Dear Rachelle

Go behind the headlines of an unsolved murder that continues to raise questions - in this bonus episode with the journalists working to uncover the truth.

Host Ashlea Hansen is joined by fellow News Corp journalists Patrick Carlyon, senior features writer, and Charlotte Karp, senior reporter,  both part of the core team investigating the murder of Rachelle Childs.

They unpack the journalistic process behind the podcast, from chasing leads to navigating sensitive interviews, and reflect on the personal toll the case has taken.

They also delve into the tangled timeline, the remote and unsettling locations tied to the crime, and the possibility the killer carefully covered their tracks.

From a key suspect’s alibi to whispers of bikie involvement, the story is full of twists - and the smallest detail could still matter.

With new tips still coming in, they explain why public information remains so critical to the case.

New FULL episodes of Dear Rachelle drop every Friday, and there are more episodes of Dear Rachelle out RIGHT NOW!  You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and extras.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elise says she lived with a man who had many sides. A charming, romantic, funny husband, who would turn into a controlling, stonewalling, cruel stranger at the flip of a switch.

Then there were the threats. Eerily specific threats of violence, threats of murder.

Next, she alleges, came the actual violence.

Years after they’d separated, she heard her ex-husband was a key suspect in the murder of 23-year-old Rachelle Childs.

Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and cold case specialist Damian Loone, and Rachelle’s sister Kristy.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Ashlea Hansen puts your questions to retired NSW detective and cold case expert Damian Loone, alongside Rachelle's sister Kristy. 

After a flood of messages from listeners, they respond directly to what you’ve been asking and share fresh insight into the continuing investigation.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachelle Childs has been dead five years when new evidence leads authorities to exhume and re-examine her body.

Her family consents, but otherwise the exhumation remains secret until a key POI is informed that, while he answers questions at Rachelle’s inquest, her body lies in the morgue beneath that very courtroom.

The inquest is explosive. Nine persons of interest are scrutinised, and her body is exhumed to help answer some vital questions.

Was there ever a Walkinshaw? What happened to Rachelle in those missing nine hours after she left work? Who started the rumour about bikies cutting Rachelle’s fingers off?

The inquest ran for two years but concluded with an open finding.

Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone, and Rachelle's sister Kristy.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A key witness comes forward with a disturbing discovery, in this third update episode of Dear Rachelle.

Host Ashlea Hansen is joined by Rachelle’s sister Kristy, her mum Anne, close friend Mindy and retired detective Damian Loone to unpack the latest developments. 

The owner of the unit once rented by Kevin Correll has come forward with a strange find from under the carpet.

The discovery comes just days before what would have been Rachelle’s 47th birthday. 

NSW Police have confirmed they’ve applied to increase the $200,000 reward, with a renewed call for anyone with information to come forward. As Kristy puts it, this could all end if someone simply tells the truth.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First it's the thrill of singles mingles nights, champagne, prawns and flowers.

Then, in an instant, the switch is flicked.

The pleading turns nasty. The menacing phone calls start.  Sometimes fixation turns into threats of outright violence.

A Person Of Interest’s previous partners come forward with allegations about his patterns of behaviour.

Why was that same POI telling people about forensic evidence likely known only to police and those who’d conducted Rachelle Childs' autopsy?

Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone, and Rachelle's sister Kristy.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault, which may be distressing to some listeners.

Two sexually motivated attacks.  Two women preyed upon in their own homes.

Two acquittals.  A familiar alibi.

Two women silenced for decades, who are now speaking out for Rachelle.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“What happened and why did it happen? Those two things will tell you about the person who did it.”

FBI-trained criminal profiler and former NSW police Detective Sergeant Kris Illingsworth takes Ash through the trail of evidence and the killer’s likely state of mind.

Her report has never been shared with the Childs family nor the public, until now.

Can hypnotherapy help a friend remember who Rachelle was planning to meet at the Bargo Hotel?

Meanwhile, Damian and Ash examine startling revelations about a person of interest.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New forensic leads emerge in this second update episode of Dear Rachelle.

Police enhance CCTV from the night Rachelle was murdered and send a new item for forensic testing, plus more people ink the "Team Chelle" cause on their skin.

Ashlea Hansen sits down with Kristy, Anne and retired detective Damian Loone to unpack the latest breakthroughs in the unfolding investigation.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As mourners gather to farewell the girl next door who just happened to love fast cars, detectives keep a close eye on the guest list.

Was Rachelle’s murderer there among them?

Investigating the men in Rachelle’s orbit, Ash and Damian uncover a common thread that brings them closer to the truth.

What did Rachelle stumble upon that could have put her in danger?

Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone.

Want to be first to hear what happens next? You can enjoy early access to the latest podcast episodes with an eligible digital News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au and subscribing today. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.