The Saints

Six months after she vanished, police finally came looking. But by then, was it already too late?
In July 2018, 46-year old Priscilla Brooten vanished in Brisbane, leaving behind an abandoned car and a trail of unanswered questions.

In Season 1 of Investigate, journalist Tara Cassidy unravels the case as it evolves from a missing persons investigation into something far more complex and sinister than anyone first imagined. 

Through interviews with family and friends, some who’ve never spoken publicly, Tara pulls apart competing theories and uncovers disturbing new details. Across six episodes, this series examines wha...

In December 2018, police knocked on the door of a Brisbane home. A missing persons report had been filed for Priscilla Deanna Brooten.

Priscilla hadn’t been seen or heard from in more than six months, so why had it taken so long for her to be declared a missing person?
In episode one, Tara Cassidy retraces the first steps of Priscilla’s disappearance, speaking to her daughter on the other side of the world who couldn’t reach her mum, and Priscilla’s  best friend who refused to stop searching for answers. As conflicting stories emerge about Pri...

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. 

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In a powerful show of unity and healing, five days on, thousands from the Bondi community gathered for a paddle-out to reclaim their beach. An image of resilience broadcast around the world, sending a clear message -  This community will not be broken - it is stronger than the darkness of that day.
One of the organisers, David Solsky, spoke with Karl and Sarah on Today.
 

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An act of extraordinary courage by a teenage girl - In a moment of instinctive, selfless bravery she ran from safety to shield two toddlers from the gunfire. The 14-year-old was shot in the leg while using her own body to protect them. For legal reasons she can't be named, but she shared her incredible story with Erin Ramsay for A Current Affair.

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Reuven Morrison died a hero. His final act of bravery has been seen around the world - chasing after one of the gunman who'd just been disarmed, hurling objects at him. His daughter, Sheina Gutnick sat down with Ally Langdon on A Current Affair.

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Schmel and Yael were at the Hanukkah event with seven of their 10 children. When the shooting began, they threw themselves over two who were within reach to protect them. But in the chaos and panic, they were separated from their other children - and describe the horrifying moments they searched for eachother while gunshots rang out.  Their story was shared by reporter Erin Ramsay on A Current Affair.

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Great grandfather Tibor Weitzen was killed in the Bondi terror attack. The 78-year-old died a hero, shielding his wife from the shooters. They were married for 56 years. His daughter Hannah shared his story with Karl and Sarah on Today.

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24-year-old Naveed Akram is now an accused terrorist - charged with 59 offences including 15 counts of murder. On December 14, a former colleague immediately recognised him as one of the gunmen in the photos. In this exclusive interview with Steve Marshall, for A Current Affair, he shared shocking new details about the alleged shooter, including some of his chilling final words before he left his job.

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Peter Meagher lost his life at Bondi on December 14.  The former police officer was working as a photographer at the Hannukah event. He was a much-loved and respected member of the Randwick Rugby community. His friends and club mates paid tribute on Today with Karl and Sarah, and with James Willis on 2GB.

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Bondi's Lifeguards shared their stories with Leila McKinnon for A Current Affair - Head Lifeguard Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins praising his team. Many of them were among the first to spring into action that night. Without hesitation, and under fire, they ran to help the injured - instinctively protecting the community they serve every day. 

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86-year-old Semyon Teplitsky was shot in the attack. His daughter Victoria says his partner used her belt as a emergency tourniquet and saved his life. While waiting for him to undergo further surgeries, Victoria shared his story with Karl and Sarah on Today. 

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A survivor of December 14, Vlad had been celebrating at the Hanukkah event with his eight-year-old son. Just metres from the gunmen on the footbridge, he threw himself over his child as the unimaginable unfolded around them. Speaking with 2GB’s Luke Grant, Vlad reflects on the miracle of their survival, and the gratitude he feels to be celebrating his son’s birthday.

