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Deep in the suburbs of south-east Melbourne, a young woman who believed herself to be the reincarnation of Christ, began to build a following based on New Age ideologies and practices. Anne Hamilton-Byrne quickly developed a following of adults who would worship her like a god, and do anything, including break the law, to help "The Family". The cult set up a network to facilitate the fraudulent adoption of children to create the next master race. These children were given heavy doses of sedatives and hallucinogens and had their food restricted as punishment for breaking the rules. It wasn't until one of them ran away that authorities became aware of the cult operating right under their noses.
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In 2012, 23-year-old Leisl Smith got into a white ute at Tuggerah Railway Station on the New South Wales Central Coast. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, or who she was going with, but when she didn't return home that night to tend to her horses her family knew something was wrong. The investigation into Leisl's disappearance was slow, leaving her family without closure for a long period of time. Finally, 6 years after her disappearance, a man was arrested for Leisl's murder, giving the family hope for justice. But a series of tragic events may mean they never know what happened to Leisl a decade ago.
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In 2019, a young woman, using the pseudonym Alice, came forward and reported that she had been sexually assaulted by the volunteer massage therapist she met at her childhood netball games. In the tight-knit community of northern Tasmania, news spreads fast, and within months another 4 women had alleged that the same man, Jim Griffin, had groomed and assaulted them too. The subsequent police investigation exposed a man who had dedicated his life and career to getting close to young girls, which sparked a lot of questions about how his offending, which started in the 1980s had flown under the radar for so long.
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In the late 1980s, Auckland was considered a safe place and somewhere to raise a family. Parents were comfortable leaving their young teens home alone at night, and young women often walked home alone after dark. That was until New Zealand police discovered the possibility that a serial rapist was operating in the South Auckland area. Citizens became gripped with fear, installing greater security in their homes and sleeping next to weapons, in some areas, vigilante justice groups formed with the hope of catching the serial offender. Advances in DNA technology and criminal profiling led police to the doorstep of Joseph Thompson, who answered the door with: “I’ve been waiting for you guys.”
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On the 16th of October 2021, 4-year-old Cleo Smith disappeared from her family’s campsite at the Blowholes, north of Carnarvon in Western Australia. What followed was the most comprehensive search and rescue operation in recent Australian history, and non-stop reporting of Cleo’s case which had gripped the nation. Cleo was missing for 18 days before police made a breakthrough discovery, bringing relief to those enthralled by the story. Programs were cancelled in favour of a 3-hour news special, and The West Australian newspaper ran a 22-page spread featuring all the details. The amount of coverage raised questions for some - should the family be granted some privacy, and why aren’t the same police resources and media coverage common in the cases of other missing children?
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Nature enthusiasts Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen left Sweden in September 1988 to embark on a trip down under. When the couple didn’t return home on time, their families initially thought they’d changed their plans. By the time they raised the alarm, Urban and Heidi had been missing for 6 weeks. Conveniently, a convicted criminal and current fugitive David Tamihere had been recently apprehended and was last seen where the two backpackers went missing.
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In 1998, a man was killed while walking along the railway tracks in inner-city Perth. With no identification on his person and no information from the public, investigators couldn’t reunite the man with his family. History repeated itself 10 years later, in 2008 when another man was struck by a train in south-east Melbourne. He too was unable to be identified. These two men joined the more than 500 unidentified persons at any one time who are currently stored in morgues, or unmarked graves. Despite huge advances in forensic technology, and the development of a National Missing Persons and Victim System to link DNA records with reports of missing people, these two men remain unidentified. Investigators are sure that someone in the community knows something, and have renewed pleas for information.
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In 2006, 3-month-old twins, Cris and Cru Kahui were taken to hospital by their mother after sustaining serious head injuries and broken bones. No one could explain how the twins had suffered these life-threatening injuries, but hospital staff suspected that it had been deliberate. The case of Cris and Cru highlighted disparities around infant deaths, bringing to the spotlight a 2003 statistic that revealed that Maori children were twice as likely to die as a result of family violence than non-Maori children. In 2020, one child died every 5 weeks as a result of family violence, and UNICEF ranked NZ 35th out of 41 OECD countries for child wellbeing outcomes.
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In June 1982, 49 gold bars were withdrawn from the Perth Mint using three cheques. The bars were taken to Jandakot Airport, loaded onto a plane, and never seen again. However, staff at the Mint had realised the cheques were fraudulent, meaning the gold had been swindled. The Mickelberg brothers, Ray, Peter and Brian, were convicted in 1984, but these convictions were overturned 20 years later. The unsolved mystery of the missing gold has all the makings of a Hollywood film: allegations of police corruption bombshells about fabricated evidence, a plane crash, and a car bomb. But this is the real-life tale of the Mint Swindle.
