Voices for the Victims
'Blood on the Tracks' is the latest season of Unravel, the ABC's award-winning true crime podcast. After explosive new developments in the case, this podcast — first released in 2018 — has been updated and re-released.
Just outside Australia's country music capital, a young man's body is found on the train tracks, surrounded by shattered Christmas presents and discarded wrapping paper. For decades, the mystery has haunted Tamworth. After Unravel's award-winning first season, 'Blood on the Track
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Visit website →It's 2025, and the NSW Deputy Coroner is holding a fresh inquest into the death of Gomeroi teenager Mark Haines, who was found dead on the train tracks back in 1988.
As the inquest hearings spiral over a year a half, new witnesses appear with explos
Years of investigation have led to this moment … a major breakthrough in the case, a potential answer to thirty years of mystery and pain for the Haines family.
An alleged confession has revealed who might have placed Mark's body on the train tracks
Allan and the team shift their focus to Tamworth and the truth starts to emerge from a fog of rumours. As Allan builds on the case, he discovers the police aren't far behind.
An eyewitness comes forward. Key witnesses are confronted for the first ti
More than two decades have passed since the coronial inquest into Mark Haines' death. The family have been forgotten about — until news reporter Allan Clarke arrives in Tamworth on a routine story and becomes convinced this is a major injustice.
All
Nine months after Mark's death, an inquest is held. The family are hopeful it will give them answers, but the police won't budge from their theory that he put himself on the tracks.
As the hearing unfolds, the family find out just how mediocre the i
On the surface, Tamworth in 1988 is a typical Aussie town with rodeos, farmers and an active Country Women's Association. But beneath the friendly veneer, there's a thriving criminal underbelly. Large marijuana crops grow on the outskirts of town and
When Mark Haines dies, news of the teenager's death spreads quickly through Tamworth and beyond. His family are on summer holidays in different parts of the state and rush home to be together in grief.
While the family mourns and Mark's body is in t
Just outside Australia's country music capital, a young man's body is found on the train tracks, surrounded by shattered Christmas presents and discarded wrapping paper.
For decades, the mystery has haunted Tamworth.
After Unravel's first season B
Go behind the scenes of the podcast with reporter Alicia Bridges, who answers questions about how she investigated Mr Big.
Asking the hard questions is Rachael Brown, the host of the ABC's first true crime podcast, Trace.
They discuss some of the c
As Alicia Bridges investigates the beginnings of an epic deception, she finds it spans across continents. At the heart of the deception is an upside-down world of gang crime, and a series of dilemmas. What secrets should stay secret? How far would yo
A knife is found near a drain, but is it the one police looking for? A man is put on trial, and the court hears the evidence against him. But as each side mounts their case, which piece of evidence will really matter when the time comes for the jury
A life filled with diamond deals, drug money, bribes and corruption is strange enough. But the truth is even stranger. Deeper forces are at work, with a bigger purpose. Mr Big's web of secrets is revealed.
As Alicia digs further into what happened i
Mr Big, the mysterious head of a criminal gang, calls a meeting at Crown Towers Casino and demands to know everything about the murder of Mary Cook. For hours, two men talk. Lies are told, and a confession emerges. But how do you tell the truth from
If you're under investigation, the last thing you should do is commit more crimes. But this suspect is on a slippery slope. Small jobs become bigger jobs. Fake diamonds, huge sums of cash, and guns pass hands. A network of corrupt cops, government an
Everyone says one man in the neighbourhood, Terry Britton, is dangerous. But could there be someone else who wished Mary harm? Terry has a temper and a history of violence. He threatened Mary Cook and her kids. Then Mary was murdered, and her house w
A killer is caught on tape talking about a murder with a mysterious crime boss. Earlier, on a summer's night in suburban Melbourne, a mother of three is stabbed, and her house is set on fire. Firefighters race to the house, but the blaze is too inten
Go behind the scenes of the podcast with co-reporters Crispian and Alex as they describe how they made this season of Unravel True Crime.
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Host and co-reporter: Crispian Chan
Co-reporter: Alex Mann
Producer and researcher: Dunja Kara
Crispian and Alex find troubling signs among current-day extremist groups. Meanwhile, in this episode of Unravel True Crime the restaurant kids discuss how they processed what happened to their families.
Crispian and Alex hit the road to track down the gang's leader, Jack Van Tongeren. It turns out that Jack's past contains some big surprises. Meanwhile, in this episode of Unravel True Crime a former member of the gang reveals its secrets.
A decade later, the gang reemerges. In this episode of Unravel True Crime, Crispian and Alex come face to face with a former follower of the gang at a men's health and yoga retreat, sparking a bizarre and emotional reckoning.
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Host a
A risky undercover operation strikes at the heart of the firebombing gang. But in this episode of Unravel True Crime, hatred reverberates around the city, and lives are lost.
(Audio of Russell Willey courtesy of Anthony Buckley AM, from the film ‘N
As police struggle to keep up with a wave of terrorism, unlikely defenders emerge to confront the city's gangs.
In this episode of Unravel True Crime, activists are badly beaten, and the neo-Nazi gang is starting to push its luck, but the police sti
The city has been blanketed in threatening posters. The list of suspects narrows as the fire bombers' potential motivations become clearer.
In this episode of Unravel True Crime, Police become suspicious of a hardened and fanatical group of neo-Nazi
Chinese restaurants are being firebombed in the dead of night. As the attacks spread, police scramble to work out what is happening in the city.
