Exhuming the Truth

In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we examine one of the most devastating coronial findings to emerge from Australia in recent years: the death of nine-month-old Kobi Shepherdson. Kobi was a baby who should still be here today. His death was found by a South Australian coroner to have been preventable. This is not simply the story of one dangerous offender. It is a case that exposes coercive c...

Some conversations take on a life of their own, and this was one of them. I went into this interview with a list of carefully prepared questions, but within minutes, those notes were forgotten. Chris Gee’s experience, knowledge, and passion made the conversation flow in directions I hadn’t anticipated, and I found myself genuinely fascinated by his work. In this episode, we explore Chris’s unique...

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 th...

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 bef...

When police arrested Bradley Robert Edwards in December of 2016, they entered what appeared to be an ordinary suburban home in Perth. There were no secret chambers or obvious trophies displayed on his walls, nothing that immediately resembled the scenes often portrayed in crime dramas. Yet, hidden among everyday household possessions were items that would become crucial pieces of one of Australia&...

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...

EXHUMING THE TRUTH PRESENTS: FIELD NOTES Episode One: Chris Darcy – President of Search Dogs Sydney What happens behind the scenes when someone goes missing? In the first episode of Exhuming the Truth: Field Notes, we step into the world of search operations with Chris Darcy, President of Search Dogs Sydney, for a conversation exploring the critical work undertaken by specialist search teams and t...

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 comp...

Isla Bell was 19 years of age with the world at her feet when she went missing in October of 2024. Come November 2024, her remains were found at a waste facility in Dandenong, Victoria. But this was just the beginning of a nightmare for Isla's family seeking justice for her life, when forensic science met challenges that seemed to hinder her case when it finally faced court. As of May 2026, th...

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 ev...

In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we examine the devastating murder of Shandee Blackburn and the extraordinary failures that followed in the pursuit of justice. What should have been a straightforward forensic investigation instead became one of Australia’s most confronting examples of systemic forensic failure. Shandee’s case exposed serious deficiencies within the Queensland DNA laboratory,...

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....

In the United States, you can watch a trial unfold in real time—witnesses, evidence, and verdicts broadcast to millions through networks like my favourite, Court TV . But in Australia, courtrooms remain largely closed to cameras. So why the difference? In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we break down the key distinctions between the U.S. and Australian criminal justice systems—from televised t...

Where is Luke Hazelwood? Part Two: Geography, What We Know, and What We Still Need In 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 a...

The Digital Evidence In Part Two of our look into the disappearnce of Theo Hayez, we take a forensic deep dive into the digital trail he left behind. Theo vanished from Byron Bay in My 2019 after leaving the nightclub Cheeky Monkey's . What followed has been described as a questionable series of phone movements toward the remote headland of Cape Byron. But, when we look into the digital forens...

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 underst...

Tribute to Rob Snyder | The Search, The Community, and the Truth In this special tribute episode of Exhuming the Truth, we honour the life of Rob Snyder and the extraordinary community effort that came together during the search for him. Searches like these are never simple. Behind every public update are countless hours of planning, coordination, and investigation carried out by volunteers, famil...

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 fina...

Missing since January 22, 2025, from South Boulder, Kalgoorlie, Tristan Griffiths’ case has been marked by frustrating gaps from missing CCTV footage to delays in official responses. In Part Two, we break down the critical timeline, the investigative challenges, and the lengths Tristan’s family has gone to keep his story alive. This episode also explores a broader question: when justice is selecti...

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 lan...

In this episode, we are sharing an urgent appeal for information regarding the disappearance of Scott Colin Hayden, aged 46. Scott was last seen on 30 May 2025 in Tibbuc, along Thunderbolts Way near Barring/Gloucester, NSW. At the time, he was wearing a white T-shirt and light-coloured shorts, and he may have been barefoot. Scott has distinctive tattoos, which are available to view in the referenc...

Forensic red flags, systemic failures, and the evidence that was never tested In 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...

In this episode of Exhuming the Truth, we return to the Claremont case to focus on Sarah Spiers and the legal and court processes that shaped, limited, and ultimately complicated the pursuit of justice in her case. Rather than retelling the events themselves, this episode breaks down how the Australian court system operated at the time, why Sarah's case was legally treated differently to the other...

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.