Motive & Method

What happens behind the scenes when someone disappears?

In this episode, Tim and Xanthe sit down with AFP Commander Joanne Cameron to discuss how Australia tackles some 49,000 missing persons reports every year. 

The conversation dives deep into high-risk demographics, the impact of ambiguous loss on families and why going missing is often the "canary in the coal mine" for deeper vulnerabilities.

This year marks 20 years of the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre and  Commander Cameron details how modern tools like forensic facial age progression are breathing new life into long-term cold cases. Plus, wh...

It’s been 46 years since 16-year-old Elaine Johnson vanished alongside her friend Kerry-Ann Joel.

But Elaine’s little sister, Helen Cooper, refuses to let her become a forgotten statistic.

Her relentless search for answers has taken her to local brothels, into confrontations with bikies and chasing down a mysterious 42-page letter claiming to contain a deathbed confession.

In this episode, Helen sits down with Tim and Xanthe after giving evidence at the final 2026 hearing of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved murders and long-term missing persons. She told the committee of decades of baff...

In our first ever Q & A episode Tim and Xanthe are answering your questions about the inside world of true crime, forensics and criminal psychology.

From the top personality traits of psychopaths, to why most serial killers are men, to the psychology behind mothers who murder. In this very special episode learn more about your favourite true crime hosts and the cases that have stuck with them.

GOT A QUESTION FOR US? Drop your questions in the comments below or message us on Instagram for a chance to have them answered on our next Q&A...

They were on opposite sides of the law -  one robbing banks, the other hunting him. 

In this extraordinary interview, bank robber Steven Meyers and former FBI agent Shawn Johnson sit down with Tim & Xanthe to share their side of the case and the chase.

In 1990s Seattle, Meyers was part of a crew that pulled off 19 bank heists alongside the elusive mastermind known as “Hollywood”. Johnson spent four years tracking them, analysing their every move and eventually setting a trap that would bring the crime spree to a violent end. 

This episode, the two...

Was an innocent man sent to the gallows in Australia’s most infamous - and final - execution?
On February 3, 1967, Ronald Ryan was hanged for the murder of a prison guard during a chaotic escape from Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison - an execution that shocked the nation and would ultimately help bring an end to capital punishment across Australia.

Just over a year earlier, Ryan had escaped Pentridge, triggering a 19-day manhunt. After his capture, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, despite conflicting evidence surrounding the fatal shooting.

When the countdown to t...

Her death was ruled a suicide. But was crucial evidence missed that could point to foul play?
When Nadine Haag was found dead in her Sydney apartment in 2009, police immediately treated her death as suicide. But her family refused to accept it and began their own investigation, uncovering evidence they say police had missed, including the words “He did it”.
Four years later, a Coroner overturned the police ruling - handing down an open finding.
Now, Nadine’s sister Tasia Haag is using her experience to support other families and push for change. She joins us after...

Australia is seeing a disturbing trend of teenagers engaging in extremely dangerous, and potentially fatal, sexual acts.
After a 16-year-old girl reportedly died during a suspected sexual strangulation act, experts are warning how mainstream these practices have become.
Research shows more than 50% of young Australians under 35 have engaged in the dangerous sexual practice of strangulation.
In this episode Tim and Xanthe investigate how social media and pornography are shaping views of risky sex among teens, and ask who is ultimately responsible for addressing misogyny, consent and youth safety.

Follow us on YouTube Crime Central A...

After 25 years, could forensic experts uncover new leads from the final clue in this case?
In December 2001, Janine Vaughan was seen on CCTV getting into a red car outside a Bathurst nightclub - then she vanished. 
In this episode, her brother Adam and sister Kylie reveal how missed witnesses, unexamined evidence and the destruction of a blood-and-hair-covered knife may have cost investigators crucial answers. After speaking at the Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved cases in NSW, they sat down with Tim & Xanthe to share what it’s been like to investigate their own sister’s disappearance for almost 25 years...

