Cold Case Australia

When 29-year-old Bobbie Oberholtzer hopped into the car of her killer, it was the second time she had hitchhiked that day. Oberholtzer worked in Breckenridge, a popular ski resort town in Colorado. The temperature in January routinely sits below zero degrees celsius, so those who live in nearby towns would regularly hitch rides from the… Continue reading The pair of orange socks that link two grisly murders

Although the campus sits on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Juilliard College seems like a small village within a bustling city. With less than a thousand students at any one time and a reputation as the world’s top performing arts school, admittance is highly competitive. Small, intensive classes mean that students quickly forge close… Continue reading The ritualistic slaying of Sarah Fox, and the ‘psychic’ suspect who claims to speak to her

Steve Rose had only been working at McDonald’s for a week when he was shot execution-style in the temple. He was the newly minted store manager, a role he shared with Fredrick Kea, another young man who was shot in the chest and killed in the doorway of the store, in the city of Macon,… Continue reading Who committed the McDonald’s double murders?

When a pair of teenage girls decided to hitchhike home in a small regional city in NSW, one of them made it out. The other didn’t. Every year, Jessica Small’s mother, sister, her nephews and nieces she never got the chance to meet, place flowers near the Hereford Street River in honour of her short… Continue reading Jessica Small: The unsolved Bathurst hitch-hiker murder

In 1949, Jean Spangler was about to become a huge star. Starting her career as a model and dancer, the beautiful 26-year-old had nabbed a powerful agent, a strong circle of influential supporters, and had recently transitioned into Hollywood film roles. She was destined for the big time, and then she disappeared. Her purse was found two days… Continue reading A cryptic note and Kirk Douglas: What happened to actress Jean Spangler?

Gordana Kotevski, a carefree teenager, left a shopping mall to walk home and then vanished. It’s one of Australia’s most baffling cases. Somebody knows what happened to Gordana For teenagers who grow up in the suburbs of Newcastle, Thursday late-night shopping at Charlestown Square mall affords a rare chance to stay out after dark in… Continue reading Somebody knows what happened to Gordana

It’s the murder mystery that has stumped a small village for more than 70 years. In April, 1943, four teenage boys discovered a skeleton in the hollowed-out body of a wych elm tree. At first, the boys only found the skull, initially believing it to be the remains of an animal. They pulled it out… Continue reading Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

John Lyons and his wife were strolling along Somerton Beach in South Australia when they noticed a man lying slouched against the seawall at an uncomfortable angle. His body was flat, his head was propped up awkwardly on the concrete wall. Lyons was worried, only because the mosquitoes were out in force and the man… Continue reading Who is the Somerton Man?

At Royal Perth Golf Course a beautiful woman sat in a parked Dodge Phoenix, wearing a ball gown, and draped in expensive jewellery. It was an elegant scene, except Shirley Finn had just been shot four times in the head execution style. Ms Finn was a well-connected socialite, a nightclub owner, and the madam of… Continue reading Corrupt cops, a promiscuous premier, and a murdered madam: WA’s most infamous scandal