Exhuming the Truth

Following the recent Seven Spotlight interview with Josie Murray, public discussion surrounding the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont has intensified. In this episode, we move beyond speculation and take a forensic approach to the known facts.As a criminologist and forensic scientist, I examine the timeline, investigative challenges, search efforts, digital forensic considerations, and the competing theories that continue to surround Gus’s disappearance.Together we explore:• The timeline and why it remains the backbone of the investigation• The difference between evidence, belief and speculation• The forensic significance of search failures• The abduction, wandering and concealment hypotheses• The role of digital evidence in modern missing persons investigations• Questions raised during Josie Murray’s Spotlight interview• What investigators know, what we think we know, and what remains unknownThis episode is not about choosing sides.It is about examining evidence, testing theories and understanding how forensic investigators approach complex missing child cases.Because the goal is not to prove a theory, the goal is to find Gus.Listener discretion is advised.If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review, follow Exhuming the Truth on social media, and support our ongoing advocacy for missing persons and victims’ families.REFERENCESSA Police updates on the disappearance of Gus Lamont and major crime investigation status The New Daily – Gus Lamont Major Crime Declaration⁠ABC News coverage of search efforts and investigation updates ABC News – Police search for Gus Lamont explained⁠ABC News update on ongoing investigation and lack of new evidence from searches ABC News – Gus Lamont search finds no new evidence⁠ABC News six-month investigation update and timeline overview ABC News – Six months since Gus Lamont disappeared⁠Seven Spotlight interview reporting Josie Murray’s statements regarding the investigation and timeline claims 7NEWS Spotlight coverage – Josie Murray interview reporting⁠Reporting on police position and Josie Murray’s response to being named a suspect AdelaideNow – Josie Murray named as suspect reporting⁠

On the morning of the 21st of December, 2006, detectives searched a modest rental on Rutland Avenue in the Perth suburb, Lathlain. They made a gruesome discovery.Inside a wheelie bin that was concealed in the backyard of the property, were the remains of 16 year old Stacey Mitchell. Within just two hours, two girls were arrested for her murder. Stacey had only known these two girls for 3 days before they ended her life.Join us while we unpack what happened to the forever young, Stacey Mitchell.

This conversation goes where many avoid.In Part Two of Exhuming the Truth Presents: Field Notes, we continue our discussion with Chris D’Arcy, President of Search Dogs Sydney, moving beyond search operations into the deeper realities of missing persons work rarely spoken about publicly.This episode explores the systemic barriers in the missing persons space, the challenges that can affect search efforts, and the difficult conversations around advocacy, resources, coordination, and the realities of frontline work.We also take an in depth look at the extraordinary lengths search teams go to in their efforts to help families searching for answers. The physical demands, emotional toll, unseen work, and unwavering commitment behind the mission to locate missing people.These are conversations many avoid. Conversations that can be uncomfortable. Conversations that matter.This episode offers a rare insight into the complexities behind missing persons investigations and search operations from someone living that reality.Because understanding the system is part of improving it.Exhuming the Truth Presents: Field Notes with Chris D’Arcy Part Two is out now.

In the early hours of July 31st, 2022 in Strongsville Ohio, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry carrying her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo and friend 19-year-old Davion Flanagan into a brick building at 100mph, that's around 160kmph. What was initially considered a tragic crash, forensic and reconstructive evidence began to show otherwise. Today, Asha unravels the complexity of this case that recently showcases on Netflix documentaries, "The Crash", going into great detail of how and why the evidence is stacked on one side of the fence. This episode is dedicated to the lives of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.