Did Ivan Milat really act alone? And could lost documents link him to unsolved murders?
The Crown prosecutor who put Ivan Milat behind bars believes the notorious serial killer may have had help with some of the murders.
This episode, Tim and Xanthe take you inside the latest NSW parliamentary hearing into unsolved murders and missing persons where crucial questions were asked, and answered. The hearing revisited two unsolved cases - Peter Letcher and Dianne Pennacchio -  with questions raised over whether a missing brief of evidence could contain a link to Milat.
And the head o...

She killed her three children. But was she in control of what she was doing?
The Lindsay Clancy case has gripped the world - a mother accused of killing her three young children, and a trial that ended in a dramatic hung jury after weeks of conflicting evidence about postpartum psychosis, medication and criminal responsibility.
In this episode, emergency physician and trauma expert Dr Josh McConkey takes us inside the medical evidence, examining what we know about Clancy’s mental state, the medications she was prescribed, the injuries to the children and the question of whether psychosis ca...

Two unidentified bodies were found years apart and thousands of kilometres away from eachother- Then came the chilling discovery that they were a mother and her young daughter.
When the remains of a young woman were discovered in the notorious Belanglo State Forest, no one knew who she was. Her identity remained a mystery for five years, until the horrific discovery of a toddler's body on the side of a highway, and the heartbreaking truth they were mother and daughter. 
This episode, Xanthe takes us through why Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and her daughter Khandalyce were never reported missing...

Leslie Ball didn't just disappear, someone went to extraordinary lengths to erase him.
But a trail of forged signatures, fraud and burnt evidence couldn't keep this 33-year-old cold case buried forever.
In this episode Xanthe and Tim are joined by News.com.au investigative reporter Jo Townsend to untangle the mysterious 1993 disappearance of 71-year-old Leslie Ball. Townsend details her deep dive into her podcast Witness: Perfect Alibi, exposing how an ex-cop's web of fake documents and fabricated timelines obscured the reality of Ball's murder.
Together, they explore the dark financial motives, the devastating emotional impact on B...

For years, Christopher Flannery AKA 'Mr Rent-a-Kill' was the man Australian mobsters hired to make people disappear - until he became a target and vanished into thin air himself.
In 1985, after becoming a volatile liability who simply knew too much about corrupt police and syndicate bosses, the feared assassin vanished without a trace. 
In this episode, Tim and Xanthe sit down with former detective and author Duncan McNab to unravel Flannery's violent trajectory from a troubled youth in Melbourne to the high-stakes underworld of Sydney. Together, they examine the infamous hit on police officer Mick Drury, his s...

From unvetted science to coerced confessions, catastrophic failures in Australia's justice system have stolen decades from innocent people for crimes they didn't commit.
In this episode Xanthe and Tim sit down with Walkley Award-winning investigative journalist Neil Mercer to discuss his new book, Falsely Convicted. Mercer details how the Australian criminal justice system has catastrophically failed innocent people through police misconduct, prosecutorial oversights and unvetted expert testimony.
Their conversation highlights heartbreaking real-world cases, including a former teacher jailed on biologically impossible abuse claims and a man who served 20 years for murder based on the testimony of an u...

The Port Arthur massacre remains the deadliest mass shooting in Australian history - a tragedy that shattered lives and transformed the country’s gun laws.
On a quiet Sunday afternoon in April 1996, 35 people were killed and dozens more wounded when a gunman opened fire at the tourist site and continued on an hours-long deadly rampage. In this episode, Tim and Xanthe discuss how the events of that tragic day played out and the lasting legacy and impact of the massacre. 
They also delve into the life of the shooter, exploring his troubled upbringing, his bizarre relationship with a w...

On a remote highway Peter Falconio vanished forever - His murder became every outback travellers worst nightmare.
25 years after one of Australia’s most infamous murders, the case is back in the spotlight with the release of never-before-seen police footage and investigation photos. In this episode, Xanthe and Tim retrace the events of that terrifying night and discuss the forensic evidence that secured Bradley John Murdoch’s conviction without a body. Plus, the psychology behind Joanne Lees’ remarkable survival and discuss the enduring mystery of what happened to Peter Falconio’s remains.
Over the decades there has been wid...

