Bad Apple: A True Crime Podcast

Helen He and Rylee Olsson
  • 4.7 (6)
  • TRUE CRIME
Bad Apple: A True Crime Podcast

Bad Apple: A True Crime Podcast hones in on the world of Aus and NZ true-crime, from chilling unsolved disappearances to the most infamous serial killers. Join us as we take a closer look at the bad apples lurking in our own backyards. Hosted by Rylee and Helen. Insta and Twitter @badapplethepod Leave us a review: https://lnk.bio/HlOI Bad Apple is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

  1. 11/20/2022

    'The Family': Hallucinogenic hypnosis, fraudulent adoption, and starving children in Australia's largest cult.

    Deep in the suburbs of south-east Melbourne, a young woman who believed herself to be the reincarnation of Christ, began to build a following based on New Age ideologies and practices. Anne Hamilton-Byrne quickly developed a following of adults who would worship her like a god, and do anything, including break the law, to help "The Family". The cult set up a network to facilitate the fraudulent adoption of children to create the next master race. These children were given heavy doses of sedatives and hallucinogens and had their food restricted as punishment for breaking the rules. It wasn't until one of them ran away that authorities became aware of the cult operating right under their noses.

    34 min

  2. 08/14/2022

    Episode 46 - Missing or Murdered: The unsolved disappearance of Leisl Smith.

    In 2012, 23-year-old Leisl Smith got into a white ute at Tuggerah Railway Station on the New South Wales Central Coast. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, or who she was going with, but when she didn't return home that night to tend to her horses her family knew something was wrong. The investigation into Leisl's disappearance was slow, leaving her family without closure for a long period of time. Finally, 6 years after her disappearance, a man was arrested for Leisl's murder, giving the family hope for justice. But a series of tragic events may mean they never know what happened to Leisl a decade ago.

    30 min

  3. 12/19/2021

    Episode 45 - Hospital Horrors: Jim Griffin, the Tasmanian nurse harbouring a dark secret.

    In 2019, a young woman, using the pseudonym Alice, came forward and reported that she had been sexually assaulted by the volunteer massage therapist she met at her childhood netball games. In the tight-knit community of northern Tasmania, news spreads fast, and within months another 4 women had alleged that the same man, Jim Griffin, had groomed and assaulted them too. The subsequent police investigation exposed a man who had dedicated his life and career to getting close to young girls, which sparked a lot of questions about how his offending, which started in the 1980s had flown under the radar for so long.

    30 min

  4. 11/28/2021

    Episode 44 - Joseph Thompson: New Zealand’s first serial rapist.

    In the late 1980s, Auckland was considered a safe place and somewhere to raise a family. Parents were comfortable leaving their young teens home alone at night, and young women often walked home alone after dark. That was until New Zealand police discovered the possibility that a serial rapist was operating in the South Auckland area. Citizens became gripped with fear, installing greater security in their homes and sleeping next to weapons, in some areas, vigilante justice groups formed with the hope of catching the serial offender. Advances in DNA technology and criminal profiling led police to the doorstep of Joseph Thompson, who answered the door with: “I’ve been waiting for you guys.”

    23 min

  5. 11/14/2021

    Episode 43 - “My Name is Cleo.”: The disappearance of Cleo Smith, and underrepresentation in reports of missing children.

    On the 16th of October 2021, 4-year-old Cleo Smith disappeared from her family’s campsite at the Blowholes, north of Carnarvon in Western Australia. What followed was the most comprehensive search and rescue operation in recent Australian history, and non-stop reporting of Cleo’s case which had gripped the nation. Cleo was missing for 18 days before police made a breakthrough discovery, bringing relief to those enthralled by the story. Programs were cancelled in favour of a 3-hour news special, and The West Australian newspaper ran a 22-page spread featuring all the details. The amount of coverage raised questions for some - should the family be granted some privacy, and why aren’t the same police resources and media coverage common in the cases of other missing children?

    23 min

  6. 10/31/2021

    Episode 42 - Trouble in Paradise: The disappearance of Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen.

    Nature enthusiasts Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen left Sweden in September 1988 to embark on a trip down under. When the couple didn’t return home on time, their families initially thought they’d changed their plans. By the time they raised the alarm, Urban and Heidi had been missing for 6 weeks. Conveniently, a convicted criminal and current fugitive David Tamihere had been recently apprehended and was last seen where the two backpackers went missing.

    33 min

  7. 10/17/2021

    Episode 41 - End of the Line: The unknown men killed on Australia’s railway lines.

    In 1998, a man was killed while walking along the railway tracks in inner-city Perth. With no identification on his person and no information from the public, investigators couldn’t reunite the man with his family. History repeated itself 10 years later, in 2008 when another man was struck by a train in south-east Melbourne. He too was unable to be identified. These two men joined the more than 500 unidentified persons at any one time who are currently stored in morgues, or unmarked graves. Despite huge advances in forensic technology, and the development of a National Missing Persons and Victim System to link DNA records with reports of missing people, these two men remain unidentified. Investigators are sure that someone in the community knows something, and have renewed pleas for information.

    25 min

  8. 10/03/2021

    Episode 40 - The Kahui Twins: How the mysterious deaths of two infants exposed New Zealand’s silent epidemic.

    In 2006, 3-month-old twins, Cris and Cru Kahui were taken to hospital by their mother after sustaining serious head injuries and broken bones. No one could explain how the twins had suffered these life-threatening injuries, but hospital staff suspected that it had been deliberate. The case of Cris and Cru highlighted disparities around infant deaths, bringing to the spotlight a 2003 statistic that revealed that Maori children were twice as likely to die as a result of family violence than non-Maori children. In 2020, one child died every 5 weeks as a result of family violence, and UNICEF ranked NZ 35th out of 41 OECD countries for child wellbeing outcomes. Leave us a review! https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bad-apple-a-true-crime-podcast/id1525665839

    30 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Bad Apple: A True Crime Podcast hones in on the world of Aus and NZ true-crime, from chilling unsolved disappearances to the most infamous serial killers. Join us as we take a closer look at the bad apples lurking in our own backyards. Hosted by Rylee and Helen. Insta and Twitter @badapplethepod Leave us a review: https://lnk.bio/HlOI Bad Apple is recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

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