www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2016 (VEHICLE DOOR CLOSES) G'day, mate. What are you doing? Let me guess. You're looking for a lift, right? -(ENGLISH ACCENT) Uh, yeah. -Where are you off to? -Uh, Melbourne. -Right. I'm not going to Melbourne, mate. I'm going to Canberra. -Does that help? -Yeah, that'd be great. Alright. I just gotta go in the shop here. Take your stuff and whack it in the truck there. -And I'll be right out. -Cheers. -G'day anyway. Name's Bill. -Um, Paul. Paul Onions. Oh! Onions, like the bloody vegetable, mate. I think you're the first real Aussie bloke I've met. That's gotta be a bloody good thing, don't it? (ENGINE IDLES) Yeah, so I finished up and decided to get out and see the world a bit. Right. Do you, um, get any special forces training in the navy, do ya? No, no, no, nothing like that. Just... I worked on the air conditioners, actually, so... -I'm an engineer. -Engineer. How long you been in Australia? -Oh, about five weeks. -Right. You meeting anyone in Melbourne, are ya? No. Just, uh... Just heading to a job, actually. Fruit picking. You look a bit tired, mate. Should have a sleep. I'll look after the driving. What's going on? BILL: When you get this far out of Sydney, the...radio doesn't pick up stations, so I'll just head in back for my tapes, OK? -Hey, mate, what are you doing? -I was just stretching my legs. -No, stay in the car, mate. -Just gonna stretch my legs. No. Stay... Just stay in the car, OK? I'm just gonna look for those tapes...under the seat. Is everything alright? Yeah. Everything's cool, mate. -You know what this is? -What? It's a robbery, you stupid Pommy prick. Mate, there's no need to do this. What you doing? Get back in the car. Put your seatbelt on. -What are you doing? -Shut up, mate. Get back in the car and put your seatbelt on. Alright? Just relax. (ROARS AND SHOUTS) -Stop! -Get back in the car, mate! -Get back in the bloody car! -Stop the car! Stop the car! -Get back in the car, mate! -He's got a gun! Stop the car! Stop! Stop, please! Stop the car, stop the car, stop the car. Stop. Please. Please, please, please. He's got a gun. He's got a gun. Get out. Get out. I've got kids in here! Get out! -(SHOUTS) -Drive! He's got a gun! He's got a gun. Just go. Just drive. Drive, drive. Go! YOUNG WOMAN: Knew you'd panic, Mum! We're nowhere near the earthquake. MAN: Ring us when you get there, Joanne. WOMAN: Really don't like you hitchhiking, OK? (VOICES OVERLAP) WOMAN: You're keeping safe, aren't you? WOMAN 2: If you need money, we'll send money, but no hitchhiking, alright, darling? WOMAN 3: Love you. Miss you heaps. MAN: Give us a call. Day or night. Doesn't matter. YOUNG WOMAN: If we get off at Casula, we don't have to pay. It's brill. YOUNG WOMAN 2: Call you tomorrow, Mum. -Give my love to Dad. -YOUNG MAN: Danke. WOMAN: It's lovely to talk to you. Don't do anything silly. YOUNG MAN: Gotta go. Love you. See you soon. YOUNG WOMAN: I'll call you tomorrow, Mum. YOUNG MAN: Speak soon. Call you when I get there. Love you. Tschss, Mama. YOUNG WOMAN: I miss you. ANNOUNCER: Is a callous murderer preying on young tourists? In Real Life, with Stan Grant. STAN GRANT: Welcome to Real Life. One of the main reasons foreign tourists give for coming to Australia is they see us as a safe country. How, then, to explain two young German backpackers vanishing without trace? As Jane Hansen finds, there've been other mysterious disappearances that raise fears of a criminal pattern. JANE HANSEN: In the past 18 months, six international tourists have gone missing in Australia without a trace, and the latest case is that of missing German couple Gabor Neugebauer and Anja Habschied, officially missing since Christmas. We are the parents of Gabor Neugebauer. We are looking for our son. JANE HANSEN: 21-year-old Gabor and 20-year-old Anja arrived in Australia last November. The couple had planned to return to Germany on January 24, but since their last phone call home on Christmas Eve, their families have heard nothing. This is our son, and this is his girlfriend, Anja Habschied. She has red in her hair. We want to know if anyone has any information of where they might be... -(DOOR CLOSES) -RECORDING: One new message. WOMAN: Hello, Paul - this is Dr Stein, your psychologist, confirming your session on Tuesday evening at 7pm. Thank