed in 1996 when the disappearance of three young women made national headlines. Claremont would become the backdrop for one of Western Australia’s biggest, longest-running and expensive investigations, which
Best Of 2019: The Case Of Balcony Murderer Simon Gittany
This episode of True Crime Conversations is part of our 2019/2020 Holiday series. We've handpicked episodes from throughout the year that we though deserved another listen. In 2014 Simon Gittany was found guilty of throwing his 30 year old fiancé Lisa Harnum from the balcony of their shared 15th floor apartment. Simon maintained his innocence, saying that Lisa climbed over the railing of the balcony and fell to her death. Amy Dale was a court reporter at the time of this case and ha
Best Of 2019: The Bowraville Murders
This episode of True Crime Conversations is part of our 2019/2020 Holiday series. We've handpicked episodes from throughout the year that we though deserved another listen
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be advised that this episode contains the naming of deceased people, and the recounting of the circumstances leading to their deaths.
Colleen Walker, Evelyn Greenup and Clinton Speedy-Duroux. These are the names of three children from the town of Bowraville who were murder
Best Of 2019: The Beauty Queen Killer
This episode of True Crime Conversations is part of our 2019 Holiday series. We've handpicked episodes from throughout the year that we though deserved another listen. Christopher Wilder is the Australian serial killer responsible for the biggest man hunt in US history. Wilder lured his victims by posing as a talent agent and model scout and beauty pageants across America. His modus operandi of kidnapping, torture, sexual assault and ultimately murder, spoke so deeply of his utter hatred of wome
The Sydney Siege: Part Two
15 hostages remain. For some, 10 hours of terror still awaits them.
On the afternoon of December 15, 2014, offices were evacuated and rumours spread of bombs planted all around Sydney city, while hostages remained trapped inside the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place.
One of Sydney’s most bustling pedestrian thoroughfares, which sat on the doorstep of the Lindt Cafe, was empty and deathly silent. Terrified men and women could be seen inside the large windows, a stark contrast to the fe
The Sydney Siege: Part One
It was looking to be a warm, busy day when Tori Johnson arrived at work just after 6am on a Monday morning in December 2014. The 34-year-old was in charge at the Lindt cafe in Martin Place, and the lead up to Christmas was always chaotic, with customers purchasing gifts, like the iconic chocolate Lindt balls, for friends and family. At 7:30am, the doors opened, with customers flooding in. Among them were 38-year-old barrister Katrina Dawson, with colleagues Julie Taylor and Stefan Balafoutis. Th
John Edwards And The Family Murder That Shook Australia
On a winter evening in July, 2018, West Pennant Hills sounded different. Usually quiet, the Thursday evening was polluted by blasting police sirens, all headed towards Hull Rd. When emergency personnel arrived, they came across a scene they wouldn’t ever forget.
An hour later, 36-year-old Olga Edwards arrived home from work to find her house surrounded by police and paramedics. When she was told what had happened inside, she collapsed from “severe shock”.
Her children, 15
It Took 30 Years To Solve The Mystery Of What Happened To Ursula Barwick
In late Spring, 1987, 17-year-old Ursula Barwick, stepped off the platform, and boarded a train from Tuggerah on the Central Coast, bound for Sydney. The journey would take a little more than two hours and land her in Kings Cross. She’d told her parents she had work and accommodation lined up, and would call them as soon as she arrived. Her father, Peter, planned to come down that weekend to help get her settled in. It would be her first time living properly out of home. But that phone cal
The Easey Street Murders And The Mystery That Followed
It was mid-October, 1976, when Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28 moved in to number 147, Easey St. The three-bedroom house was perfect for the two of them, as well as Armstrong’s 16-month-old son, Gregory. Then, in early 1977, neighbours would watch emergency workers and police swarm the property, after the bodies of the two women were found three days after they’d been killed. Helen Thomas is a journalist and author who was a cub reporter at Melbourne n
Anne Hamilton-Byrne And The Children Who Were Never Hers
Anne Hamilton-Byrne is a name that Australians won’t soon forget. What started out as a series of yoga teachings by the woman who believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, would end up becoming one of our country’s most sinister cults. The Family, as it would come to be known, included a number of children with dyed blonde hair, who believed Anne Hamilton-Byrne was their mother. For all but one of them, she was not. Jessie Stephens sits down with journalist and
BONUS: Murder In The Bayou
It was May 20, 2005, when a retiree named Jerry Jackson cast his fishing line from a bridge over the Grand Marais Canal, located on the fringe of Jennings, Louisiana. The temperature was rising when Jackson noticed something below him, floating in the canal. Jackson had discovered the body of a 28-year-old woman named Loretta Lynn Lewis Chaisson. She would be the first of what would come to be known as the Jeff Davis eight. In this bonus episode of True Crime Conversations Jessie talks to
Killed By The Man Next Door: The Murder Of Tosha Thakkar