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Speaking on behalf of his community, and sharing stories of the victims, Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin joined Karl and Sarah on Today. He says their fears of an attack like this have long been ignored.

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Rabbi Eli Schlanger was one of the 15 innocent people killed in the attack. The 41-year-old father of five has been remembered as an inspirational man, filled with "absolute light". 
This episode, friends and family pay tribute: Rabbi Levi Wolff speaking with Nine reporter Bailey Kenzie - his brother in law, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, on Today with Karl and Sarah - and good friend Rabbi Slavin with 2GB's Mark Levy.

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Amidst the tragedy, the kindness of strangers shone bright at Bondi, highlighted by these stories shared with 2GB's Ben Fordham the following day. Among them -  Lissy Abrahams who, with her adult daughter, joined dozens of others taking shelter at the famous Bondi lifeguard post -  and Peter, whose grandson was caught up in the chaos.

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He captured the moment a hero -  Ahmed Al Ahmed - tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen. Theodore filmed the video that has gone viral around the world. Speaking to Karl & Sarah on Today, he recalls watching those terrifying moments unfold.

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The heroics of Bondi's lifeguards on December 14 undoubtedly saved lives. Ben Davies is a former lifeguard and creator of the 'Bondi Rescue' TV show. As the shooting unfolded, he joined the local lifeguards who ran intro the line of fire to help the injured. 24 hours on from the attack, he returned to the lifeguard post to speak with Leila McKinnon on A Current Affair.

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Young volunteer lifeguard Trent Tur was on a break, having a surf, when the shots rang out. 
Speaking with Today's Karl and Sarah the following morning, he shared with Australians the bravery and courage he witnessed.

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In the midst of the chaos, Bondi local Jacob Barnfield ran toward the gunfire. Live on Today, the following morning, he recalls storming the bridge with police as they took down the shooters. 

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Nine's Amelia Ballinger was enjoying the afternoon by the beach with friends when they heard the gunfire. She returned to Bondi the following morning to speak with Karl and Sarah on Today.

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Bridget Sarks and her partner Tommy were just metres from the gunmen as they got out of their car and started shooting.  She spoke with Karl & Sarah on Today the following morning. 

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It had very quickly become clear that a ‘Hanukkah By the Sea’ event was the target of the attack.
Danny Burkovic and his family were at another Hanukkah celebration nearby. Speaking with Mark Levy and Ben Fordham on 2GB, he described the fear that spread across the city.

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Nine reporter Massilia Aili spent hours at the scene, speaking to witnesses late into Sunday evening. First she speaks with a young British tourist who was on a video call with his family back home as the gunshots rang out and he ran to safety. Then hear her interview with a witness who pulled over to help a police officer who has been shot.

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Throughout Sunday evening, unfathomable details and accounts were broadcast over the airwaves, as Sydneysiders called into Mark Levy, Ben Fordham and James Willis on 2GB.
Among the callers - A woman at the park with her son when she saw the shooters… A man who helped shelter terrified people who’d run to a nearby restaurant for safety… A Bondi local of 50 years whose wife and daughter were there…
2GBs Jason Morrison Caught up with a man outside hospital… waiting for a friend who was wounded, as they both fled for their lives.

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Nine's Damian Ryan was at the beach in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. He shares the stories of witnesses he's spoken to with reporter Massilia Aili, and he describes the chaos as emergency services decended on Bondi. An injured witness, with blood-soaked bandage around his head, describes the scene as "an absolute massacre". Speaking to Nine's Damian Ryan he says he survived the October 7 massacre and never thought he'd see this here in Australia, after arriving just two weeks ago.

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Nine News reporter Zac Bailey was one of the first reporters on scene - Throughout live TV coverage, he speaks with many Bondi locals who describe the panic and fear as the shooting began.

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Just after 6.40pm on Sunday December 14, 2025, as gunshots rang out across Bondi, 2GBs Adam Buncher and Dr Ross Walker brought listeners the breaking news of an active shooting..