you. (DISCONNECTED TONE) (BEEP) RECORDING: End of final message. (DOOR OPENS) -Not going to work today, Ivan? -What's that, Mum? -Not going to work? -Nah. Got the day off. (LAUGHS) Oh, looks really good. -Really, really good. -Oh, come on, Bodgey. -You're just saying that. -Nah. Can I help, brother, please? Oh, yeah, I suppose you can... ..hose the rims out if you want. -No worries. -Hey, mate, did you... -You got that Lotto ticket? -Oh, shit, yeah. -I almost forgot. There ya go. -Cheers. -Gotta be in it to win it, eh? -Mm-hm. You missed a spot, Bodge. -You missed a spot. -Where? Where? -Hey! Hey! What do ya think... -You love it. -Hey, Shirley! -Oh, you think that's funny? -Oh, you think that's funny? -Yeah, fuckin' do. -Come here. -MOTHER: Cut it out. -Here. Come here. -(SHOUTS) Do you like that? What about that? Cut it out! -You smell nice. -I what? You smell nice. Give me the hose! -SHIRLEY: You watch yourself. -Hey, Polly! -What's going on here? -Hey! -How are ya, champ? -Good, mate. Good to see ya, mate. Doin' alright? -Yeah. -Good man. -Remember Polly, don't youse? -G'day. He's working the Easter Show. I said he could just spend the night. -Is that alright, or... -Oh, yeah, whatever. MOTHER: Yeah, as long as he behaves. Yeah, he will. Turn it off. -Turn it bloody off. -Yeah, watch yourself. (ENGLISH ACCENT) I heard if we get off at a place called Casula, no-one mans the station. -We don't have to pay. -Well, I don't mind paying. Why pay if you don't have to? It's brill. And we just hitch from there. When did you get that? Lovely, isn't it? Mum and Dad sent it. Yeah. Right, you ready? -Oh, this is gonna be great, Jo. -(GIGGLES) YOUNG WOMAN: Mum and Dad would be stunned if they knew. Fruit picking, me? They'd laugh. (DOOR OPENS) (DOOR CLOSES) Jesus Christ, Ivan. You, um... you been shooting? Yeah. Yeah, what'd you... catch, a roo, yeah? (KETTLE WHISTLES) Want a cup of coffee? I'll, um... I'll get ya a coffee. How do you take it? Black. WOMAN: We can't put our minds to anything. Not cooking, not work. The pressure's too much for us. Jo's been missing four months now. And, um... ..I just want things to get back to normal, for Jo to ring up so we can... go on with our lives. There has to be someone out here that knows something. PAUL: I'd just like to add, at this point, there's... ..nothing to suggest that either Joanne or Caroline have been harmed in any way, so... Detective Gordon, do you have any idea where they could be? The girls, they were last seen leaving Kings Cross on April 18 south of Sydney. There were unconfirmed sightings of them later that day. I'm asking if you have any idea where they are now. No - at this point, we have no clues as to their present whereabouts. MAN: Which is why we've come from Wales to appeal to someone who must know. Where is our daughter? Where is Joanne? Please? Not much has changed, except it feels different. It changes how easily you can Peek a flight, check a post, search for dinner. Ooh, you guys are gonna love that place. You can find a getaway easier,... Yeah, go there. ...and find music easier. Wait, are you listening to your own song? No, I was` Uh, hello? So pretty much everything you do feels different. And that's what's changed. 1 1 -You know where you are? -You're a lunatic. -You run too fast, mate. -You run too slow. Keith? Keith! Oh, shit. Uh, this is Detective Godden. -Bob Godden. -Yeah. The constable will take your details. We'll get back to you shortly. I was just along my normal track and there was this... ..this stench. WOMAN: Joanne Walters's body was lying on her stomach with her right arm stretched above her head. The body was badly decomposed, especially about the upper torso. Around Miss Walters's head was the remains of a cloth gag, tied in a knot near her right ear, with another piece of cloth wedged between her teeth. The body was stabbed 14 times about the neck and chest. One of the wounds cut hard into the spine and would have paralysed the victim if she was alive at the time. Miss Walters's jeans were fastened at the top, but the lower four buttons were undone. There was no underwear on the body. WOMAN 2: Find! Find! WOMAN 1: Caroline Clarke's body, like Miss Walters's, was found lying facedown. The victim was stabbed once in the middle of the back, and a maroon jumper was found tied around her head. Miss Clarke had