On Friday March 9, 2011, a suitcase was found in a canal next to Meadowbank Park, located about 30 minutes from Sydney’s central business district. Inside it, was the body of Tosha Thakkar, a 24-year-old student, who had been living in a boarding house in Croydon for six months. Her boyfriend, Ali Syed had reported her missing two days prior, after she failed to meet him for lunch. When he went to her Elvin St address, her room was in disarray, and he noticed that her nightdress was
What Happened To Gerard Ross: The Boy In The Blue Cap
11-year-old Gerard Ross went missing in October 1997 while on a family holiday in the WA town of Rockingham. Two weeks later a horse trainer was out exercising his horses when he discovered Gerard’s body dumped in a pine plantation 20 kms from town. While police have always had suspects in the case, no one has ever been convicted of the 11-year-old’s abduction and murder. Award winning investigative journalist Kristin Shorten has spent her career covering the case. Ahead of a new doc
A Terrifying Monster: The True Story Of Leonard Fraser
Leonard Fraser was the very embodiment of a monster. He was sentenced to life on the 7th of September 2000 for the abduction rape and murder of 9-year-old Keyra Steinhardt in the Queensland town of Rockhampton. Prior to that Fraser had spent almost two decades behind bars for the rape of other women, including his defacto partner who was terminally ill with cancer. Fraser kept trophies from his victims. Police found the ponytails of three different women in Fraser’s flat but were not able
A Suitcase Floating In A Lake: The Tragic Story Of Rachel Pfitzner And Dean Shillingsworth
It was a warm spring day when two young boys were playing at Mandurama reserve in the Sydney suburb of Ambarvale. It was a place where families and friends could have a picnic, or cycle on bike paths. As the boys rode their bikes, something caught their eye. It looked like a suitcase, floating near the edge of a nearby duck pond. What they discovered was the body of two-year-old Dean Shillingsworth. Dr Xanthe Mallett is a forensic anthropologist and criminologist at the University of Newcastle,
The Somerton Man: One Of The World’s Most Baffling Mysteries
The case of the Somerton Man is one of the most baffling cases in modern criminal history. In 1948 the body of a man was found on Somerton Park Beach just south of Adelaide in South Australia. Despite a global effort to identify the remains, we still do not know who the man was, why he was there, and how he died. Fiona Ellis-Jones is a reporter and producer for the ABC. She speaks to Jessie Stephens about the case which is currently explored on her podcast, The Somerton Man Mystery and will be t
The Bus Stop Killer
Levi Bellfield has been charged and found guilty of the murder of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell, Amelie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. Women who were linked by nothing other than the man who chose to kill them. Bellfield’s murders were baffling in their lack of motive, hindering law enforcement from figuring out who was responsible. Geoffrey Wansell is a London based journalist and author who has written and researched extensively the crimes of Levi Bellfield - who th
The Man Who "Knows What Happened" To The Beaumont Children
The disappearance of The Beaumont Children is burned into the collective conscious of Australia. It’s one of the longest running cases in the nation’s history and has baffled law enforcement for more than half a century.
Stuart Mullins grew up down the road from the Beaumont children in Adelaide. Over the years he has researched and co authored investigative writing into their disappearance. He walks us through the case, and why he believes he knows just who is responsible for the di
What Really Happened To Azaria Chamberlain?
As the sun set over Uluru on August 17th, 1980, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain put their two month old baby Azaria to bed. What happened next is burnt into the collective consciousness of not just Australia but the world. This won’t be like most episodes of True Crime Conversations, mostly, because in this case there was no crime. Instead, it was one of the most significant and devastating miscarriages of justice Australia has ever seen. So impactful was the handling of this cas
Ivan Milat: What You Haven't Been Told About Australia's Best Known Serial Killer
It is speculated that Ivan Milat's days are numbered. Australia’s most notorious serial killer is. Milat is serving 7 concurrent life sentences for his horrific crimes. In this episode we take a look at the life of Ivan, to get inside the mind of one of our country’s worst serial killers. Mark Whittaker co-authored ‘Sins Of The Brother’, the most definitive work on the life and crimes of Ivan Milat. He joins Jessie Stephens to take us into the mind of one of the wor
The Fall: The Case Of Balcony Murderer Simon Gittany
In 2014 Simon Gittany was found guilty of throwing his 30 year old fiancé Lisa Harnum from the balcony of their shared 15th floor apartment. Simon maintained his innocence, saying that Lisa climbed over the railing of the balcony and fell to her death. Amy Dale was a court reporter at the time of this case and has subsequently written a book titled The Fall about Lisa’s murder. Jessie Stephens sits down with Amy to take us through the case, from the infamous CCTV footage of Si
Samantha Knight: The Bondi School Girl Who Never Came Home
UPDATE: Since recording this episode, murderer and serial paedophile, Michael Guider, the man responsible for Samantha's death, has been released from jail.When Tess Knight got home on a winter’s night in August of 1986 her nine-year-old daughter Samantha was nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t until 14 years later in February 2001 that a man named Michael Guider pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the young Bondi school girl.
