A kidnapping happens in broad daylight in front of thousands of witnesses, but no one knows it’s a kidnapping. That’s what happened when a man abducted family friends, 11-year-old Joane Ratcliffe and 4-year-old Kirste Gordon from an Australian Rules football match on August 25, 1973. 

The stands were packed at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide Australia, with over 10,000 fans in attendance. Many of those there saw a middle-aged man in a wide-brimmed hat take the two girls, but said nothing, assuming that he was their father. 

Over 50 years have passed, and after decades of investigation and thousands of leads, recent breakthroughs have led to two extremely strong and chillingly similar suspects. Is one of Australia’s most infamous unsolved crimes close to a resolution?  

If you have any information which may assist both families and police to locate Kirste and Joanne, please make contact with Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Play Texas Advocacy Project's The Big Game!

Subscribe to Day by Day: True Crime Stories

Buy the ebook! - And Then They Were Gone: True Stories of Those Who Went Missing and Never Came Home

Submit a case

Find us everywhere

Get episodes early and ad-free on Patreon

Merch store

For a full list of our sources, please visit our blog

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Acorns Early: https://acornsearly.com/ATTWG
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com
* Check out Earth Breeze: https://earthbreeze.com/attwg
* Check out Everyday Dose and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://everydaydose.com
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com
* Check out Kensington Publishing: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com
* Check out Mind of a Monster: The Killer Nurse: https://podcasts.apple.com
* Check out Mood and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://mood.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code ATTWG for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy