Voices for the Victims
One ordinary day almost a decade ago, John Beckenridge abducted his stepson, Mike, from school and vanished.
Police investigated for four years, but with no proof of what happened, asked a court to make sense of the crime.
That court heard dozens of hours of evidence, and tried to determine how a marriage breakdown became a manhunt and then a mystery.
As well as a kidnapping, the story includes cryptic phone messages, a car plunging from an 80-metre cliff and allegations of secret bank accounts,
9 most recent episodes
Visit website →Nearly eleven years to the day a car plummeted off an 80-metre cliff, the wait for answers finally ends. Coroner Marcus Elliott delivers a 200-page decision that weighs the theory of a brilliant, staged escape against a tragic murder-suicide.
This b
A bombshell revelation suggests a huge twist as the coroner's hearing resumes. But, amid highly unusual scenes, the evidence doesn't quite match what the courtroom was expecting.
This bonus episide was scripted, hosted and produced by Michael Wright
Michael Wright, Co-host of The Lost Boy, joins Gemma Bath on True Crime Conversations to discuss The Lost Boy podcast and the disappearance of Mike Zhao-Beckenridge and John Beckenridge.
Follow True Crime Conversations on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or
Fiona and her new partner are convinced John and Mike are still alive. A private investigator uncovers new leads, including an international eye-witness, as he makes the case that John went to incredible lengths to fake their deaths and flee the coun
In 1987, a Swedish helicopter pilot meets a Danish nurse in Greenland. They move to Australia and have two children but their relationship deteriorates and the pilot disappears. Who is he, and what does he have to do with the disappearance of John an
At the foot of high cliffs on a remote and wind-lashed edge of New Zealand, expert divers discover the wreckage of John Beckenridge’s car. Washed-up nearby is Mike’s favourite soft toy. Police have little doubt they were in the car when it plunged in
Police intensify their search as concerns about the wellbeing of John and Mike grow. The discovery of a swiftly abandoned campsite and a string of troubling text messages provide crucial leads.
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to pr
Separated by a court, John and Mike assign each other code names as they swap secret messages. With Mike’s frustrations about his new life growing, John plots his next, shocking move.
Podcasts like this take lots of time and resources to produce, whi
When Fiona Lu leaves her husband - and a relationship that began in war-torn Afghanistan - she has to leave her son too. Her departure prompts a furious note on a calendar and kickstarts a bitter custody dispute.
Podcasts like this take lots of time