At the second hearing of the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved missing and murdered cases, Tim and Xanthe examine three more cases that expose troubling similarities in the experiences of families searching for answers.
They discuss the unsolved murder of 16-year-old Lee Ellen Stace, the disappearance of Kylee-Ann Schaffer and the long-running mystery of Bronwyn Winfield, whose case has become one of Australia’s most high-profile missing persons investigations. Through the powerful evidence given by family members in Grafton, they explore recurring concerns about delayed investigations, poor police communication and a lack of resources.
Although the cases ar...

A teenager climbed into his red Datsun and drove off into the rain on Boxing Day 1985. He was never seen again.
Nearly 40 years later, what happened to 18-year-old Andrew Inglis remains a mystery. In this episode, Tim and Xanthe are joined by Andrew’s then-girlfriend, Joanne Greensill, who shares the heartbreak of losing her first love. Although she doesn't believe he met with foul play, his disappearance has haunted her for decades and she believes critical opportunities to find answers were missed. 
After giving evidence to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons, Joanne is h...

A 17-year-old disappeared in Thailand after meeting an Australian man. Less than a day later her body was found inside a suitcase abandoned near railway tracks. 
In this episode Tim and Xanthe examine the evidence authorities allege they have against Australian man Simon Peter Carman, and how they say they tracked him through an extensive network of CCTV.
Carman denies intentionally killing the teenager - Thanchanok Donhomla - claiming he acted in self-defence, and could face the death penalty if convicted under Thai law.

You can read the Sydney Morning Herald article about Thanchanok Donhomla a...

Could an anonymous truck driver hold the key to solving this 50-year-old cold case?
In this episode Tim & Xanthe sit down with Karen Cox, the sister of Narelle Cox, who vanished in 1977 while hitchhiking from Grafton to Noosa. She was just 21 years old and left a note saying she was visiting a friend for the weekend, but she never arrived and she never came home.
Karen shares the devastating impact of Narelle’s disappearance, the police decisions they believe cost valuable time and the lost leads that have haunted them for nearly 50 years. Plus, why possible links to...

No badge, no warrant and no official powers - yet she uncovered vital evidence in the search for missing schoolteacher Marion Barter.
In this episode, we speak with citizen sleuth and social worker Joni Condos, whose relentless research from her own living room uncovered crucial evidence in the mysterious disappearance of Marion Barter. Joni reveals how she traced hidden identities, unearthed forgotten records and pieced together key movements that helped reshape the coronial inquest into one of Australia’s most baffling missing persons cases.
She also shares why she believes collaboration between police and skilled civilian researchers cou...

She secretly changed her name. Hundreds of thousands of dollars disappeared from her bank account. A convicted conman was questioned for days at a coronial inquest, yet nearly three decades later, no one knows what happened to Marion Barter.
In this episode, Tim & Xanthe are joined by Marion’s daughter Sally Leydon. She reveals the extraordinary twists in her mother’s disappearance, the police failures that left the case largely uninvestigated for years and the new leads that continue to emerge. 
Sally also reflects on her appearance before the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into unsolved cases, where she’s fight...

How a notorious criminal became a pop culture legend.
Tim & Xanthe unpack the violent life and complicated mythology of Mark Brandon ‘Chopper’ Read -  the underworld figure immortalised in film, television, and true crime folklore. From prison violence and gangland crime to media fame and the cult success of 'Chopper', we examine how a brutal criminal transformed himself into an Australian icon. But beneath the stories, one-liners and legend lies a darker question: why are societies so fascinated by violent men like Chopper Read?

Watch the full video episode on Youtube at Crime Central Australia HERE.

...

In 2007, four people vanished from a remote town in Western Australia - leaving behind an abandoned home, a cryptic note and a trail of unanswered questions.
At the centre of the mystery was a self-styled spiritual leader, who had built an online doomsday cult. Over the past 20 years, as desperate family, police and coroners examined theories ranging from suicide pacts to staged disappearances, the truth behind the so-called “Nannup Four” only became more disturbing.
In this episode, ABC journalist Dominique Bayens - behind the investigative podcast ‘Expanse: The Nannup Four’ -  joins Tim and Xanthe to examine this myst...