been shot 10 times in the skull. No. -No! No! No! -MAN: Jill. Jill. Jill. No! No! -No! No! -Shh, shh, shh. Jill. Shh. (SOBS) -Neil. -G'day, mate. -How are you? -Good, good. Yeah, thanks for letting me come down. You know, I... I promised the parents I'd ask around for 'em. Yeah, of course. Of course, mate. -How you doing? You OK now? -Yeah, yeah. -It's all done with. -Good. Bob. Detective Senior Constable Paul Gordon. -G'day, mate. Bob Godden. -Paul. You know what the forest blokes call this place? -Executioners Drop. -Oh. Well, don't go telling the press guys that. Oh, yeah, those pricks, they know already. -(SHOTS CRACK) -What was that? Pistol Club. -Have you been up there? -Yeah. They know nothing. Never heard nothing, never seen nothing. It's like fuckin' 'Hogan's Heroes'. Have you fellas worked out what happened here? Well, look, the best we can surmise is that the killer, or killers, parked back there, walked 'em up from the fire trail. There were cigarettes found. How many butts, Bob? Six. Royalties. You think the killer was a smoker? It's either him or Caroline. Joanne Walters didn't smoke. What about all their gear? Packs, sleeping bags? BOB: He would have got rid of 'em if he had any sense. We think Caroline was shot there. (SOBS) Help me, please! Help me! Please! BOB: And then he dragged her body all the way down there and covered it up. NEIL: Like he was ashamed. BOB: Or he didn't want to get caught. Poor girls. What a place to die. Good evening. Police have formally identified one of two bodies found in the Southern Highlands as that of British tourist Joanne Walters. The body of the other woman, found near Bowral, is thought to be Joanne's travelling companion, Caroline Clarke. MAN: Police believe the 22-year-old women were murdered somewhere between the Picton Road and the F5 Freeway. MAN 2: Miss Walters died in a frenzied knife attack while the other victim was killed by gunshot wounds... MAN 3: ..in Belanglo State Forest, where the girls' bodies were discovered, the search continues for any sign of the murder weapon. MAN 4: Could have been dumped anywhere in the 5km of pine forest between the bush graves and the F5... MAN 5: Joanne Walters's father, Ray, has described his daughter's unidentified killer as a dog who should be put down. -Ivan? -Mmm? Ivan, where's that camera that used to be in the lounge? -It's just in the drawer. -Yeah, Stace had her baby. -I want to take some pickies. -OK. (CAMERA CLICKS) Hi. (CAMERA CLICKS) You're a good-looking bloke, Ivan. -Am I? -Mm-hm. You know the girls like you, don't you? It's 'cause you're polite. You open doors for them and stuff. You should get out more. I get out. You should come to the movies with me tonight. I don't go on dates with me sister. It's not a date. Come to the movies with me tonight. I got a surprise for you. (WOMAN MOANS IN MOVIE) -I'll just go get the car. -OK. I'm sorry. I forgot your name. -Shirley said it so quick. -Oh. It's alright. -Chalinder. -Chalinder. You know I work with Shirley? Yeah, she said that. Look...if I'd known what this movie was like, I would never have taken ya. I feel bad about it. I'm sorry. It's OK. It was a bit... surprising. It was, yeah. -Do you go to the movies a lot? -Oh, when I can. -Do you? -Sure. You know, if you wanted to, we could maybe go... ..see a better one some night. Yeah. That'd be nice. Good. PAUL GORDON: They're trying to find out who did it. No... The detectives, they're very good, Mr Walters. Yeah. Well, it's...it's... It's not really my case, so... No, I will. I'll give 'em a call. OK. Goodbye. (SIGHS AND DISCONNECTS) PAUL: For 14 years, I worked hard... ..become a good detective. I guess I lost my confidence. I started to... to doubt my judgement. I was making some bad connections on cases. So, what's the problem, Paul? I don't think my bosses trust me anymore. -You want to leave the police? -It's all I've got. I just want to help. Just want a chance. I just want to prove I'm not a fuckwit. They haven't found 'em all. There's more bodies. WOMAN: What the hell would you know? Why don't you call the cops and tell them if you know so much, mate? Come on, Des. We gotta get back to work. Did you hear what he was saying? Oh, it's just Richard. He said there's more bodies out there, Des. Yeah, he always talks shit when he's stoned. NEIL: Over the past weeks, over 