Speaking with 2GBs Mark Levy, Will Bottom and Ben Fordham, these are the early reports of the attack as it unfolded.

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On December 14, 2025, Bondi Beach became the site of the deadliest terror attack on Australian soil - 15 innocent people killed when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration.

Built from eyewitness testimony and deeply personal stories gathered in the immediate aftermath, this series documents how a peaceful Sunday evening gathering became one of the darkest days in Australia’s  history.

Through interviews recorded by reporters across the 2GB and Nine News teams, hear raw, unfiltered accounts from the scene; sharing their stories of fear and confusion, but also of remarkable acts of courage, bravery and hum...

The cult is now locked behind bars, but is anyone else to blame for Elizabeth’s death? In this episode, host Pippa Bradshaw is joined by legal experts to examine allegations of multiple failures by the Child Safety Department and the many lingering questions in this case. Why were warnings from medical experts ignored? Why was Elizabeth's case closed? And why was Elizabeth left in the care of two parents convicted over allowing her to almost die the first time, especially after her mother confessed that she would continue to withhold vital medication.

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Estranged loved ones of ‘The Saints’ share surreal and heartbreaking accounts of losing family to a cult. This episode reveals that The Saints isn't an outlier, but a textbook example of how cults take hold. Pippa Bradshaw is joined by forensic anthropologist and criminologist Dr. Xanthé Mallett to unpack the formation, impact and far-reaching consequences of fringe religious sects quietly embedding themselves in communities nationwide.

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The 14 cult members reject legal representation and let their police interviews do the talking in the Supreme Court of Australia. Court reporter Anna Rawlings takes us inside the unprecedented mass trial, where The Saints are confronted with testimony from medical experts, police officers and family members. After a nine-week trial, the Judge delivers a shocking verdict that will set legal precedent in Australia.

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Just weeks after her mother’s release from prison, and with her father now in the grip of the cult, Elizabeth is left vulnerable. Deprived of her insulin, she suffers a slow and painful death. After her parents are arrested, Pippa Bradshaw tracks down the cult in Toowoomba to find answers. Months later, 12 other adults are also charged and we hear them attempt to justify their actions, through hours-long police interviews, steadfast in their belief that God will miraculously bring Elizabeth back to life.

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Serious red flags loomed long before Elizabeth Struhs' tragic death. In 2019, she was rushed to the hospital on the brink of death. Court documents, police interrogations and expert medical testimony expose the events leading to Elizabeth’s diagnosis. Her case was so extreme, having been neglected to the point of critical illness, that her mother was jailed.

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Who are the 14 cult members arrested over Elizabeth Struhs’ death? How did ordinary people, from teachers to police officers, become entangled in religious cult who called themselves The Saints? Estranged family members and friends break their silence for the first time. This episode breaks down the origins of this group, its members, and the shocking truth behind their decent into religious extremism.

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In January 2022, two parents were arrested on the front lawn of their Toowoomba home and charged over the death of their eight-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Struhs. In the months that followed a disturbing story unraveled of a religious cult with extreme beliefs, rejecting medical assistance and placing their complete trust in divine healing.

In a rare and deeply personal interview, Elizabeth’s sister opens up about how their mother’s unwavering devotion to the cult leader shaped their childhood. She shares chilling details of life inside the cult, the suffocating control, and blind faith. 

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A little girl dead. A cult on trial. A tragedy that should have never happened.

The Saints unravels the harrowing story of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, whose parents and their secretive religious group denied her life-saving medical care - choosing prayer over treatment, with fatal consequences. Award-winning journalist Pippa Bradshaw takes you inside one of Australia’s most confronting cases of religious extremism, exposing how blind faith turned deadly. With exclusive interviews, chilling police interrogations, and expert analysis, this gripping series lays bare the sinister side of excessive devotion. How did no one stop it? And could it ha...