Guider, who was serving a sentence at the time f
Granny Evil: Australia's Most Infamous Matriarch
Kathleen Pettingill had ten children. All of them are either incarcerated, in witness protection, or dead. So, how did Kathleen become the head of one of the most prolific and violent crime families in modern Australian history? Jessie speaks with author Adrian Tame about the life and crimes of Kathleen Pettingill - a woman who throughout his years profiling her he has come to count as a friend. You can buy Adrian Tame’s book The Matriarch online and at all good book stores. CREDITS G
The Beauty Queen Killer
Christopher Wilder is the Australian serial killer responsible for the biggest man hunt in US history. Wilder lured his victims by posing as a talent agent and model scout and beauty pageants across America. His modus operandi of kidnapping, torture, sexual assault and ultimately murder, spoke so deeply of his utter hatred of women. In recent years it’s been speculated that Wilder is also responsible for one of the biggest cold cases in NSW criminal history; the Wanda Beach murders. Author
A Killer Cop: Roger Rogerson Was More Than A Murderer
Roger Rogerson is one of the only Australian killers with a badge. A fraudster, drug dealer, and killer, he was finally stopped in a murder plot now known as one of the most recorded murder cases in Australian history. How did a celebrated detective not check where CCTV cameras were before murdering Jamie Gao? Why did those who stood in his way start to “disappear”?
Duncan McNab is a former police person turned author and journalist who quite literally wrote the book on Roger Rogerso
A Mother And Daughter Went Missing And Nobody Noticed
When two-year old Khandalyce Pearce went missing police couldn’t understand why her mother wasn’t looking for her. But Khandalyce’s mother Karlie would never know her daughter was missing; Karlie's body was found in Belanglo State Forest eight years before her daughter’s name made national headlines. Author Ava Benny Morrison joins Jessie to step through the case of Karlie and Khandalyce and explain how law enforcement agencies around the country managed to solve the case
The Serial Killer Who Inspired A Horror Film
Danny Rolling would become one of the most violent serial killers in modern America’s history. His crimes, spree-like in nature, inspired the 1996 horror film Scream. Rolling’s hatred of women, violent and abusive upbringing, and idolatry of Ted Bundy were all just elements that would contribute to his horrific crimes. Author and pop-culture journalist Maria Lewis takes us through the case of Danny Rolling - who would be dubbed The Gainesville Ripper - and just how truly violent and
The Lady Vanishes: What Happened To Marion Barter
How did Marion Barter’s overseas holiday in 1997 become her last? Reporter Bryan Seymour, host of The Lady Vanishes podcast, takes Jessie through the case of missing person, Marion Barter. A beloved teacher and mum, Marion was living a happy and fulfilling life before she disappeared. So why did she sell her house and change her name before travelling overseas? And why did she return three weeks later only to drain her bank account of all savings? Or did she? Marion’s daughter
The Case Of The Bowraville Murders
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be advised that this episode contains the naming of deceased people, and the recounting of the circumstances leading to their deaths. Colleen Walker, Evelyn Greenup and Clinton Speedy-Duroux. These are the names of three children from the town of Bowraville who were murdered over five months across 1990 and 1991. There has only ever been one suspect in their murders but to this day they’ve never stood trial for those crimes. Author Da
Angel of Death: The Curse Of Dulcie Markham
Dulcie Markham, better known as The Angel Of Death, has been called Australia’s most beautiful bad woman. A key figure in the underworld gangs of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Dulcie used her Hollywood good looks, rosy pink lips and whip smart mind to manipulate the most evil of mobsters. Author and historian Leigh Straw joins Jessie for this episode where she takes us through the life of Dulcie; how the 15-year-old started out in sex work in 1920s Wooloomooloo, rose to become one of the
No Footprints: The Mysterious Disappearance Of Maura Murray
On Monday 9th February 2004 Maura Murray vanished. She had crashed her car on a winding stretch of road in Woodsville New Hampshire USA. A local man named Butch Atwood witnessed the crash and called out to Maura asking if she needed him to call the police. She told him she’d already called car towing services and not to worry about it. But the problem was there was no phone service. Maura hadn’t called for help. Instead, in the 19 minutes it took for law enforcement to arrive, Maura&
"I've Been Kidnapped" The Case Of Belgian Backpacker Davine Arckens
When 24-year-old Belgian backpacker Davine Arckens reached out to a man on Gumtree about working on his farm she was excited. The 88 days of labour would mean she could stay in Australia on a tourist visa for an extra year. She couldn’t wait to spend more time in a country she thought was safe and full of nice people.
When Davine met the man it didn’t take long for her to realise she’d made a terrible mistake.
Driven to what felt like the middle of nowhere, Davine was con