100 police have been involved in a detailed search of Belanglo State Forest. It is a huge area. Though we've found a number of leads, there are no definite suspects at this point. But, thankfully, we're also very confident that there are no more bodies in the forest, and, therefore, at this point, we will be suspending the search indefinitely. (BEEPING) (CAMERA CLICKS) MAN: Fuck! BOB: So, what were you doing all the way out here? MAN: I thought you blokes stopped looking too soon after those first girls were found. -What you looking for, Bruce? -Evidence. -I was just trying to help. -Why take the skull with you? I didn't think anyone would believe me if I didn't. Here. Come this way, mate. -We know who it is? -Yeah. Andy's pretty sure it's the Everist girl. Went missing after the Newcastle earthquake. And that's the boy that was with her, James Gibson? They think so. Neil. We got bodies in here from 1989. And the English girls that went missing last year. It's the same guy. Those girls were less than a kilometre away, Bob. It's not your fault - a thousand men could search this area and not find anything. A fuckin' potter found it on his day off. I called the search off too early, Bob. I knew there were more bodies here. I knew it. It's not your fault. The remains of James Gibson and Deborah Everist were found just 600 metres from where the bodies of Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters were discovered 13 months ago. Both young Victorians died from multiple stab wounds, and there were signs that Miss Everist had been hogtied with her own tights. The police have admitted similarities between the two crime scenes and will start re-examining missing persons... MAN: James Gibson and his girlfriend, Deborah Everist, were found within walking distance of where the bodies of British backpackers Joanne Walters... MAN 2: ..arriving in Belanglo State Forest this morning. MAN 3: Police were then ordered not to leave a stone unturned. MAN 4: ..directly linked to the murders of Joanne Walters... WOMAN: And today, the police conceded that the disappearance of German backpackers Simone Schmiedl, Anja Habschied and Gabor Neugebauer will now be included in the investigation. None of the young Germans have been seen since 1991. Gabor's parents flew to Australia and appeared on Stan Grant's 'Real Life'... I bet there's lots of bodies out there. Dozens of them. WOMAN: In response to the massive public outcry at the discovery of new bodies, Police Minister Terry Griffiths and Commissioner Tony Lauer announced today the creation of a task force to investigate the murders in the Belanglo State Forest. You look nice. You ready? WOMAN: Superintendent Clive Small, one of New South Wales's hardest-working and most experienced officers, has been appointed to lead the task force. MAN: Clive. CLIVE: They want 20 investigators on this full-time. Bob Godden and Neil Birse, they'll stay. Can we get some blokes who helped with the granny killer? Now, I need Ds who can handle the long haul. Alright? Want you as my number two. -Have the most high-profile police job in Australia. -Right. Unless we get a breakthrough, could be on this for years. Yep. Right again. Whoever did this, Clive, he's had years to cover his tracks. -We may never catch him. -Tell me something I don't know. MAN: Everyone'll blame you if we don't. Yep, I know. If we fail, there goes my career. So we better not muck it up. (PHONE RINGS) Paul? Neil Birse. Neil. Hey. How are ya? You alright? You sound a bit... Yeah, sorry, mate. You just caught me eating a sandwich. Look, I've got some good news, mate. We're setting up a task force to look into those kids' murders. -We'd like you on it. -You're shittin' me. No. Can you get down to Bowral today, as soon as? Yeah. No. Yeah. I... I... Yeah. No worries. (TYRES SCREECH) You right? Task Force Air is what we will be known as. -Sorry I'm late. I just... -Bob. This task force is no reflection on what you and Neil have done. You've eliminated dozens of suspects. I've been directed to put a great deal more resources into the investigation. Now, our first task will be to consolidate all the information gathered so far on the four murders and to review any possible connections between them and other missing persons. Rod. I've compiled a list of 43 people who fit the brief of potential victims who