There's a serial killer on the loose in Byron Bay... allegedly. People are starting to connect the dots between multiple cases of women going missing or being murdered in the Byron and New South Wales coastal areas, including women with their own first-hand encounters. So how likely is it all these cases and run ins are linked? And what's the underlying lesson we can all take away from these experiences?  THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Check out The Quicky Instagram here Listen to...

In 2001, Marcellus Williams was sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of reporter Felecia Gayle. After over two decades on Missouri’s death row, he was executed by lethal injection on September 24, 2024. As time passed, doubts about his guilt grew. Marcellus’s defence team, the victim’s family, and even some jurors questioned his conviction. Despite this, the governor denied clemency, and the Supreme Court did not intervene. One of the few people to interview Marcellus during his time on...

James Foley’s death was unimaginable. He was a journalist held hostage by ISIS for two years in Syria and killed in 2014 as a threat to America. Footage of him wearing an orange jumpsuit, and forcibly reading a message before being beheaded was posted to Twitter. The media coverage of the event had the second most recognition in recent American history after 9/11. That was 10 years ago now. His mother Diane Foley’s determination to understand her son’s fate led her to meeting with one of the...

In 1984, the body of six-year-old Kylie Maybury was found in a gutter in the early hours of the morning following Melbourne Cup Day. So why did it take 32 years after her death for police to finally find her killer — a man with previous convictions for sexual assault and violence, who lived just around the corner? Former Herald Sun journalist and true crime author Keith Moor has covered the case since the day Kylie's body was found. He has interviewed her grieving mother many times and...

It’s August 1989, and a 911 call comes through from a Beverly Hills mansion on Elm Drive just before midnight. The call is from a hysterical Lyle Menendez, and you can hear his brother Erik crying in the background. The brother's parents, Jose and Kitty, are dead, shot a combined 16 times at close range while in their TV room. The crime scene is horrific. At first, police suspect a Mafia or mob hit. But seven months later, it’s the brothers who are arrested for murder in a case that...

True crime documentaries have always been a cornerstone of the pop culture world and with recent releases such as The Menendez Brothers documentary dropping on Netflix our appetite for these stories is at an all-time high.So, we’ve brought in an expert whose job is hooked on watching every true crime documentary ever released and we’ve rounded up the best offerings out there, with true stories that will literally make your jaw drop.And we haven’t forgotten about Weekend Watch! Today we have a...

It's October 2013, and two police officers in Dublin spot a distressed young girl outside the General Post Office. She’s crying and unable to speak, using her fingers to show she’s 14 years old. They take her to a nearby children’s hospital while trying to figure out who she is. Local media starts speculating about possible sex trafficking as interest in her case grows. As a month goes by, police decide to release her photo to the public and are quickly flooded with calls from Australia. It...

At around 5pm on a hot August afternoon in 2015, a 911 call comes in about a fire at a service station in Columbus, Ohio. A man has poured two jerry cans of fuel over his partner, 31-year-old Judy Malinowski, and is watching as flames engulf her. Judy is rushed to the hospital with 90 per cent of her body burned. Doctors warn her family that her chances of survival are slim, but against all odds, Judy survives. She endures severe ongoing pain and dozens of surgeries in the years that follow,...

In the early hours of May 1, 2010, Shannan Gilbert called 911 from a Long Island house after working as an escort with a client she met on Craigslist. After seeking help from neighbours, she disappeared from the street before the police arrived.Months later, extensive searches turned up no trace of the 23-year-old, but authorities discovered the bodies of four other young women, later known as “The Gilgo Four,” all escorts who found clients online.Rex Heurmann has been charged with their...

On an ordinary Melbourne afternoon in 1997, suburban mum of three Jane Thurgood-Dove pulled into her driveway with her kids in the back seat. As Jane got out of her car, a stolen Commodore pulled in behind her. A man with a gun chased her around the car and then shot Jane as her kids looked on in horror. For years, police were convinced she was killed by a man with an obsession, but they were wrong. This murder of a young Melbourne mother is believed to be a devastating case of mistaken...

When Rachel Barber failed to return home from dance practice one evening in 1999, her family reported her missing and launched a desperate search. They plastered Melbourne with over 2,000 posters, hoping for any news of her whereabouts. After days of searching, their hopes shattered on day 12 when they learned Rachel had been murdered. Her killer was a 19-year-old former babysitter and family friend who had been consumed by jealousy and obsession with Rachel, stalking her for years. ...

From solving cold-cases to putting multiple serial-killers behind bars, Matt Murphy is one of America’s top homicide prosecutors. Many of his cases are known as some of America’s biggest crimes that have made headlines worldwide, including the Dirty John case that became a global media phenomenon. In this episode, we dive deep into the cold-case of Cathy Torrez that Matt successfully prosecuted, as well as what makes a serial killer different from a “one-off” murderer, and the dangers of...

