Casefile True Crime

In late 2019, Casefile spoke with a special guest related to one of our most controversial episodes. The interview was initially intended for our companion podcast, From the Files, but as we’ve since put that show on hiatus, we’ve decided to air it as a bonus, one-off release due to its importance.

On August 17 1980, the Chamberlain family were camping at Uluru when Lindy Chamberlain went to put her nine-week-old daughter Azaria to sleep in the tent. Moments later, the other campers heard Lindy cry out, “My God, my God, a dingo has got my baby!”

19-year-old Arlis Perry took her Christian faith seriously. After fighting with her husband Bruce on the night of October 12 1974, she decided to clear her head by stopping in at the Stanford Memorial Church to pray. When she still hadn’t returned an hour later, Bruce checked the church but the doors we locked. He waited a few more hours before reporting Arlis missing.

In October of 1628, the newly constructed Batavia embarked on its maiden voyage from the shores of The Netherlands, setting sail for the Dutch East Indies. The 341 individuals on board were oblivious to the fact that the journey would eventually be described as one of the worst horror stories in maritime history.

[Part 1 of 2] When newlyweds Beryl and Timothy Evans found out they were expecting their first child, they set about finding a place of their own to live. They soon found a suitable rental property in London’s Notting Hill district, located at 10 Rillington Place.

[Part 2 of 2] On March 24 1953, a tenant at 10 Rillington Place was renovating their kitchen when they made a shocking discovery. After police arrive at the property, the true extent of the horror becomes clear.

Just after midnight on November 10 2012, a loud and frightening sound erupted in the Indianapolis subdivision of Richmond Hill. The force was so powerful that it registered on a regional earthquake sensor and homes were left rattling from the impact. Emergency services raced to the scene but were unable to save the lives of two residents, Dion and Jennifer Longworth.

18-year-old Natalee Holloway had been looking forward to her senior class trip to Aruba all year. The tropical vacation was a rite of passage for students at Mountain Brook High School, who celebrated their newfound freedom with five days of sightseeing, swimming and bottomless booze in the idyllic Caribbean location.

Australia is no stranger to bushfires. But when Victorian Premier John Brumby warned residents that the weather conditions for February 7, 2009, could be “the worst day in the history of the state,” no one could have predicted the damage that lay ahead.

Teenagers in the New South Wales town of Stockton Beach were excited as they gathered at the North Stockton Surf Club to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of a schoolmate. 14-year-old Leigh Leigh promised her parents she’d be waiting at their designated meeting spot in four hours time. When she didn’t arrive, they immediately knew something was wrong.

When seven-year-old Steven Stayner fails to return home from school on December 4 1972, life changes irrevocably for the Stayner family. As the years pass by with no sign of their beloved son and brother, they do their best to adjust to life without him.

[Part 1 of 3] When specialty plumbers arrived to inspect the drains at a property in the north London suburb of Muswell Hill in early February 1983, it seemed like any regular job. Upon closer inspection, they were baffled by the presence of the “porridge-like substance” that appeared to be clogging the drains underneath the house.

[Part 2 of 3] By the time Dennis Nilsen moved out of his flat at 195 Melrose Avenue in Cricklewood, he had already taken the lives of twelve victims. Eager to start afresh, he set himself up on the top floor at 23 Cranley Gardens in Muswell Hill and focused on putting the past behind him.

[Part 3 of 3] As Dennis Nilsen prepares to face trial and the true extent of his murder spree begins to emerge, so many questions remain unanswered. What drove him to kill? Who were his victims? And how did he manage to get away with his crimes for so long?

On the morning of August 5 2009, 26-year-old Dalia Dippolito was working out when she received a voicemail from a detective at the Boynton Beach Police Department. He instructed Dalia to return to her home immediately, saying, “It involves your husband. There’s been an incident. I’ll tell you everything you need to know when you get here.”

When 18-year-old Brittany Phillips enrolled to study at Tulsa Community College in Oklahoma, she was excited to move into her own apartment. With the help of her mother Maggie Zingman, she soon found the perfect place – a one-bedroom apartment in the Glen Eagles housing complex on East 65th Street.