could still be out there. I don't know if they are or aren't related to this, but they could be, and that number is never to be released to the press. This is a priority - there will be one voice relaying information, so nobody speaks to the press but me. -Is that clear? -Yes, boss. Is that clear? -OTHERS: Yes, sir. -Good. Alright, Neil, Bob. -Show the boys where to start. -MAN: How you going, mate? -Mark Camenzuli. -Paul. Hey. Hey. Hey, Neil. Sorry, Superintendent Small? Uh, hey. Detective Paul Gordon. I just want to say, it's a... It's a real pleasure to meet you, sir, and I want to let you know, I'm... ..I'm ready for anything you want to throw my way. Terrific. Go and get some coffees for the team, will you? Take him with you. Just flat whites all around. Oh, and some Danish - very good patisserie, just down the road on the left. Paul. Yeah. CLIVE: Alright. Yep. -You tasting that? -What? You got your head so far up Small's arse, even I'm tasting your shit. I'm just... I'm just being friendly, alright? Yeah. Look how well that turned out, mate. Listen. We're two of the lowest-ranked guys here, shitkickers. All they want us to do is get the coffee and shut the fuck up. Is this your car? There's a parking ticket for ya. I just want to remind you... This is a loading zone. You can't park here. (STARTS CAR) There you go. (BOTH LAUGH) Oh. That's me old mum. CHALINDER: Oh. Oh-ho. Who's that? That's me older brother, Boris, with his wife, Marilyn. Marriage didn't work out. And that's me brother, Wally, with his wife, Maureen. -That didn't work out either. -Oh. Who's that? IVAN: That's, uh... That's me sister Margaret. She was only just 16, you know. IVAN: Margaret! Margaret! Margaret! Fuck! IVAN: They were on the way home. They were...not even half a mile away from the house. Wally was driving, and... She went through the windscreen. (SIRENS APPROACH) Hey. I understand. (CAMERA CLICKS) All of Joanne's photos are still missing. I appeal to anybody, even to the person who has done this terrible thing, if they could post the photos to the police. They're the only thing I'll have left of Joanne. CLIVE: Bob. Um, that was Joanne Walters's mother, Jill. Uh, yes. MAN: Do you think the victims were robbed? CLIVE: Look, we don't think that's the case. Almost no property from the victims - backpacks, sleeping bags or tents - have been recovered, so we do think there's a good likelihood they're still in the community. We'll be posting a list tomorrow of exactly what's missing. -Yes? -WOMAN: Sir. Everyone in here's pretty bloody terrified. Doug's sleeping with a gun under our bed 'cause, well, makes sense, don't it, that the person responsible for this is local? CLIVE: Look, at this point, we don't think the sites were chosen at random, so... ..a knowledge of the area does seem a likely assumption. Do you have any suspects yet? CLIVE: We believe we've got a better idea of what has happened and where we should be going, so to that extent, we do think... But do you have any suspects? None we're prepared to share with you, Ms Kilmarten. Yes? MAN: Superintendent, are there any more bodies in the forest... He just told us fuck-all. CLIVE.. something that we are prepared to speculate on. That's 'cause that's all you have, right? PAUL: Go home, Miss Kilmarten. CLIVE: As far as we know, there's absolutely no evidence that anyone has been abducted from the Bowral area. Oh, I hope your mum likes her Chrissie presents. Just make sure you hide 'em real well so she doesn't find 'em. -Hi, Alex. -Hi, Chalin... -G'day. -You're full of surprises. -Full, full, full of 'em. -Am I? Yeah, Shirl told me you're seeing her regular now, this Chilly Chilly Bang Bang. Mate, you just call her Cylinder, OK? That way, you'll be able to remember it easier. Yeah, well... Shirl reckons everything's alright. You're alright, she's alright, everything's alright. Yeah. We're good. Real good. -Still, I find that surprising. -Why? Well, you never did like brown people much. Alex... You know, she's real nice, OK? Real nice. -You'll find out. -Like I said, surprising. Full, full, full of surprises. -Shirl? -Yeah? Can I ask you a question about Ivan? It's just that... I know he was married before, and he doesn't talk about it, and...and that's fine. But it's just that I saw this photo and the other person was ripped. Yeah, that's his