Show Notes
Welcome to a new podcast in this feed. It's called What Happened To... Each week we will share new stories of long-term missing Australian people. The idea is to bring awareness to these cases. To kick off, we are republishing some of the previous shows we have produced in support of the missing. In 2019, we told the story of Zac Barnes, an 18-year-old from the Hunter Valley who vanished in November 2016 after getting out of a friend’s car on the way to Thornton train station and running into nearby bushland. At the time, Zac’s family was still searching for answers. His body had never been found. The questions around what happened that day and what may have happened afterwards remained unresolved. Now, almost a decade after Zac disappeared, a NSW coronial inquest has found that Zac is most likely deceased and that he died in suspicious circumstances. The coroner was unable to determine the exact manner, cause, or place of his death but recommended the NSW unsolved homicide team take over the investigation. This re-release revisits the story we first told in What Happened to Zac? with the benefit of the coroner’s findings and the painful clarity they bring. It is a story about a young man who never came home, a family who refused to stop fighting for him, and a case that still demands answers. Zac’s mum said he “deserves justice and to be found" and that his family deserves answers. What Happened to Zac? It is the story of a disappearance, a delayed search, years of uncertainty, and a family’s ongoing fight to find out what really happened to Zac Barnes.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from What Happened To…
In April 1974, teenage cousins Raylene Eaton and Yvonne Waters went out to enjoy live music at a Perth pub and never returned home. Last seen leaving the White Sands Tavern with three unidentified men, the girls vanished without a trace. More than 50 years later, questions remain about missed clues, early police assumptions and whether someone still holds the key to solving one of Western Australia's most haunting mysteries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In November 1994, Sydney woman Revelle Balmain disappeared after attending what was believed to be her final appointment of the day. More than three decades later, her disappearance remains one of Australia’s most enduring mysteries. In Revelle Balmain: The Last Appointment, we revisit the final hours before she vanished and speak with people who knew her best including former boyfriends, her stepsister Suellen, and one of the last people known to have seen Revelle alive. Through their memories, new interviews and a fresh examination of the case, the series explores who Revelle was, what was happening in her life at the time, and the unanswered questions that remain about her disappearance. Revelle Balmain: The Last Appointment is coming to Apple Podcasts Subscriptions from Monday, October 19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we sit down with renowned criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro to unravel the complexities of the Samantha Murphy case from Ballarat. Samantha's disappearance has puzzled law enforcement and the public alike, leaving more questions than answers. Through an in-depth conversation with Tim, we explore the psychological underpinnings of the case, examine the clues left behind, and discuss the impact on the community and the ongoing search for justice. Watson-Muro brings his expert analysis and unique insights, shedding new light on one of Australia's most perplexing cases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A man has now been charged with the alleged murder of Samantha Murphy, but many questions about what happened on the morning she disappeared remain unanswered. In this episode, former Victorian Police detective Damien Marrett helps piece together what investigators may have known before the arrest, how phone and location data could have shaped the investigation, and what happens behind the scenes when police decide they have enough evidence to charge someone with murder. As the case moves towards court, we examine the evidence still missing from the public picture and why finding Samantha remains so important. The accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As the investigation into Samantha Murphy’s disappearance intensified, police were not only searching the ground — they were also following a digital trail. Telecommunications expert Associate Professor Mark Gregory explains how mobile phones, smartwatches and tower data can help investigators map movements, identify devices in an area and look for unusual patterns. We examine how this kind of digital evidence may have helped police piece together crucial parts of the investigation. IMPORTANT NOTE: This episode was originally recorded and published during the early stages of the investigation and reflects information publicly available at that time. Since its original publication, criminal proceedings relating to Samantha Murphy’s disappearance have commenced. This episode has not been updated to discuss those proceedings and does not address the person currently before the courts, the evidence in those proceedings, or questions of guilt or innocence. Nothing in this episode should be interpreted as commenting on, prejudging or seeking to influence any current court proceedings. The accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty according to law. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.