Two leading investigative specialists believe they may have found the final resting place of Peter Falconio, a British backpacker murdered in Australia 25 years ago. Bradley John Murdoch killed Falconio, 28, and assaulted his girlfriend Joanne Lees at gunpoint on a remote stretch of the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory in July 2001.
Murdoch was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for at least 28 years for the crime. He was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019 and died in July last year. Authorities had long believed Murdoch disposed of Falconio's body somewhere in the remote desert between Alice Springs and Broome, a vast area exceeding 1,200 miles. Despite numerous searches, the body has never been found.
Kathy Canning-Mello, a former FBI criminal profiler, and Dr. Mark Harrison, a geoforensic search specialist, re-examined the case for a new documentary, "Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder." Utilizing new technology and forensic techniques, they focused on Murdoch's criminal profile and behavior to gain insights into his motives and the possible location of Falconio's remains.
The investigative duo identified an abandoned racecourse, approximately five miles and less than a ten-minute drive from the murder scene, as a potential disposal site. Canning-Mello suggested that Murdoch would have considered this disused location suitable for hiding a body, believing it would deter discovery.
"He knows it's been disused for a couple of years, there's not going to be anyone that's going to be interfering with his plan," Canning-Mello stated in a clip from the documentary. "He knows 'I can make sure that this body is not found'. He surmises that the police are probably going to be covering this area. So he's going to be pretty careful about the location that he chooses."
She added that despite Murdoch's impulsiveness, his method of disposal was effective, noting that Falconio's body has remained unfound for 25 years. IMAGE10
Falconio and Lees, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, were traveling in a camper van when Murdoch pulled alongside them on the Stuart Highway, claiming to have seen sparks from their vehicle. He then shot Falconio as he inspected the van and assaulted Lees, binding her wrists with cable ties. Lees managed to escape and was later found by a passing truck driver.
Peter Falconio's parents, Joan and Luciano Falconio, expressed relief at Murdoch's death but also a lingering hope that their son's remains would eventually be found. "We haven't found Peter's body, so there is no moving on," Joan Falconio said in a recent interview. "There can never be closure unless we find him."
In the months leading up to Murdoch's death, the Falconios recorded a video appeal to him, asking him to reveal their son's burial location. However, reports indicated that Murdoch refused to watch the message.
Northern Territory Police confirmed that Murdoch did not provide any information about Falconio's body before his death, a silence they described as "deeply regrettable." In June of the previous year, police announced a reward of AUD$500,000 for information leading to the discovery of Falconio's remains.
The documentary "Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder" will explore the events surrounding Falconio's disappearance, the subsequent investigation, and a re-examination of Lees's experience, including the intense police scrutiny she faced after the attack. IMAGE5 IMAGE2 IMAGE3 IMAGE4 IMAGE6 IMAGE7 IMAGE8 IMAGE9 IMAGE11 IMAGE12