From domestic violence to murder, sexual assaults, and abuse against children, former Australian detective, Luke Taylor, has sadly seen it all. But after struggling with his mental health from the job, one murder was the final catalyst for Luke's retirement: an attack on an unsuspecting nurse, killed by her very own family. Luke Taylor has since founded Crime Story Australia, hosting workshops where school students recreate crime scenes to learn how to problem solve and analyse crimes. THE...

Brent is a former police officer who has done extensive work investigating sex crimes, which led him to become one of Australia’s top experts on the methods and psychology of rapists.  For the last 30 years, he has dedicated his career to sex crime education, teaching over one million people about sex crimes and how to protect yourself from a dangerous situation.  When he's not teaching students, Brent hosts his own podcast, Crime Insiders. He's also the author of ‘How Dangerous Men Think:...

Ever since the mysterious death of Boston Policeman John O’Keefe, during a snowy night in 2022, the small town where he died has been divided. There are two very distinct camps. Was John killed by those at a house party, inside a house full of police and law enforcement, who then proceeded to cover up his murder? Or did his girlfriend Karen Read kill him with her car, before he even made it through the front door? The case has since snowballed into an international debate fueled by both The...

The bodies of Danny, Jayne, Mark and Ruth were found two days after their final shift at Burger Chef in late 1978, 20 miles away in a rural field.  They’d been shot, stabbed and bashed - each of their murders telling its own devastating tale of the teenagers' last terrifying moments alive.  Their deaths shocked their small tight-knit community and now, 40 years later, two Australian filmmakers are searching for answers.  THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia Find out more about Mamamia's...

In 1984, Margaret Tapp and her nine-year-old daughter Seana were found dead in their beds, still in their nightgowns. The killer surely strangled Margaret first. It's inconceivable she would not have fought to save her little girl. 9-year-old Seana died the same way, except she was raped first.  Journalist and author of Life & Crimes, Andrew Rule covered the story when it first broke in the 1980s and now years later, he's adamant that reporters and police sometimes get it wrong -...

In 1994, the body of 26-year-old Anthea Bradshaw was found on the floor of the apartment her husband Jeff Hall was living in just three months after their wedding day.  So why did it take four years after her death for Anthea's family to find out that her husband was not only an official suspect - but the only suspect - in her murder? Nine Senior Reporter Ben Avery is on a mission to uncover what really happened to the Adelaide teacher, in a new podcast called The Anthea Bradshaw mystery. ...

Thomas Crooks managed to send eight bullets flying in 26 seconds, before he was shot dead by secret service agents. He missed his target Donald Trump, but managed to draw blood - grazing the former president’s right ear with a bullet. Now, as more details emerge, Host of ABC podcast If You're Listening? Matt Bevan joins us to delve into the details of the crime, the shooter, and the aftermath that we might have missed.  THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia For more on Trump, the...

On December 12, 2022, Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were killed in the line of duty. A neighbour, Alan Dare, also died that day. As did the three people who were firing at them. But there are still many unanswered questions from that night, which will be examined when an inquest gets underway at the end of this month. 9News presenter and host of podcast The Ultimate Sacrifice, Melissa Downes, joins us to discuss the deadliest shooting in Queensland Police history. THE END...

The Wonnangatta Valley is the perfect place for anyone hiding a secret, or anyone who doesn’t want to be found. The perfect place to have an affair. But also, the perfect place to get away with murder.  Over the years, several people have gone missing there, never to be found again, and that very nearly happened to 74-year-old Russell Hill and 73-year-old Carol Clay.  But thanks to some careful police work, detectives were able to track down a man named Greg Lynn. And with his trial just...

In March 2021, Sarah Everard’s body was found in a stream in Kent, wrapped in a bag. The 33-year-old had been raped and murdered after being abducted off the street in London’s south.  But Sarah wasn’t dragged away kicking and screaming. She went willingly with her captor because - as a serving police officer - he pretended to arrested her.  We speak to LBC journalist Henry Riley to revisit this crime, the impact it had on us and the changes that have been made since. THE END BITS ...

When Ida Stutzman perished in a barn fire on a warm summer night in 1977, her husband Eli’s side of the story didn’t add up from the start. But the Stutzmans were part of the Amish community. The very nature of their insular world meant the suspicious nature of Ida’s death went unspoken for many years. They rarely talk to outsiders, which is why author Greg Olsen had his work cut out for him when penning his latest book The Amish Wife.  But slowly, with the help of his researcher Robin...

The disappearance of Bronwyn Winfield was barely covered by the media in 1993.  It took 11 days for her husband Jon Winfield to report her as missing after that Sunday night. Very little was done in the way of a police investigation in those early days, in fact it would be years until her case was actually taken seriously. A coronial inquest nearly a decade later determined that Bronwyn had likely been murdered. It went as far as recommending Jon be prosecuted - but that never happened.  ...