In this bonus episode, Tim and Xanthe sit down with MP Jeremy Buckingham, the driving force behind the parliamentary inquiry examining some of Australia’s most notorious unsolved murders and missing persons cases. 
Buckingham reveals what sparked his decade-long push for answers, the systemic failures families say have left them abandoned and why he believes these cases deserve fresh scrutiny. He also explains what changes could come from the inquiry - and why families believe this may be their best chance yet at answers and accountability.

More episodes of Australia's Killer Secrets coming soon...

See...

A three-year-old disappears. A teenager confesses. Yet more than five decades later, Cheryl Grimmer’s family is still fighting for justice.
Cheryl Grimmer vanished from a beach change room in 1970, and despite a detailed confession decades later, no one has ever been held accountable for her murder. In this powerful interview, Cheryl’s brothers, Paul Grimmer and Ricki Nash, share the devastating impact her disappearance has had on their family and their decades-long fight for justice. 
They raise troubling questions about missed investigative opportunities, a confession that was ultimately ruled inadmissible, and why they believe authorities failed to pr...

What if Ivan Milat’s first victim was killed more than two decades before the backpacker murders?
Keren Rowland was 5 months pregnant when she was brutally murdered and hidden in a pine forest in 1971. In this episode, Tim & Xanthe sit down with Keren's brother Steve Rowland and former UK detective Hugh Hughes.
They detail years of fighting for answers, alleging police ignored crucial leads, withheld information and failed to properly investigate Milat despite mounting evidence linking him to Keren’s murder.
More than 55 years on, the family is still asking the question that haunts this case: if p...

A twin brother's 47-year fight for answers, suspicious letters and a new witness who may hold the key to where Kay Docherty is buried.
In this episode, Kevin Docherty shares the heartbreaking story of his sister Kay Docherty, who vanished alongside her friend Toni Cavanagh in 1979. Nearly five decades on, Kevin recalls the night they disappeared, the suspicious letters sent to their families days later, and the long fight for answers after police initially treated the case as a runaway.
He also reveals new information from a recently emerged witness that may not only point to Ivan...

Families demand answers - police under scrutiny - and a revelation that could reshape the Milat case.
At the first hearing into dozens of Australia’s unsolved murders and missing persons cases, police revealed a previously unheard list of potential additional victims linked to Ivan Milat.

In this episode, forensic scientist and criminologist Dr Xanthe Weston and criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro take you inside the landmark parliamentary inquiry in Bowral, NSW. They unpack the heartwrenching testimony from families still searching for answers, and their sharp criticism of police.

Plus, the expert evidence they presented to...

What if the full story behind Australia's most notorious serial killer Ivan Milat has never been told?
In episode one of this special series of Motive&Method, forensic scientist Dr Xanthe Weston and criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro break down the unsolved missing & murdered cases being re-examined in a landmark parliamentary inquiry.
Tim & Xanthe have been working for years, alongside family members, on many of these cases. Now they're being called to give their expert submissions, highlighting the evidence and potential links in some of the investigations. 

In Australia's Killer Secrets, Tim & Xanthe are taking you i...

What if the full story behind Australia's most notorious serial killer Ivan Milat has never been told? And what if more recent cases point to a copycat killer - or worse?
In this special series of Motive&Method, forensic scientist Dr Xanthe Weston and criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro take you inside a landmark parliamentary inquiry examining dozens of unsolved murders and disappearances.
From new evidence to long-overlooked links, Australia’s Killer Secrets explores the mysteries that continue to haunt a nation.

Series launches Wednesday June 10. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mysterious disappearances, unsolved deaths & terrifying stories - Is a killer stalking Byron Bay? And could there be more than one?
In 2019, 18-year-old Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez vanished after a night out in Byron Bay and was never seen again. Since then, the disturbing death of Jackson Stacker and the mysterious cases of Hugo Palmer and Erwan Ferrieux, among others, have become part of a chilling theory that a serial killer may be stalking northern New South Wales.
As social media speculation collides with real police investigations, stories of alleged close calls and suspicious encounters continue to emerge...

