Episode Details

The Disappearance of Peter Falconio - Part 1 of 2

July 2001. A young English couple drive north into the Australian desert, and only one of them is ever seen again. Joanne Lees escapes a killer on the loneliest road in the country, hides for hours in the dark, and walks out to raise the alarm. Plenty of armchair detectives are quick to decide that she is the one with something to hide.

In part one of two: the crime, the manhunt, and the survivor who was put on trial by everyone except the law.

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Theme Music - Jesse Frank on Pixabay

Sources:

• "25 years on: How Joanne Lees escaped the fate of Peter Falconio," Woman's Day, 12 July 2026. https://www.nowtolove.com.au/true-crime/joanne-lees-peter-falconio-25-years/

• "A Quarter-Century Search for Answers," Nine , 2026. https://www.nineforbrands.com.au/media-release/a-quarter-century-search-for-answers/

• "Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder: Documentary revives search for remains in Australia's Northern Territory," Victoria Laurie, The Sydney Morning Herald (Nine network), 2026. https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-documentary-reviving-the-search-for-peter-falconio-s-remains-20260712-p60enu.html

• "Peter Falconio: Australian police reveal previously unseen photos 25 years after backpacker murder," BBC News, 14 July 2026. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlwln0gkzlo

• "Police release new footage of Northern Territory killer days before death," Nine 10 July 2026. https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/nt/bradley-john-murdoch-police-footage-peter-falconio-20260711-p60ehc.html

• "Peter Falconio murder: British expert says he has identified a 'most likely' burial location," The Guardian, 18 July 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/peter-falconio-british-expert-says-he-has-identified-a-most-likely-burial-location

• "Peter Falconio's body could be 70km from murder scene, former police officer says," Courtney Barret