Prayed Upon

A young woman murdered in an Australian country town. People too afraid to speak for decades are finally breaking their silence.  What happened in 23-year-old Rachelle Childs' final nine hours?  

Now, 24 years since Rachelle was murdered, an unstoppable cold case team has assembled to drive this live investigation.

Tips from the public are pouring in - could you hold the missing piece that cracks the case?

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

Listen to this preview episode and search for Dear Rachelle in your podcast app and hit "follow" to have new episodes delivered to your feed. Eligible News Corp Australia subscribers receive new episodes early at dearrachelle.com.au and enjoy access to videos, articles, interactive evidence and more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A killer is on the loose in an Australian country town.

Excited for the June long weekend, bubbly 23-year-old Rachelle Childs leaves work, calls her sister, and is dead within hours. Her burning, partially naked body is found nine hours later in bushland on a lonely coastal road. Her killer has never been caught.

Now innocent people, once too afraid to speak, are breaking their silence.

If you’re looking for your next true crime podcast obsession, search out Dear Rachelle.

An unstoppable cold case team is reinvestigating and uncovering damning new evidence. Could this finally be the break the family needs?

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

The first episode of Dear Rachelle is now available on all podcast platforms. If you’re looking for your next true crime podcast binge and you want to be first to hear what’s next, visit dearrachelle.com.au - your News Corp Australia subscription grants you access to podcast episodes three weeks before everyone else, as well as exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind-the-scenes content, and more.

Dear Rachelle is a podcast from True Crime Australia.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living in fear of a beating, Joe grew up in the cult known as The Children of God. He and his siblings were heavily disciplined, sexually abused and forced to busk on the streets for money to buy food. Joe is still healing from his childhood, but his ability to find beauty in the everyday has provided a path to recovery

To read more about this podcast and see the documentary visit prayedupon.com.au 

You can binge all six episodes of Prayed Upon ad-free today and get access to bonus content by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They were robbed of their innocence inside one of the world's worst cults. Alisha and Amy grew up in the Children of God, where they lived in communes in Australia and overseas. They were beaten, abused and denied access to the outside world. Years later, they are still traumatised by what happened and now want the perpetrators brought to justice 

To read more about this podcast and see the documentary visit prayedupon.com.au 

You can binge all six episodes of Prayed Upon ad-free today and get access to bonus content by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Klein’s baby would have died if he had listened to leaders of a cult  he joined, who suggested he could pray rather than seek medical help. Matthew knew he had to get out, but his wife wanted to stay. It tore his family apart

To read more about this podcast and see the documentary visit prayedupon.com.au 

You can binge all six episodes of Prayed Upon ad-free today and get access to bonus content by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've spent your life in extreme religious groups, life outside is bewildering. When Claire Ashman escaped the cult The Order of St Charbel with her eight children she had no idea about popular movies or TV, how to use an ATM or open a bank account. But she was free for the first time in her life.

To read more about this podcast and see the documentary visit prayedupon.com.au 

You can binge all six episodes of Prayed Upon ad-free today and get access to bonus content by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you do if your friend or family member joins a cult? You call Raphael Aron. He has been rescuing people from these extreme, controlling groups for more than 40 years. Since Covid, he's busier than ever and warns the modern cult leader is not what you would expect

To read more about this podcast and see the documentary visit prayedupon.com.au 

You can binge all six episodes of Prayed Upon ad-free today and get access to bonus content by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do people start cults? Why do people join them? And most importantly - how do they escape? Investigative journalists Kate Kyriacou and Greg Stolz lift the lid on a secretive Australian cult that dictates the lives of its members with bizarre and strict rules and they reveal harrowing stories of those who have escaped. 

To read more about this podcast and see the documentary visit prayedupon.com.au 

You can binge all six episodes of Prayed Upon ad-free today and get access to bonus content by subscribing to Crime X+ on Apple Podcasts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Religious extremism and cults are on the rise. For the last few months, three journalists have been hearing the harrowing stories of cult survivors, and have uncovered a secret and controlling cult currently operating across Australia with communes in NSW and QLD. In this six-part podcast, they reveal how cults are preying on vulnerable people, across the country. Why do people start cults? Why do people join them? And most importantly - how do they escape?

Prayed Upon is available early and ad-free on Crime X+ and the News Corp Masthead Apps today. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.