Crime Insiders

More Aussies have tattoos than ever before; 1 in 5 of us have at least 1 tattoo. That number is growing. Even when removed or burnt, forensic experts can use tattoos to identify offenders and victims of crimes. This is one of many techniques forensic photographers like Karen Byrne use to document everything from crime scenes to autopsies. In this Rewind episode of Crime Insiders | Forensics, former host Kathryn Fox talks to Karen about the surprising ways evidence can be captured, the emotional weight of the job, and how forensic photography plays a crucial role in securing justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police employee Curtis Cheng was shot dead outside Police Headquarters in Parramatta, Sydney, 10 years ago this week. The gunman was a 15-year-old boy radicalised by religious extremists. In this episode of Crime Insiders Judgements, uncover how a teenager came to be wielding a pistol on a quiet Friday afternoon, and the important role of community leaders in responding to growing concerns about extremism.  This episode contains descriptions of violent crime. If you need assistance, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five bodies. Three generations. One room. Zero answers.  In 2008, a luxury home in California’s Orange County became the site of an unimaginable discovery. Inside were the decomposed bodies of five family members, spanning three generations. But there was no note, no clear motive, and no sign of struggle. Outwardly, the family seemed perfectly normal. In this episode of Crime Insiders Forensics, crime scene investigator Kimberlee Guluzian takes host Liz Porter inside the house where silence still echoes, and reveals what she saw, examined, and felt as she searched for answers in one of Orange County’s most haunting mysteries. This episode contains descriptions of suicide and violent crime. If you or anyone you know needs assistance, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A merciless serial killer terrorised women in the United Kingdom with a spate of brutal attacks, leaving police and forensic experts stumped. Now, almost 50 years later, forensics has learned, and built more advanced technologies that could've helped catch the killer sooner, and potentially saved lives. In this Rewind episode of Crime Insiders Forensics, former host Kathryn Fox sits down with Dr Marie Morelato to understand how forensics has evolved from this case, and to unpack the current strategies being employed to catch criminals and save lives. This episode contains references to sexual violence against women and children. If you or someone you know needs help, dial 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1992, the High Court handed down a ruling that shattered centuries of denial. Eddie Mabo’s fight for recognition overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius and forever changed Australia’s relationship with its First Peoples. This landmark decision not only rewrote the nation’s story but also paved the way for the Native Title Act, reshaping law, land, and history. In this episode of Crime Insiders Judgements, we’ll explore the journey of Eddie Mabo, the High Court battle, and its legacy. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this episode contains the names of people who have passed away.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2006, underworld figure Lee Patrick Torney vanished without a trace. Nearly a year later, forensic anthropologist Dr. Soren Blau was lowered into an abandoned mineshaft outside the old gold-mining township of Chewton, near Castlemaine, Victoria. Soren pieced together the secret clues hidden on the surface of bones and what they showed about injuries and the circumstances of death. Soren also revisits another landmark case that reshaped forensic science, with the first ever exhumation of a murder suspect in the United Kingdom. Host Liz Porter sits down with Soren to find out how her pioneering use of familial DNA helped unmask a serial killer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two people vanish without a trace from Logan, south of Brisbane in Queensland.  They hadn’t been seen in days. Their phones rang out. Their social media...silent.  Something had happened, but no one could possibly have predicted what was about to unfold… This episode contains references to violent crime. If you or anyone you know needs assistance, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The courtroom drama that gripped Australia has finally reached its conclusion. Erin Patterson, the woman at the centre of the nation’s most infamous murder case in recent history, has been sentenced to life for three counts of murder.   Justice Beale did not hold back in his scathing remarks, saying Erin had zero remorse, chilling premeditation, and victims left across generations.  In this special bonus episode from The Briefing podcast, criminologist Xanthe Mallett joins Natarsha Belling to unpack the sentence, the judge’s remarks, and the question that still lingers: why did Erin do it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.