Karen Smith lays out the system failures, biases and exactly what went wrong with the investigation into Lachie’s death - and questions why the NZ police are so obstinate in this case.

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Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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A forensic pathologist and a retired forensic detective, both Americans, give evidence in the Invercargill courtroom and fiercely defend their views – one emphatic Lachie drowned, the other who says his death was staged.

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Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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The controversy steps up a notch when a Wellington based forensic pathologist enters the frame and is intractable on Lachie’s cause of death.

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Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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Speculation and hypothetical scenarios are thrown around the courtroom, as the absence of a forensic autopsy limits options.

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Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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Dr Martin Sage, the man who says he could have and should have done the forensic autopsy on Lachie, takes the stand. He gives a rare window into the reality of forensic autopsies and we find out what he believes may or may not have happened to Lachie.

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Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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Melanie Reid and her team make their way south for the second phase of the inquest, and on the first day a police dog expert is asked that if Lachie walked out to the ponds, why did the police dog not pick up his scent until 30 metres out?

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Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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Following a tip-off, Melanie Reid heads south and gets the Facebook messages, the phone and the explosive interview.

The Boy in the Water is now part of our new investigative podcast channel, DELVE. 

Melanie Reid Investigates will be releasing gripping, in-depth podcasts on DELVE throughout the year.

If you would like to support our work:

Sign up to DELVE+ here for Android and Spotify listeners to get early access to new episodes and receive exclusive bonus material, all ad-free. Check your email for sign-up instructions.

For Apple Podcasts listeners, sign up to DELVE+ by simply clicking the subscribe banner on the DELVE page and follow the prompts.

Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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US-based Andrea Zaferes, who has investigated thousands of ‘body found in water’ cases, tells Melanie Reid what stacks up and what doesn’t when investigating suspected drownings. 

You can also watch a short video of Andrea explaining the positions bodies are commonly found in when they are in water, on our Facebook page and our Instagram page. 

Sign up to DELVE+ here for Android and Spotify listeners to get early access to new episodes and receive exclusive bonus material, all ad-free.

For Apple Podcasts listeners, sign up to DELVE+ by simply clicking the subscribe banner on the DELVE page and follow the prompts.

Discover more from Melanie Reid Investigates at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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On the last day of phase one of the inquest, Detective Inspector Stu Harvey is cross examined about witness statements that weren’t taken, the reliability of eyewitness identifications, and any lessons he gleaned from the reinvestigation. Coroner Ho then wraps up the inquest for now. 

Sign up to DELVE+ here for Android and Spotify listeners to get early access to new episodes and receive exclusive bonus material, all ad-free.

For Apple Podcasts listeners, sign up to DELVE+ by simply clicking the subscribe banner on the DELVE page and follow the prompts.

Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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The final witness to appear for this first phase of the inquest is the man who was in charge of the reinvestigation into Lachie’s death, Detective Inspector Stu Harvey.

Sign up to DELVE+ here for Android and Spotify listeners to get early access to new episodes and receive exclusive bonus material, all ad-free.

For Apple Podcasts listeners, sign up to DELVE+ by simply clicking the subscribe banner on the DELVE page and follow the prompts.

Presented by award-winning investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz

Sign up to DELVE+ to get early access to new episodes and listen to all four seasons of our award-winning The Boy in the Water podcast, both seasons of Fractured, the explosive Powder Keg and Satanic Panic: Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me, all ad-free. Presented by investigations editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz and search for Melanie Reid Investigates on Facebook and Instagram.

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