Chasing Ghosts

40 years ago, two bombs went off in Auckland's harbour when French agents targeted a Greenpeace ship. It was meant to be a warning against anti-nuclear protests, but the death of a photographer on board sparked a major police and political response.  From the NZ Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions, this six-part series re-examines the bombing, the events leading up to it, the investigatio...

For the first time in 13 years, David Fisher sits down with Natalia Burgess to talk about her catfishing. While he gains new insight into her life, how she operates her false characters, and her reasons for doing it, something's missing. And then an email out of the blue offers the answers he's been waiting for.  And one victim of Natalia's catfishing reveals the devastating consequences of having...

Warning: This episode contains discussion around suicide. In 2011, after outing her for her catfishing, David Fisher sat down with Natalia Burgess for an interview about why she had done what she had. 13 years later, David revisits that interview as he looks for answers as to why she has done what she has, and gets insight from a psychologist on the potential motivations behind her behaviour.  Sui...

While Natalia is best known for catfishing teen boys and young men into relationships, she has also used the photos she has stolen to trick at least two different teenage girls - and their mothers - into believing she is a long-lost member of their family. Today, David finds out their stories and how Natalia came to infiltrate their lives.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2022, David Fisher receives an email from Crystal Jenner, a New Zealand woman living in Australia. She has approached him as her last hope after six years of trying to find a solution to Natalia stealing her photos. David hears from her, her mother, and a friend who also had had her pictures stolen, one of the men who fell victim to Crystal's face, and a lawyer analyses why Crystal has struggle...

In December 2010, the announcement on Facebook that Laura Jane West has died in a car crash devastates her online friends, and has ramifications in real life for those linked to her and her sisters.  Four months later, Herald on Sunday journalist David Fisher investigates a serial catfisher targeting teen boys in Christchurch. In his reporting, David would link these two stories together as he unc...

Season of Chasing Ghosts - The Puppeteer - begins October 1st.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Easter Monday 2021, Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne. For 16 months, her death was treated as “unexplained”. That’s until it emerged Polkinghorne had been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty in August 2022. From the team behind The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, comes Accused: The Polki...

Elizabeth Fraser's testimony at the coronial hearing into Donald's death sparks huge interest in Christchurch - but can she be blamed for his death? And how does the success of Donald's horse tie into his murder? Host: Ric Stevens Audio Editor: Alastair Boyes Producers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air.  If you k...

The spotlight falls on Elizabeth Fraser as the investigation continues, but who was she and why would she want to kill her own husband? And who was the mistress that came between this marriage? Host: Ric Stevens Audio Editor: Alastair Boyes Producers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air.  If you know more about this...

When Fraser's body is discovered, the murder investigation begins, but as Christchurch police struggle to find his killer, outsiders are brought in - and the suspect list starts to contract.  Host: Ric Stevens Audio Editor: Alastair Boyes Producers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air.  If you know more about this c...

On November 16th, 1933, Donald Fraser was shot dead in his bed at the Racecourse Hotel. But who was the controversial publican, and why would anyone want to kill him?  Host: Ric Stevens Audio Editor: Alastair Boyes Producers: Ethan Sills and Elizabeth Binning Open Justice is funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund through NZ on Air.  If you know more about this case, you can get in touc...

The new series of Chasing Ghosts premieres November 4th. New episodes every Saturday in November See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the years after Goy's death, an extended police investigation and multiple coronial inquiries looked into the circumstances of her death and the actions of the men on board the boat to try and determine what happened. Eight years on, are Goy's friends and family any closer to the answers they want?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In February 2015, Goy Thongsi went on a diving expedition in Christchurch with four men she hardly knew. Within a few hours of setting out onto the waters of Motunau, Goy was dead and missing, and a cloud of suspicion surrounded her diving companions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to Part One February 18th, and Part Two February 25th.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The lives of the three families at the centre of the case remain intertwined. And a new bid to overturn Scott Watson's conviction is reviving memories for many. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two decades on, two key questions continue to spark fierce debate: Was Scott Watson the mystery man? And were Ben and Olivia dropped at his boat, or a distinctive ketch almost twice the size? WARNING: Occasional use of mild language. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened in the early hours of January 1, 1998? We revisit the scene of the crime on the boat where the prosecution successfully argued Scott Watson killed Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. WARNING: Occasional use of mild language. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A quarter of a century has failed to dull the pain of Amber-Lee’s disappearance for her family. Can you help their desperate search for closure? WARNING: This podcast contains strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It didn’t take long for police to focus on a small group of suspects. At the time, one name attracted particular attention. In this episode he breaks his silence. WARNING: This podcast contains strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Nicola Cruickshank put her faith in the “psychic detectives” of TV show Sensing Murder, she became fixated on one man. WARNING: This podcast contains frequent use of very strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a history of drugs and crime, Nicola Cruickshank has had her critics. She decides to face the flak head-on, hoping to put the focus back on the hunt for her daughter. WARNING: This podcast contains frequent use of strong language and material that may be distressing for younger listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amber-Lee went missing near a large body of water. It was the obvious place to start the search. But police soon started to wonder whether something more sinister had occurred. WARNING: This podcast contains material that may be distressing for younger listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full of optimism about a new life, Nicola Cruickshank and her family spent an idyllic spring Saturday with friends. Then tragedy struck. WARNING: This podcast contains material that may be distressing for younger listeners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.