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In the 1980s, the Satanic Panic was rife in the United States, with authorities receiving more than 12,000 claims of satanic abuse within an alleged network of underground devil-worshipping paedophiles operating in daycare centres. By 1991, this panic had reached Christchurch, New Zealand. Child care worker, Peter Ellis, was accused of sexually assaulting a young boy in his care. The investigation of these claims has been plagued with criticisms about parental interference, an unreliable interview process, and fabricated compensation claims. Peter has always maintained his innocence, and 30 years on his case continues.
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Australia and New Zealand share a passion for sport. It is a source not only of entertainment, but of national pride, which means it comes as no surprise that conspiracies of sabotage against our sporting stars are some of the most widely believed conspiracies among the population. The allegations of Phar Lap’s murder by US gangsters, and the potential poisoning of the All Blacks’ at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, have been discussed at backyard BBQ’s for decades, but still remain unsolved.
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Like so many young people at the time, 29-year-old Kayo Matsuzawa had traveled from Japan to Christchurch, New Zealand, with a dream of learning English and seeing the world. In September 1998, Kayo took her first trip to Auckland. Worried about traveling alone, Kayo invited her friend Naomi to Auckland, but when Naomi couldn’t come, Kayo promised to send her a postcard. After 10 days, there was no postcard - Naomi knew that something had happened to Kayo.
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In 1942, Melbourne was subject to light restrictions, known as a ‘brownout’, in order to lessen the threat of an air raid. Little did they know, another threat was lurking in the darkness. When 3 women were killed in the span of 15 days, police had to work fast to find the perpetrator. Suspicions were raised when reports came to hand that a US soldier had been harassing and attacking women - with a quarter of a million US troops stationed in Australia at the time, finding the Brownout Strangler would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
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In the late 1970s, Air New Zealand began operating an Antarctic sightseeing flight. These flights offered a once-in-a-lifetime experience and attracted tourists from all around the world. This all changed on the 28th of November, 1979, when Air New Zealand flight 901 lost contact with Antarctic air traffic controllers during its descent over Ross Island. A fatal error had been made, but was it an honest mistake, or was the crash a result of deliberate shortcuts and cover-ups?
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On the 25th of August 1973, Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon went to a Saturday afternoon football game with their families at Adelaide Oval. In the 3rd quarter, Joanne and Kirste went to the bathroom together. When they didn’t return to their seats 15 minutes later, Joanne’s mother became worried and began to look for the two girls, but it may have already been too late. Despite a number of witness accounts of the abduction, and potential links with similar cases, the disappearance of Joanne and Kirste remains unsolved.
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In 1954, two teenage girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme orchestrated and carried out the murder of Pauline's mother in Victoria Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. Their attempt to cover up the death as an accident quickly fell apart, and both girls were charged with murder. When their trial began, rumours of insanity and homosexuality consumed the Christchurch population as people speculated about the motivations around the seemingly cold and callous murder of Honorah Parker.
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In 2014, Queensland veterinarian, Dr Martin Pearson, was in the final stages of an endurance cycling ride when he was the victim of a fatal hit-and-run accident. When police located the driver responsible, they realised that he had been responsible for the accidental death of his wife, Leanne, just 6-years prior. Although Geoffrey Sleba’s actions had resulted in the loss of 2 lives, he substantially escaped punishment, only serving 13-months in prison, after proving that both occasions were ‘accidental’.
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In 2005, Victoria Police received information that a woman had been sexually assaulted by her father, but were unable to pursue the claim as the woman, fearing what her father might do, refused give more information. 3 years later, police obtained a DNA sample from the man, which revealed that he was the father of his daughters 3 children. What followed was a discovery of almost 30 years of sexual abuse and emotional manipulation at the hands of a man she should have been able to trust.
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On June 21st, 2004, 43-year-old Jim Donnelly signed into work at the Glenbrook Steel Mill. 16 years later, Jim still hasn't signed out. Despite a wide-ranging search, and investigation of Jim's personal life, there is very limited evidence as to what happened to him, leading to plenty of speculation and unique theories about his disappearance. To this day, Jim's family is no closer to finding out what happened, and without new evidence or witness information, they may never know.
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In the summer of 2018, 16-year-old Amber-Rose Rush was anticipating 2018 would be her year, after finishing school and starting a new job. But her future was robbed from her on the night of February 3rd 2018 when Amber-Rose was murdered in her family home. After retrieving heated Instagram messages between Amber-Rose and a 30-year-old Dunedin doctor, police had their prime suspect. It was revealed that Dr Skantha had been behaving erratically at work, and inappropriately with young girls, and Amber-Rose was set to reveal all.
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