Investigates

Today we're diving into an extraordinary missing person's case. A case that has baffled authorities and family members for close to 23 years. In 1997, 51-year-old mother-of-two Marion Barter set off to the UK for a year-long holiday from her home on the Gold Coast.

After a few postcards and calls home to her daughter Sally, Marion was never seen or heard from again.

Marion was a dedicated teacher and a loving mum - she had so much to live for. So why did Marion never return? Did she start a new life? Did someone kill her and steal her identity? To this day, nobody knows.

We've spoken to Marion's daughter Sally Leydon. Sally has fought long and hard to try and find answers. And we might just be on the cusp of finally learning what happened to Marion Barter, the lady who vanished...

Your host is April Glover

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

Listen to Seven's podcast The Lady Vanishes here: https://play.acast.com/s/the-lady-vanishes

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boxing Day 2004. 

It's a day that many Australians remember, not because of how bloated they were feeling or who Australia played in the Boxing Day cricket test at the MCG - but because of the Boxing Day tsunami that struck 14 countries and killed more than 230,000 people.

So what happened when the wave hit? What was the aftermath like? And how did it change the way Australians viewed the world? 

15 years on, the Indian Ocean Tsunami as it is now known, is still one of the deadliest Tsunamis in history. 

And journalist John Burfitt joins Stephen now to discuss it...

Your host is Stephen Downie

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On December 1, 1948, a man's body was found dead on Somerton Beach in Adelaide.He was clean shaven and wearing a suit and tie. But nobody knew who he was or how he died. He had no belongings or identification and the tags of his clothes had been removed.

70 years later, the case of the Somerton Man, as he went on to be known, remains unsolved. But a recent break through in the case may bring us one step closer to identifying the mystery man.   

Professor Derek Abott from the University of Adelaide is still trying to solve the case today and may also share a very special connection with the man. He joins us now. 

Your host is Smita Mistry

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a warning, this episode details the death of a young man for which nobody has ever been convicted. 

Matthew Leveson was 20 years old when he was last seen. He was leaving a nightclub in Sydney's Darlinghurst, and 10 years later, his body was discovered in the Royal National Park, a few hours south of Sydney. So what happened? Who killed him? And why has nobody ever been convicted?

Matt's parents Mark and Faye spent years advocating for Matt's death and searching for him. Today on Investigates, we are joined by Matt's mother Faye...

Your host is April Glover

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a warning, this episode details the death of a young man for which nobody has ever been convicted. 

Matthew Leveson was 20 years old when he was last seen. He was leaving a nightclub in Sydney's Darlinghurst, and 10 years later, his body was discovered in the Royal National Park, a few hours south of Sydney. So what happened? Who killed him? And why has nobody ever been convicted?

Matt's parents Mark and Faye spent years advocating for Matt's death and searching for him. Today on Investigates, we are joined by Matt's father Mark, and next week, we will speak to his mum, Faye..

Your host is April Glover

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Nancy Beaumont let her three young children catch a bus to the beach early one Australia Day, she had no idea she would never see them again. 

Adelaide in 1966, it was a more innocent time, where kids played in the streets until the sun went down. Where parents trusted the kindness of strangers. When it was perfectly acceptable to let your children come and go as they please.

But after Australia Day that year, all that changed. Because 53 years ago, Jane, Arna and Grant Beaumont went missing, and they have never been seen since. 

So how do three children go missing without a trace? Stephen Downie is joined by journalist John Burfit to discuss...

Your host is Stephen Downie

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we explore what is considered Australia's largest UFO sighting.

It was 10.20am on April 6 in 1966 and just a regular day for students and teachers from Westall High School in Victoria. 12-year-old Joy Clarke was in Science Class and waiting for the bell to ring, when a student burst into the classroom, urging everyone to come outside.

The reason? Flying objects in the sky. At first, no one believed the school girl but as Joy rushed down to the oval with her classmates, well, she saw something she's never been able to forget.

The Westall UFO encounter has gone on to become a tale that is told to generations of people. But what was it actually like on the day?

Today, Joy is 65, and she's still recalls what it was like seeing those unexplained objects in the sky all those years ago.

Your host is Smita Mistry

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was November, 1982.

And 20-year-old Tony Jones was about to head off on the adventure of a lifetime.

The Perth born bloke was about to backpack across the outback of North Queensland.He'd trek from Brisbane to Townsville, out to Mount Isa, where he'd planned on meeting his brother.

But Tony Jones never made it. As his brother Mark tells us in this episode, he's never been seen since.

So how does a person just vanish into thin air? On this episode of Investigates April Glover speaks to Mark Jones, Tony's brother, about the disappearance, and why his family established Australian Missing Persons week.

Your host is April Glover

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a house that sits on the outskirts of a small town called Junee in the Riverina area of New South Wales. Some might call it a mansion. Others would say it's a manor house. But to most people, it's simply known as Monte Cristo, the most haunted house in Australia.

When Reg and Olive Ryan bought the property off the original owners - the Crawley family in 1963 - they had no idea that they'd be changing the course of their lives forever. Originally, they'd intended to restore the dilapidated house that had been built in 1876 and raise their three kids there. Instead they ended up spending the rest of their lives dealing with experiences that couldn't be explained.

On this episode of Investigates journalist Stephen Downie speaks to Lawrence Ryan about all the experiences in his childhood home. There's so many horrible things that have happened in this house, which is why we wanted to hear first hand what it was like growing up there and whether or not the spirits are still present today. 

Your host is Stephen Downie

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Find out more about the Monte Cristo homestead here: https://www.montecristo.com.au

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.