29-year-old Katie Haley arrived home on a Friday night in March 2018 after a long shift at a Melbourne tavern. Her partner Shane had been messaging throughout the day, calls, accusations, jealousy, and control that had continued for hours...

After reaching her limit, Katie stands up and starts packing a bag. She tells him the relationship is over. She’s leaving with their daughter. But she never makes it out the door.

Today, we’re speaking with Katie’s sister, Bianca Unwin, who has since become an advocate for domestic violence awareness following her sister’s death, and who now speaks openly about coercive control and the warning signs that were not fully recognised at the time.

LINKS

If you’re experiencing family and domestic violence, Safe Steps provides immediate and confidential assistance. Find out more 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: Bianca Unwin

Host: Gemma Bath 

Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman

Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy

Video Editor: Julian Rosario

Audio Engineer: Tegan Sadler

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.

This is Part 2 of Nina Funnell’s story. You can listen to Part 1 here.

Nina Funnell survived a violent assault as a young woman, fighting off her attacker and escaping to call the police. Although he was never found, the experience became a turning point.

Within weeks, she chose to speak publicly, challenging stigma, victim-blaming, and the silence surrounding violence against women. Since then, Nina has become a leading advocate and journalist, driving national conversations and legal reform.

Through campaigns like Let Her Speak and Justice Shouldn’t Hurt, she has helped change laws, amplify survivor voices, and secure millions in funding for victim support services.

Today, she joins us to discuss her work supporting victim-survivors and their families, and the fight for a more just system.

LINKS

Find out more about the Keep Counselling Confidential campaign 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.

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: Nina Funnell

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.

Find Part 2 of this conversation with Nina Funnell here. 

Nina Funnell survived a violent assault as a young woman, fighting off her attacker and escaping to call the police. Although he was never found, the experience became a turning point.

Within weeks, she chose to speak publicly, challenging stigma, victim-blaming, and the silence surrounding violence against women. Since then, Nina has become a leading advocate and journalist, driving national conversations and legal reform.

Through campaigns like Let Her Speak and Justice Shouldn’t Hurt, she has helped change laws, amplify survivor voices, and secure millions in funding for victim support services.

Today, she joins us to discuss her work supporting victim-survivors and their families, and the fight for a more just system.

LINKS

Find out more about the Keep Counselling Confidential campaign 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.

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: Nina Funnell

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.

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.