Four year old Gus Lamont vanished without a trace from his family’s remote outback property in South Australia, sparking one of the largest missing person searches in the state’s history. Hundreds of searchers, specialist trackers, drones, helicopters, and police scoured the rugged landscape, yet not a single trace of Gus was found.What began as a desperate search for a missing child has since evolved into a major crime investigation, with police ruling out the possibility that Gus simply wandered away and identifying a suspect known to him.In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we examine the timeline of Gus’s disappearance, the forensic and investigative challenges posed by the remote environment, the search strategies employed, the inconsistencies that shifted police focus, and the disturbing questions that remain unanswered in one of Australia’s most haunting recent child disappearance cases.Where is Gus Lamont, and what really happened on that isolated station?Sources and case background include publicly available reporting on the investigation and police updates.

In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, Asha breaks down CNN’s investigation into a global online “rape academy” network and explores how digital spaces can facilitate real-world sexual violence.Drawing on the Dominique Pelicot case in France and institutional findings in Australia, this episode examines how abuse is enabled through systems, culture, and silence.Content warning: sexual violence.This episode also contains an audio excerpt from ABC WA Regional Drive radio station with Annie Gaffney from 21-04-2026.

Where is Luke Hazelwood? Part Two: Geography, What We Know, and What We Still NeedIn Part Two of our investigation into the disappearance of Luke Hazelwood, we move beyond the timeline and begin examining the geography surrounding the case. Location matters in missing persons investigations. Terrain, access points, transport routes, and environmental factors can all shape what may have happened and where someone might be.In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we break down the landscape connected to Luke’s last known movements and discuss what the geography may reveal about possible scenarios. We explore what we know so far, what questions remain unanswered, and the critical information still needed to move this case forward.Using a forensic and investigative lens, we analyse the known facts, consider how geography influences search strategy, and discuss why community awareness and information sharing remain essential in cases like this.Someone, somewhere, may hold the missing piece.

An 18 year-old backpacker from Belgium comes to Australia for an innocent trip after finishing school. He left Cheeky Monkey in Byron Bay, and his mobile phone recorded every step after that.In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, I break down the disappearance of Theo Hayez, but not just the timeline. I discuss what the digital evidence means, and what it doesn't. If you want a visual understanding of the route Theo Hayez took that night, join us inside Exhuming the Truth Sleuth Society on Facebook - free to access for everyone with a Facebook account.

Luke Hazelwood was a Father, a friend, and someone to many people.He was last known to be north of Perth in the coastal town of Lancelin, where he was last seen on the 24th of December, 2025. His ex-wife attempted to report him missing on the 26th of December, however, the reports were not taken seriously until some days into January. With the help of Luke's close friends, we analyse his final known movements, combined with the person Luke is to his loved ones to try to determine what went wrong for Luke.Help us find Luke Hazelwood