On July 10 1991, 18-year-old Julie Dart disappeared after a night out in Leeds. Two days later, her boyfriend Dominic Murray received a letter from Julie that read: “Help me, please. I’ve been kidnapped and I’m being held as personal security… Please go and tell my mum straight away.” The following week, a group of farmers working in a field alongside an abandoned railway line come across Julie’s decomposing body.

On the morning of September 15 2007, an elderly couple were walking through Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station when they noticed a young Asian girl standing alone near the escalator. Assuming she was lost, police were quickly notified and attempted to identify the toddler. Unable to verify who she was, they nicknamed her “Pumpkin.”

After the Western Australian gold rush of the late 1800s, there was little work available in the isolated Murchison region. Those lucky enough to find jobs were the ones willing to tough it out in the harsh conditions of the small towns and stations along the Rabbit Proof Fence. Due to the transient nature of these communities, it wasn’t unusual for people to leave without ever being heard from again.

Residents of Hudson, Wisconsin are left rattled when funeral director Dan O’Connell and his trainee James Ellison are found shot to death in The O’Connell Family Funeral Home. The two were hardworking men with no known enemies and nothing about their murders seem to add up.

Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away. The families of Cindy and Mona Lisa Smith have given Casefile permission to air this content.

Newlyweds Anni Hindocha and Shrien Dewani were looking forward to celebrating their honeymoon in South Africa. After a traditional wedding in India, they set off for a luxury stay at Kruger National Park before making their way to Cape Town.

It wasn’t unusual for 25-year-old Danniella Vian to lose her phone. So when her mother-in-law Julie received a phone call from a stranger saying he had Danniella’s mobile, this wasn’t a cause for concern. The previous day, Danniella had made a highly anticipated car purchase and spent the night out celebrating with friends.

In Ireland in 1968, a period known as The Troubles began. Years of extreme protesting and violence culminated in low morale and widespread despair throughout the country, and the economy struggled, resulting in high unemployment rates and mass emigration.

** Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence *** The evening of April 9, 2004, started as a regular, uneventful shift for employees at a McDonald’s restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky. Until 4:56 PM, when the phone rang and the man on the other line introduced himself as Officer Scott.

31-year-old Russell ‘Stabba’ Martin was well known around the small town of Stawell in Victoria’s west. A staple of the local pubs and footy club, it wasn’t unusual for Russell to leave town for days at a time. No matter where he went or why Russell’s journey always led him back home to his wife Helen and their four children.

When 47-year-old Mississippi resident James Craig Anderson realised he’d locked his keys in his car in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 26 2011, he was thankful when a vehicle pulled up offering to help. But it soon became clear that the occupants were anything but good samaritans.

In late July 1990, siblings Steve and Jane McGowan both received a letter in the mail from their sister, 34-year-old Beverly McGowan, advising that she had quit her job and was selling her condo in order to go travelling. This made no sense to Steve and Jane.

[Part 1 of 2] Carole Sund and her teenage daughter Juli were excited to take their family friend and Argentinian exchange student, Silvina Pelosso, on a trip to see the natural wonders of Yosemite National Park. But when they fail to arrive at the San Francisco Airport for their scheduled flight home, investigators suspect that the trio might have met with foul play.

[Part 2 of 2] After the decapitated body of 26-year-old naturalist Joie Armstrong is found in Yosemite’s Foresta region, investigators are quick to deny that her murder is linked to that of Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. But when suspicions are cast on a local maintenance worker, the investigation takes a shocking turn.

In 1995, 15-year-old Scottish schoolboy Lawrence Haggart’s dreams came true when he was signed to join Celtic, an elite Scottish football club. The future looked bright for young Lawrence, until one night in March 1996 when his brother John Haggart awoke to the smell of something burning. He discovered Lawrence downstairs, beaten and set on fire.

[Part 6] This is the final instalment in a Casefile series that was first released in 2017. It covers recent developments in the case and mentions incidents detailed in previous episodes. If you haven’t already, we recommend you go back and listen to the first five parts of Case 53: The East Area Rapist before proceeding with Part Six.

Casefile will be back in early February, but for now, the team is taking a brief break to enjoy the holidays and process the unprecedented year that was 2020. All of us here at Casefile would like to thank you, our listeners, for your time, your feedback, and your encouragement. Your ongoing support is what enables us to keep this show going and we truly appreciate each and every one of you.