On Easter 2015, in Leeton, NSW, around five hours from Sydney, a chill hung in the air of the usually bustling country town.

Leeton was a quiet, unassuming place. Nothing bad ever seemed to happen there. People kept their doors unlocked and every one know each other at the local grocery store. The worst crime would be a scuffle outside of the pub on Friday night. But five years ago, evil came to Leeton. 

On Easter Sunday, 2015, 26-year-old schoolteacher Stephanie Scott said goodbye to her fiancé Aaron Leeson-Wooley, and headed into Leeton High School for a few hours.

Stephanie was a drama and English teacher at the local high school. And in a few days time, she was getting married to the love of her life. Friends and family would tell you just how excited Steph was to become Mrs Leeson-Wooley. She’d been planning her wedding for months – and it was nearly here.

That Easter, Stephanie had decided to dedicate a few hours to preparing work for her students while she was away on her honeymoon. See, Steph had a heart of gold. She was adored by anyone and everyone who met her. Spending a Sunday devoted to making sure her pupils wouldn’t miss a beat while she was away was typical Steph. 

But that day at Leeton High, Steph would come face-to-face with a monster. The excited bride-to-be was brutally murdered just days before she was due to say I do. The story of her death is utterly heartbreaking and touched so many people who had never even met her, including Leeton journalist Monique Patterson.

Monique – who once edited the local paper The Irrigator – wrote a book on Stephanie’s murder and the effect it had on the town of Leeton. She joins us on today’s episode.

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Melbourne woman Lily Parmenter was only 19 when her mum Kathleen O’Shea – known to her family and friends as Katie - disappeared from the Queensland town of Atherton in December 2005. Katie was a quirky, happy and beloved single mum of five from Melbourne. On December 17, Katie and her 11-year-old daughter Brigid O’Shea flew to Cairns to visit her son, Alan and his partner Bryer. Alan and Bryer lived two hours from Cairns in the town of Ravenshoe, and they were expecting their first child. Lily says, she was so incredibly excited to meet her very first grandchild. But Katie never made it to the birth of her granddaughter.

After a few weeks of staying at Alan and Bryer’s property, on December 29, Katie decided to go for a walk into town. Her son Alan then picked her up and dropped her at a pub in Atherton. She told him she was going to the pub to play pool. This was the last time anyone saw Katie alive. The New Year came and went, and on January 9, 2006, Bryer gave birth to a baby girl. Katie wasn’t there. It’s been 15 long years and Katie still hasn’t been seen by a single soul. In this episode, we speak to Lily about where she thinks her mother is – and why it’s taken so long to find any answers about her missing mother...

Your host is April Glover

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

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When you think of Luna Park you probably think of fun, rides and fairy floss. But on the 9th of June 1979, as many Sydney-siders and tourists flocked to the amusement park - they had no idea some of them would be leaving without their lives. Because in 1979, Sydney’s Ghost train ride caught on fire and it killed six children and one adult. On this episode of Investigates Stephen sits down with journalist John Burfitt to find out how the fire really started…

If you or someone you know needs support, help is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Your host is Stephen Downie

The Executive Producer is Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Investigates here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/investigates/id1344649849

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.