In this episode of Firebomb, host Crispian Chan sets out to investigate the events surrounding the fire
After the confrontation in the supermarket carpark, Ollie is left feeling confused — has he been charmed just like everyone else in this story? Will Lezlie fail to keep her promises to Ollie or leave him and his family hanging?
Ollie and Simon have criss-crossed California to find themselves parked in a supermarket car park staking out where Lezlie supposedly works. They may only have one shot to talk to her and finally get some answers. It doesn't go the way Ollie imagined
Ollie and his brother Simon follow the trail of broken dreams and failed restaurants to Paso Robles, California. It's apparent Lezlie's exploits didn't stop when she left New Zealand. Ollie discovers his former sister-in-law had manufactured an image
Following the trail to Lezlie Manukian, Ollie and his other brother Simon end up in California. With a muscle car and loud Hawaiian shirts, the brothers look every bit like '80s TV detectives as they head off on their very first stakeout. But, when t
Lezlie Manukian's stories about her time in Hawaii usually ended with murderous local mobsters running her off the island. So, to track down his brother Greg's ex-wife, Ollie Wards needs to understand her past. What really happened according to "the
Ollie and Greg's dad, David Wards, picks through the clues left behind by Greg's American wife, Lezlie. He realises that the entire family may have been victims of an elaborate con job.
David is obsessed with finding answers, launching his own inves
When Ollie Wards' brother Greg marries his American dream girl in New Zealand and they go into business together, it seems like a perfect start to a new life. But only a few months later, Greg is heartbroken, the family home is gone — and so is Lezli
Some of the most explosive moments in Belinda Peisley’s inquest happen between lawyer Phil Strickland and the man we’re calling Luke.
Luke admits to using heroin and to staying on Belinda’s floor from time to time, like a lot of their crowd in Katoo
Jeremy Ward Douglas was going out with Belinda Peisley’s best friend, Heidi Wailes, at the time Belinda disappeared. The inquest into her death heard Jeremy had a reputation around town as a violent and controlling guy with a short temper who would h
Heidi Wailes was close to Belinda and says she looked out for Belinda like an older sister would. But a break-in at Belinda’s house just days before she disappeared suggests Heidi might not have always been the friend she claimed to be.
Many, includ
We go inside the courtroom at Belinda Peisley's inquest to hear firsthand the arguments, phone taps and witness testimony. Jason*, Belinda's boyfriend at the time, says he met up with her on the night she disappeared. They had an argument at her hous
Belinda Peisley's life descended into chaos after her 18th birthday when she received a big inheritance and bought her own place in Katoomba. Her family hoped the house would set her up for life but, instead, her new address became a magnet for a wor
It’s the lead Ruby and Neil have hoped for — a tip-off from an old law enforcement source about a potential burial site for Trudie Adams.
Deep in Kur-ing-gai National Park is a place called Christmas Tree Hill and, rumour has it, a guy nicknamed "Ch
Investigating the link between a career criminal, Trudie ... and a corrupt cop.
For decades, Neville Tween evaded scrutiny by law enforcement, despite being a well-known career criminal. But what if he was protected?
Not long after Trudie’s inquest
Neville Tween appeared at the inquest into Trudie’s disappearance in 2011. Unravel has been given access to Tween’s evidence — and for the first time ever, his voice is being aired.
This is the man that multiple detectives think is responsible for t
Despite the similarities between the disappearance of Trudie Adams and the assaults on fourteen women on Sydney’s northern beaches, the case goes cold for almost two decades.
That is until 1992, when fresh eyes re-examine an old lead and police thin
A chilling visit to bushland where abducted hitch-hikers are taken.
In the days and weeks after Trudie’s disappearance, a series of women come forward to the police telling similar, terrible stories about being targeted by two men on the northern be
Trudie Adams was last seen hitching a ride home from a dance in Newport on Sydney’s northern beaches. The last known person to see her alive was her boyfriend, Steve Norris. Or more accurately, her soon to be ex-boyfriend.
Police label Steve as a pe
A heart breaking search for the hitch-hike girl. For a free-spirited teenager, growing up on Sydney’s northern beaches in the '70s was as good as it gets. Endless perfect surf breaks, days spent lounging on the beach with mates, parties every weekend
Years of investigation have led to this moment ... a major breakthrough in the case, a potential answer to thirty years of mystery and pain for the Haines family.
An alleged confession has revealed who might have placed Mark’s body on the train trac
Allan and the team shift their focus to Tamworth and the truth starts to emerge from a fog of rumours. As Allan builds on the case, he discovers the police aren’t far behind.
An eyewitness comes forward. Key witnesses are confronted for the first ti
More than two decades have passed since the coronial inquest into Mark Haines’ death. The family have been forgotten about — until news reporter Allan Clarke arrives in Tamworth on a routine story and becomes convinced this is a major injustice.
All
The family's hopes for an answer at the inquest fade fast.
Nine months after Mark’s death, an inquest is held. The family are hopeful it will give them answers, but the police won’t budge from their theory that he put himself on the tracks.
As the
Violence erupts as Uncle Duck and the family confront their number one suspect.
On the surface, Tamworth in 1988 is a typical Aussie town with rodeos, farmers and an active Country Women’s Association. But beneath the friendly veneer, there’s a thr
Mark Haines' family challenge the police investigation.
When Mark Haines dies, news of the teenager's death spreads quickly through Tamworth and beyond. His family are on summer holidays in different parts of the state and rush home to be together
Thirty years of mystery surrounds the death of 17-year-old Mark Haines.
It’s the summer of 1988. A train hits a person early in the morning on its way out of Tamworth. Straight away, something doesn’t add up about the scene where the body is found.