ex-wife, Karen Duck. I mean, she's a bitch. Pardon the French, but, fuck, a dog's a dog. -(CRIES) -Shh, shh, shh. Mum. She had this kid, who Ivan took care of like he was his own. He supported both of them. And then on Valentine's Day, Karen, she packs up and she takes everything. Ivan said he'd come home, everything's just gone. Well, why did she leave like that? I don't know. Ivan was good to them. Destroyed him. Anyway. Likes you, doesn't he? But you know that. (LAUGHS) He doesn't give away much. Well, Ivan's not very good at, um... ..opening up. You know, Chalinder, we come from a huge family. There's 14 of us. So... There's always trouble, always fights, nothing's ever easy, nothing's ever soft, you know. Yeah, Ivan might not say it, but he needs you, Chalinder. Doesn't do so good on his own. Stop moping. The lad's gone. Oh. Yeah. (SIGHS) Oh. (SIGHS) Grandpa? Are you there? Sorry. Grandpa? CELL PHONE BUZZES, CHIMES INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS You've sent it. (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) Whacko. CELL PHONE BUZZES, CHIMES Whether it's simple tips or tricky tech solutions, Vodafone Ninjas are here to help. -ROD: They want us to use this? -CLIVE: Bowral's too small. We need a command centre. This place doesn't even have power or phones. How are we supposed to track down a killer without phones? Get them in. Air conditioning too. We could be here some time. Uh, the toilets don't work. Where am I supposed to put this? I think we're ready to go, Clive. All we need now is some evidence. Couple of suspects with form would be nice. Alright - the press, the public, everyone is gonna be screaming for answers, demanding that we catch this bloke now. But we will stay calm, do everything the right way, so that we don't miss anything, so when we do catch him, no lawyer will be able to get him off on appeal because we screwed something up. Now, this is where we know our killer has been - Belanglo State Forest - and it's where I know that he will have left some clue to his identity. The search area comes after five k's of pine plantation. Belanglo Forest itself is 3,800 hectares of very, very rough terrain. PAUL: Sir, how big is a hectare? A hectare is 10,000 square metres. What, so 38,000 is... -38 million square metres. -It's big. It's big. Ger, bring us up to speed on the gun. -This is our best lead. -GER: Yeah, thanks, Clive. A year ago, I did forensics on the bullets recovered from Miss Clarke. All 10 casings held a distinctive signature on the heel of the case. Combining this with the grooves found on the bullets, I'm fairly certain a silencer was used, that the murder weapon is a Ruger 10/22. The 10/22 is self-loading. It has a 10-round rotary box. Which means the killer emptied a full magazine into Miss Clarke. Well, what's the bad news? and of that number, probably 50,000 are in Australia. NEIL: It's also possible the killer put an old bolt into a new model, so the amount of Rugers we're looking at, we have to check out maybe 100,000? Were any found when you checked the Clarke girl? All the owners we could locate in the area. -About 700. -Out of 100,000? And that's if the Ruger was bought legally. If the killer bought it illegally, then... And this is our best lead? So far, Detective. Neil... You're gonna lead a team to follow up the Rugers? NEIL: I'm heading back to the Pistol Club tomorrow. We've been informed that there's a witness down there remembers something around the time of the murders. Alright, Royce, will you bring us up to speed on what you've put together on the four victims so far? Yeah. Uh, Joanne Walters. Arrived in Sydney on 4 June 1991. She gave her address as Victoria Street Backpackers, Kings Cross. I know it's here somewhere. Just gotta find the bloody thing. Hey, Shirl. Hold this for a second, will ya? Hey, when I developed them photos of Stace's baby, there were a couple at the start. IVAN: Oh. Shop must have made a mistake, eh? I'll look after that. Oh, here it is. Joan? -Cheers. -(LAUGHS) Here you go, Joan. You should take this with you to Tasmania. -Oh. You sure? -Yeah. That's a good backpack. You don't want to give that away. Mate of mine gave it to me. He's heading back to New Zealand. He doesn't need it anymore. I don't need it. So... -May as well take it. -Oh! Thanks, Ivan. Who wants a snag? They're