Advertise on podcast: True Crime Conversations

In January 1993, 20-year-old Tracey Valesini appeared at the Campbelltown Courthouse in Sydney for a legal matter. She was last seen sitting inside the courtroom that day. After that moment, Tracey was never heard from again. More than 30 years later, there is still no definitive answer about what happened to the young mother or where her remains may be. But the case has never truly gone cold. Journalist Ashlea Hansen has since uncovered new evidence, determined to keep Tracey’s story alive and bring long-overdue attention to her disappearance. LINKS You can watch the three-part multimedia investigation at leftinthecold.com.au If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Win a $2,000 Bed Threads voucher. Subscribe to Mamamia here before April 30 to be automatically entered. Current subscriber? You're already in the draw. T&Cs apply. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  CREDITS  Guest: Ashlea Hansen Host: Gemma Bath  Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Video Editor: Julian Rosario Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On March 2, 1998, 10-year-old Austrian girl Natascha Kampusch disappeared on her way to school.  What followed was 3,096 days in captivity, hidden inside a soundproof cellar, cut off from the outside world and shaped by fear, control, and a deeply complex psychological dynamic with her captor. Journalist Rahni Sadler spent a lot of time getting to know Natascha, interviewing her in 2011 and again in 2016, and even visiting the house where she was held. In this episode, she offers insight into Natascha’s story - revealing the quiet strength, nuance, and resilience behind one of the most confronting cases in modern history..... LINKS Find more of Rahni's work here. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  CREDITS  Guest: Rahni Sadler Host: Gemma Bath  Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Video Editor: Julian Rosario Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On October 1, 2005, terror struck Bali when three suicide bombings ripped through crowded restaurants in Jimbaran Bay and Kuta, killing 20 people and injuring more than 100. Among those caught in the blasts was 20-year-old Newcastle local Joe Frost. Thrown face-down into the sand, ears ringing and legs burning, Joe survived - but others at his table were killed or left with life-changing injuries. Now a journalist, Joe is revisiting the attack through his podcast Forgotten Bombs: Bali 2005, speaking with survivors, investigators, and even those linked to Jemaah Islamiyah. LINKS Listen to Forgotten Bombs: Bali 2005 here.  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  CREDITS  Guest: Joe Frost Host: Gemma Bath  Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katherine Knight, Sarah Makin, Caroline Grills, Catherine Birnie, Helen Moore, and Rachel Pfitzner are among the most notorious female killers in Australian history. But what compels a woman to take a life, whether it’s someone close to her or, more rarely, a stranger? Dr Xanthe Weston, a criminal psychologist, has long been driven by this very question. Drawing on years of research into cases like these, she joins us today to explore what she’s discovered - why women’s motives for killing often differ from men’s, and whether some perpetrators are inherently predisposed to violence, or shaped by circumstance. LINKS Listen to the Method & Motive podcast here.  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  CREDITS  Guest: Dr Xanthe Weston Host: Gemma Bath  Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1984, Terry Ferguson was approached in a busy Florida mall by a charming photographer with an Australian accent. He promised her stardom; instead, she became a victim of Christopher Wilder, the notorious "Beauty Queen Killer." While Wilder’s confirmed body count sits around 11, new evidence suggests a much darker reality: a trail of over 30 victims stretching from Australia to America.  Today, we explore Wilder’s predatory tactics, his transition from serial to spree killer, and his potential connection to Australia’s infamous, unsolved Wanda Beach murders. LINKS Listen to the Catching Evil podcast here.  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Get 25% off Nala with your Mamamia subscription. Click here to get your code ends April 1st. CREDITS  Guest: Mark Llewellyn & Andy Byrne Host: Gemma Bath  Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2007, a family of three and their friend vanished from their secluded home in Nannup, Western Australia, leaving only a cryptic note claiming they had moved to Brazil. They never arrived. As investigators delved into the lives of Chantelle McDougall, her partner Simon Cadwell, their daughter Leela, and friend Tony Popic, they uncovered a web of doomsday prepping and cult-like spiritual beliefs. Was this a voluntary disappearance to a "higher plane," or something far more sinister? LINKS Listen to Expanse: The Nannup Four here.  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Get 25% off Nala with your Mamamia subscription. Click here to get your code ends April 1st. CREDITS  Guest: Dominique Bayens Host: Gemma Bath  Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Mamamia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Her life changed forever when her five-year-old daughter, Rose, bravely spoke up about a trusted family friend sexually assaulting her.  That moment led Michelle to discover that both of her daughters had endured abuse for years, and it marked the start of the family’s journey toward justice and healing. In this episode, Michelle shares how she and her daughters, Pippa and Rose, navigated their challenges together, supported by their older sister Maggie and their father. Now adults, Pippa and Rose are using their voices to drive positive change in the way child victims are treated within the legal system. Their journey is a powerful testament to resilience, courage, and the unbreakable strength of family in overcoming adversity. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via 1800 RESPECT. If the content in this episode has brought up anything for you, please contact Lineline on 13 11 14.  GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. CREDITS  Guest: Michelle Milthorpe Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some women dream of launching a career before 25. Some dream of owning their first home. Jemma Lilley had a different goal: she wanted to kill someone before her 25th birthday, but she knew she couldn't do it alone.  