In the aftermath of the tragedy in Mosman Park, headlines moved quickly — using words like “monster,” “evil,” and “unthinkable.” But what happens when we stop at outrage? In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, forensic scientist and criminologist Asha Walther examines the structure of murder-suicide through a research-based lens, exploring why the homicide and suicide cannot be separated, why language shapes policy, and why simplistic narratives may prevent us from understanding risk.Drawing on established criminological and psychological research, this episode explores:• The behavioural structure of murder-suicide• The psychology of hopelessness and cognitive narrowing under chronic stress• Caregiver burden and systemic strain• The pressures surrounding Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme• Why affluence does not equal immunity• And why contextualising violence is not the same as excusing it This is not an episode about justification.It is an episode about prevention. Because when we reduce complex human collapse to moral shorthand, we stop asking the questions that could protect future families. Every child’s life holds equal weight.Every postcode contains invisible stories.And every word we use shapes what happens next.Listener discretion advised. References& Further Reading(As discussed in this episode of Exhuming the Truth) Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathwaysthat impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. NatureReviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422.https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2648 Beck, A. T., Weissman, A., Lester, D., &Trexler, L. (1974). The measurement of pessimism: The Hopelessness Scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42(6), 861–865. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0037562 Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). TheEcology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press. Clement, S., Schauman, O., Graham, T., et al.(2015). What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? Asystematic review. Psychological Medicine, 45(1), 11–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291714000129 Joiner, T. (2005). Myths AboutSuicide. Harvard University Press.(See also: Joiner, T. (2005). Interpersonal-PsychologicalTheory of Suicidal Behavior.) Marzuk, P. M., Tardiff, K., & Hirsch, C. S.(1992). The epidemiology of murder-suicide. Journal ofthe American Medical Association (JAMA), 267(23),3179–3183. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1992.03480230073031 McEwen, B. S. (1998). Protective and damagingeffects of stress mediators. New England Journal ofMedicine, 338(3), 171–179.https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199801153380307 Resnick, P. J. (1969). Child murder by parents: Apsychiatric review of filicide. American Journal ofPsychiatry, 126(3), 325–334. Schulz, R., & Sherwood, P. R. (2008). Physicaland mental health effects of family caregiving. AmericanJournal of Nursing, 108(9 Suppl), 23–27. Wilson, M., Daly, M., & Daniele, A. (1995).Familicide: The killing of spouse and children. AggressiveBehavior, 21(4), 275–291. NationalDisability Insurance SchemeOfficial website: https://www.ndis.gov.au NDIS Review (2023–2024):https://www.ndisreview.gov.au Australian Productivity Commission – NDIS Study Report(2017):https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/ndis-costs/report LifelineAustralia13 11 14https://www.lifeline.org.auBeyondBlue1300 22 4636 https://www.beyondblue.org.au SuicideCall Back ServiceAustralianContext & Policy ResourcesNationalDisability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)Suicide& Mental Health Support (Australia)

Forensic red flags, systemic failures, and the evidence that was never testedIn Part Two of our examination into the fatal police shooting of Luke Gilbert, we move beyond headlines and into the forensic and procedural foundations of the case and what happens when those foundations are missing.Despite a coronial finding being handed down, critical evidence in Luke’s death was never independently tested, never fully disclosed, and in some instances, appears to have been altered or withheld entirely. From missing and edited CCTV footage, unresolved ballistic inconsistencies, and misclassified weapons, to allegations of conflicts of interest, unlawful autopsy consent, and failures by oversight bodies, this episode methodically examines the red flags that undermine confidence in the official findings.This is not an episode driven by outrage or speculation. It is driven by evidence, forensic standards, and the legal obligations that apply when police use lethal force. Drawing directly from the coronial record, the concerns raised by Luke’s family, and accepted forensic and investigative principles, this episode asks one central question: can justice exist where transparency does not?Luke’s case is not just about one man or one night; it is about the systems meant to protect truth and what happens when they fail.Correction & ClarificationI want to acknowledge and correct an error made at the end of the most recent episode.When responding to a listener question about Constable Bryce Collins, I incorrectly stated that he was present at the shooting. That was an error.Constable Collins was not present at the shooting. As mentioned earlier in the episode, his involvement relates to looking Luke up and passing information on to a member of the public.Accuracy matters deeply to me, especially when discussing cases that carry so much weight for families and the public. Thank you to those who respectfully flagged this, and I appreciate the continued care and accountability from this community.

Corrie Feehan vanished from Leeman, WA, in April of 2025. In July 2025, we made an initial episode for Corrie and his family, just 12 weeks after he disappeared. Join us in part two, where we share a heartfelt message from his loving family, who are desperate for answers, and learn about the discrepancies in this case and how you can help us get justice for Corrie and his loved ones.

In January of 2012, 66-year-old Charlie Park walked home after a quiet night at the pub in Boulder, WA. He was last seen entering his home and was never seen again. In this episode, we examine what is factually known about Charlie's disappearance, the timeline, the early investigation, and why police have re-opened the case. This episode discusses a long-term missing person case and a suspected homicide - it may be distressing for some listeners. All information presented is drawn from publicly available reporting and police statements. No individuals are accused or implied to be responsible. This episode is intended for educational and public-interest purposes only. Listener discretion is advised.