ready. (ALL CHATTER) CLIVE: From what we've been able to ascertain so far, the first victims found went missing just after Good Friday, Deborah Everist and James Gibson, just after Christmas. -The killer's on holiday? -Or maybe on a break from work. He might be a religious nut - there could be some kind of satanic element to all this. -Why do you think that? -He builds fires. It's a fucking camp fire, Paul. There's nothing satanic about it. CLIVE: The positioning of all four bodies is the same. Each victim was found lying down, covered by brush beside a log or a rock. Now, as Detective Gordon quite correctly points out, there was evidence of a fire at both sites, so maybe our bloke camped out. Now, the main difference between the two sites is that at the later one, Clarke and Walters, looks like he stayed a bit longer. Like he's growing more comfortable with what he's doing. (GUN CLICKS) (CHALINDER GIGGLES) (IVAN CHUCKLES) That was quite funny. Hey! I was using... What? Premier John Fahey announced the reward today as 300 extra police were called in to widen the search of the Belanglo State Forest. MAN: Mr Fahey vowed to bring the killer, or killers, to justice, announcing a massive reward for public information. Uh, thanks for talking to us, Mr Milat. No worries. Uh, that reward still on offer, mate? Yes. Yes, it is. Now, we've been informed you saw something at the Pistol Club. Oh, I did. Uh... It was about 4:00 on the Sunday. -Do you remember what date? -April 26, last year. Anzac weekend. I made a note of it. I left the Pistol Club with Bill Ayres. As we was getting close to the highway, I noticed two cars. One was a Ford Falcon, 1980, chocolate-brown. It was being followed by a four-wheel drive, two-tone, beige colour on the bottom, brown on top. When I looked in the cabin of the Falcon, first thing I seen was the driver was a tall person. Guess about 100 kilos. He had a big nose and Adam's apple. His hair was an orangey-red colour, which gave me the impression it may have been dyed. The male person sitting next to the driver was holding a shotgun, .410 model. In the rear seat, I seen a female person who I would describe as being in her 20s. She had what appeared to be a gag wrapped round her head and across her mouth. As we passed the Falcon, approached the four-wheel drive, I seen two male persons in the front, a male person in the back seat next to another female person. She had a gag across her mouth too. Honey-coloured material. I would estimate she was in her 20s, Caucasian as well. She appeared dumpier than the female I'd seen in the Falcon, with a... a Prince Valiant hairstyle which was cut collar-length. You saw two terrified women with gags on their mouths and you didn't report it to the police? -I'm reporting it now. -At the time. I was of the opinion it weren't serious. Just some young blokes taking girls in the forest to have a good time. -Good time? -Yeah. From my experience, I'm aware of the countless times young men and women are observed driving around the forest, looking for somewhere they can...have a good time. I didn't think this were no different. But I did think it was strange enough to write the rego number down on a piece of cardboard. -You wrote down the rego? -But I lost it. But from memory, it was... ..ALD...537. Or ALO. Or ACL. -Really? -Yeah. Are these the two girls that you saw, Mr Milat? Well, uh, yeah... Hang on. One appeared thinner and one heavier. But... Yeah. I think it's them. CLIVE: Why'd he wait 18 months to remember all this? NEIL: Oh, he didn't say. Look, he could be a nutter, Clive. It wouldn't be the first one we've had. CLIVE: He says he saw the girls on April 26. What's the last confirmed sighting? -18th. -The driver confirm his story? Look - Bill Ayres confirms that he drove Alex Milat from the Pistol Club. He saw some cars, but... that's all he remembers. -What do you think? -(SIGHS) Two cars travelling at 20 k's, couple of seconds at most, all that detail? Prince Valiant haircut, the colour of the gags. -Yeah. -Think it's bullshit, Clive. Why would he make it up? Alright. Double-check the information. G'day, sweetheart. What's going on? Hey, Rich. -What's up? -You heard about Alex? He's talking to them cops. He's saying some shit about guys and girls in the forest. -Yeah, and? -What's he saying that for? (LAUGHS) Well, mate, how the