Obsessed with serial killers and violent fantasy, Lilley set her sights on turning desire into reality. She found an accomplice in Trudi Lenon, an impressionable single mother whom she gradually drew into her world of fixation and planning. Together, they searched for what they chillingly described as the “perfect victim.” They chose 18-year-old Aaron Pajich-Sweetman, a vulnerable teenager who was a friend of Lenon’s son. It is a case that still shocks those who hear it. A real-life horror story about manipulation, obsession, and the calculated, meticulous planning of two women who conspired to take the life of an innocent young man. CREDITS  Guest: Tim Clarke Host: Claire Murphy Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In June 2016, Karen Ristevski vanished from her home. Her husband, Borce, told their daughter she had gone for a walk and never returned. For months, police and family searched in vain. Then, in February 2017, hikers stumbled upon her skeletal remains in a quiet nature reserve. Police pieced together CCTV footage and phone records, leading to Borce’s arrest. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2019, after prosecutors were unable to prove intent. Now, 7NEWS Investigations Editor Alison Sandy is digging deeper, not just into Karen’s case, but into a disturbing pattern: women whose deaths could have been prevented or discovered earlier, had the warning signs of escalating intimate partner violence been recognised sooner. If you need support, it's available at 1800 RESPECT.  Find out more about the Kiss & Kill podcast here.  CREDITS  Guest: Alison Sandy Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darryl Gardiner grew up in a home ruled by unimaginable violence... and it almost destroyed him. Witnessing and experiencing abuse from a terrifyingly young age, he followed the same path, becoming a violent man himself. But Darryl broke the cycle. Now a father, clinician, and founder of programs helping men and women escape abuse, Darryl shares a raw, unflinching story of accountability, redemption, and what it truly takes to stop the cycle of violence. Find out more about Rolling With The Punches at www.rollingwiththepunches.com.au CREDITS  Guest: Darryl Gardiner Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October 1976, 16-year-old Trenny Gibson boarded a school bus in Knoxville, Tennessee, expecting a routine day. Instead, her horticulture class was taken on a rainy hike into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park without warning. Unprepared and uneasy, Trenny borrowed a jacket from a fellow student. By mid-afternoon, she was gone. One moment she was on the trail, the next she had vanished. Nearly 50 years later, her disappearance remains unsolved. Questions linger about suspicious behaviour, missing evidence, and why the case quietly faded from view. In this episode, we speak with podcast hosts Tim Pilleri and Lance Reenstierna about their investigation into the haunting mystery of Trenny Gibson.  You can listen to Tim and Lance's podcast Missing, here and watch their YouTube videos here.  Listen to Claire Murphy on Missing here. CREDITS  Guests: Tim Pilleri & Lance Reenstierna Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In May 2019, 25-year-old Courtney Herron was murdered after a night out in Melbourne’s CBD. What happened next would ignite national outrage and raise disturbing questions about justice in Australia. In this episode, Courtney’s father, John Herron, speaks about the daughter he loved deeply, her generosity, humour, and instinctive kindness, and the night she crossed paths with the man who killed her. He lays bare the failures he witnessed inside the justice and mental health systems, and explains why, as both a grieving father and a lawyer, he believes Courtney was denied justice. You can read more from John Herron in his writing for Mamamia, including his powerful open letter about Courtney’s death, here. CREDITS  Guest: John Herron Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The case of Jodi Arias, the woman who murdered her former lover, Travis Alexander, in 2008, captivated audiences around the world. When the trial began in 2013, media coverage intensified, driven by a disturbing question: what could compel a young, attractive woman to kill so violently? To shoot, stab, and nearly decapitate a man she claimed to have loved? These are just some of the questions journalist Briana Whitney set out to explore in her True Crime Arizona documentary, Obsessed: Unravelling Jodi Arias. Whitney has even been in direct contact with Arias herself, who continues to blog and exchange emails from inside her prison cell. Watch Obsessed: Unravelling Jodi Arias here.  CREDITS  Guest: Briana Whitney Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two 15-year-olds vanish after heading to a disco in Wollongong. An 18-year-old Belgian backpacker disappears after a night out in Byron Bay. A 20-year-old Navy recruit vanishes from a casino lobby in a matter of minutes. These are just a few of Australia’s missing persons cases you may never have heard of. Each year, more than 56,000 people are reported missing across the country. Most are found. But over 2,500 remain missing long-term, their names and stories slowly fading from public memory. Nicole Morris, Director of the Australian Missing Persons Register and author of Vanished and Missing, refuses to let them be forgotten.  Find the Australian Missing Persons Register here. Find Nicole's books here. CREDITS  Guest: Nicole Morris Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who would try to hire a hitman to kill an innocent young girl?  In early 2021, Riley ended a relationship with a man she had been in a year-long online relationship with after she alleges he assaulted her. Despite the breakup, he continued to message her relentlessly.  Instead of backing down, Scott escalated his feelings of anger, turning to the dark web. He paid $19,000 AUD to hire a hitman to kill her. The reality of the plot became clear when police knocked on the door of Riley’s family home. It was her mother, Jamie Elder, who answered, learning that someone had tried to arrange her daughter’s murder. Jamie is now Riley’s advocate, fighting for justice while the man accused of orchestrating the hit walks free. You can follow Jamie on TikTok and support her advocacy here. CREDITS  Guest: Jamie Elder Host: Gemma Bath Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy Audio Engineer: Jacob Round GET IN TOUCH Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @truecrimeconversations Make sure to leave us a rating and review on Apple & Spotify to let us know how you're liking the episodes.  Want us to cover a case on the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note. If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.