On August 25 1973, 12,000 South Australian National Football League spectators packed into Adelaide Oval to watch the North Adelaide Roosters take on the Norwood Redlegs. During the game’s third and penultimate quarter, 11-year-old Joanne Ratcliffe was given permission by her parents to escort 4-year-old Kirste Gordon to the toilet. But the girls never returned.



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Casefile would like to give a special thanks to Suzie Ratcliffe for her assistance with this episode



Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host

Researched and written by Elsha McGill
Creative Director: Milly Raso



For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-163-joanne-ratcliffe-kirste-gordon


Case 163: Joanne Ratcliffe & Kirste Gordon

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After two planes struck New York City’s World Trade Center on September 11 2001, Tania Head was one of the lucky few who managed to escape from above the impact zone of the South Tower. Saved by lauded 9/11 hero Welles Crowther, Tania’s incredible and heartbreaking story of survival became an inspiration. Triumphing through trauma, she became the face of a support group called The Survivors’ Network. Yet, as Tania’s fame grew, she became uncharacteristically anxious. Was there more to her story?



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Narration – Anonymous Host

Research & writing – Milly Raso

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Production and music – Mike Migas

Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn



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Case 286: The Survivors' Network

*** Content warnings: Domestic violence ***



When freelance writer Louise Ellis disappeared after leaving her Ottawa home on April 22 1995, the person leading the search for her was her devoted partner, Brett Morgan. But Brett’s criminal background made investigators suspicious and he found himself feeling more like a suspect than a victim.



When he was approached by an aspiring private investigator named Marie Parent, the case suddenly took a very different turn…



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Narration – Anonymous Host

Research & writing – Erin Munro

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Production and music – Mike Migas

Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn



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Case 285: Louise Ellis

*** Content warnings: Animal cruelty, gun violence ***



43-year-old Graham Backhouse lived a peaceful life with his wife and children on Widden Hill Farm in Horton, England. But in 1984, a campaign of harassment directed at Graham left him fearing for his safety. 



When his wife Margaret Backhouse becomes the victim of a targeted attack, investigators consider who could have a motive to hurt the loving couple. The focus soon turns on a neighbour, Colyn Beadle-Taylor, but all is not what it seems.



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Narration – Anonymous Host

Research & writing – Holly Boyd

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Production and music – Mike Migas

Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn



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Case 284: Widden Hill Farm

When Dutch friends Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon set out for a six-week adventure in Panama in 2014, they were ready for the trip of a lifetime. But after failing to show up for a planned tour in the mountain town of Boquete, search parties sprung into action.



Had the two young women gotten lost while hiking the popular Pianista trail, or was something more sinister at play?



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Narration – Anonymous Host

Research & writing – Elsha McGill

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Production and music – Mike Migas

Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn



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Case 283: Kris Kremers & Lisanne Froon

*** Content warnings: Child victim, sexual assault ***



In 2004, several young girls around Fort Wayne, Indiana received handwritten letters threatening that they would be the next victim of a child killer.

Authorities were immediately concerned. DNA from the letters matched samples they had stored from an unsolved crime that was committed more than a decade earlier – the murder of eight-year-old April Tinsley.



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Narration – Anonymous Host

Research & writing – Milly Raso

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Production and music – Mike Migas

Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn



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For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-282-april-tinsley


Case 163: Joanne Ratcliffe & Kirste Gordon

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