A mother & two young boys killed allegedly at the hands of their father - This tradegy has once again left an entire country asking how this keeps happening. 
The alleged murders in Campbelltown, Sydney have been described as among the most confronting domestic violence scenes seasoned investigators have encountered. Police allege the accused may have been inspired by another shocking family killing in Perth.
In this episode, Tim & Xanthe unpack the allegations while examining the broader national crisis of domestic violence in Australia. Why do these tragedies keep happening - and what will it take for meaningful c...

Crimes for clicks, shares and online status - In this episode, Tim and Xanthe unpack the  dangerous new phenomenon “crimefluencing”. Australia’s top cop recently highlighted this “new and disturbing front in traditional gender-based violence” - with young people being drawn into online networks that encourage everything from petty offending to serious violence and exploitation. From livestreamed assaults to the coercion of vulnerable teenage girls, this episode explores how social media has gamified criminal behaviour.

WATCH OUR FULL VIDEO EPISODES ON YOUTUBE AT 'CRIME CENTRAL AUSTRALIA'. 
Follow us on Instagram @Motive&Method

See omnystudio.com/listener...

In December 2017, two young men took off on a drug-fuelled roadtrip to spend New Year's Eve in Cairns. One made it to the party - the other was never seen again. Now a shocking development could see this case finally solved.

In the final episode of this special series for Outback Murder Highway, investigative journalist Amelia Oberhardt dissects the mysterious disappearance of 22-year-old Jayden Penno-Tompsett who vanished in a tiny town off the Flinders Highway. The coroner ruled out foul play - but Jayden’s mum isn’t convinced and hired a private investigator to find new evide...

More than three decades after 12-year-old Leanne Holland was murdered in Ipswich, her case remains one of Australia’s most controversial unsolved killings. In this episode, Tim and Xanthe speak with former police officer turned private investigator Graeme Crowley, whose relentless investigation helped trigger a new coronial inquiry into the case. They unpack the disappearance and murder of Leanne, the quashed conviction of her sister’s boyfriend Graham Stafford and the unanswered questions that have haunted the case for 35 years. 

Graeme reveals the new witness sightings, alternative suspects and investigative findings he believes could finally lead to the t...

Mark Jones’ little brother Tony was hitchhiking to meet their other brother in 1982 when he made a final phone call back home & was never heard from again.

In this extended interview from the documentary series Outback Murder Highway, Mark shares his disappointment in the police investigation. He is confident someone has more information about what happened to his brother, and is hopeful they’ll come forward and give his family answers after four decades of searching. 

This interview was conducted by Jo Townsend for the television series Outback Murder Highway - On Channel 9 at 8.30pm on We...

In the early '80s a young hitchhiker vanished off the Flinders Highway - despite a mysterious tip-off in the mail, a killer’s confession, and growing rumours around one outback town, the truth remains hidden. 

In this third episode for Outback Murder Highway, Tim, Xanthe and investigative journalist Amelia Oberhardt unpack the unsolved disappearance of 20-year-old Tony Jones who was on his way to meet his brother in Mt Isa but never arrived. 

You can watch the Outback Murder Highway TV documentary series 8.30pm Wednesday on Channel 9  from April 22 to May 13.
Or watch anyti...

John Twaddle thought he knew who murdered his brother Gordon, but the person he had suspected has been ruled out by police on multiple occasions. 
Almost 50 years after Gordon was found dead off Queensland’s Flinders Highway, alongside his girlfriend Karen and mate Tim, their families are no closer to the truth. 

In this extended interview from the documentary series Outback Murder Highway, John shares what it was like to return home to New Zealand without answers, and spend decades waiting for a breakthrough.

This interview was conducted by Callum Denness for the television serie...

In October 1978 three bodies are found at Spear Creek in remote outback Queensland - each has a single rifle shot to the head. Decades later a prime suspect is ruled out but did witnesses identify another man?
In this special episode for Outback Murder Highway, Tim and Xanthe are joined again by investigative journalist Amelia Oberhardt to unpack the documentary investigation into the unsolved murders of Karen Edwards, Tim Thomson and Gordon Twaddle. 

You can watch the Outback Murder Highway TV documentary series 8.30pm Wednesday on Channel 9  from April 22 to May 13.
Or watch anytime here...