hell would I know? You know. Our brother is a bullshit artist. He thinks there's a bit of money in it, he's probably trying to get in on the reward. He'll crap on, mate. He'll crap on till they pay him to shut up. Don't worry about it. You were there. He said it. There are more bodies out there. The Germans is still out there. -He said that. -But the papers said that too. Yeah, but I've been shooting with him and his brothers. -I'm telling you, they're crazy. -Mate. You thinking of calling someone? Well, four people are dead! Well, come on, let's go. Let's do it now. -Oh, fuck, Janine! -It's the right thing to do. I'm doing it. (DIAL TONE) (LINE RINGS) WOMAN: Good afternoon, Crime Stoppers. Yeah. Uh... This guy used to be at my work. He talked about them dead kids, the backpackers. Well, he said there's more bodies out there, and his family, they're gun-crazy. I have been shooting with his family, and I'm telling, they're...fuck, they... -Shooting? -Shooting at trees and roos. -And not... -Oh. Look, anyway, his name's Richard. His last name's Milat. Can I have your name, please, sir? My name? Uh... What the...?! What?! Thanks very much for having us, Alex. -We really appreciate it. -Yeah. Um... Look, do you remember why I called you, what we wanted to talk about? Yeah, you wanted to ask me a few questions about the statement I gave ya. That's right. We're just tying up some loose ends really. We just wondered whether there might be something else that you might remember. No, mate. You blokes have got the statement I gave ya. -Nothing's changed since then. -OK. Nothing else about the car that you saw in the bush? -Perhaps the numberplate, maybe? -No. Mmm, nothing like that, no. Oh. So you, uh... You're a shooter, Alex? -Yeah. I like to hunt. -Well, that's good, actually. Because we're actually doing general inquiries about weapons and ammunition at the moment. -General inquiries, hey? -Yeah. Is that OK? -Shed's out the back. -Thanks very much. Yeah. (NEIL WHISTLES AND CHUCKLES) ALEX: I got all the permits for these. -So, what do you shoot, Alex? -Pigs. MAN: Keep your eyes open, guys. Move slow, now. (METAL DETECTORS BEEP) -Nothing. -After three weeks. We went all the way to the Tree Cave fire trail. Should we re-search the same areas Bob and Neil did last year? No, no. Stick to the grid. -How much longer will that take? -Another day, maybe two. -Depending on the weather. -Right. What do we do after that? Well, if nothing comes up, we'll scale back the search. -I'll prepare a statement for the media. -Yep. Stating? That the task force is satisfied there are no more bodies in the forest. -What else can we say, Rod? -(STARTS CAR) -Here's a press release. -Right. (SIGHS) Alright. That's good to go, Rod. WOMAN: Ready to go, Sarge. Thank you. Rod. Ladies and gentlemen. We've found another body. ROGER CLIMPSON: Police have identified the fifth body, found in the Belanglo State Forest, as that of missing German tourist Simone Schmidl. MAN: The search of the Belanglo State Forest was winding down yesterday when more human remains were found in the area. ROGER CLIMPSON: Two more bodies have been found in the Belanglo State Forest near Bowral. MAN: The bodies are those of missing German backpackers Anja Habschied and Gabor Neugebauer, who disappeared from a Kings Cross youth hostel almost two years ago. They bring the grim tally of bodies in the backpackers graveyard to seven. -Not too early? -It's almost noon there. Alright. Oh, hello. Is that Mr Neugebauer? Yes, it's Superintendent Clive Small from Australia, sir. Yes, I'm afraid I have some terrible news, sir. I am sorry, sir. -Come to bed. -I won't be long, love. I was always told that drinking alone in the dark is a bad sign. The thing is, Al, I don't know how many bodies are out there or if we'll ever find them. There could be dozens. Three more bodies, and I think, with each one, "OK, alright, alright." You know, "This is new information. "One more chance that that bloke's made a mistake, "left something behind that'll lead us to him." But that... damn forest, it's... -It's given us nothing. -It's still early days. Darl, we've been out there over a month. You knew this was gonna be a hard case. You knew you'd made enemies in your career and they might be setting you up to fail with this job. Are you gonna let them win? I think not. WOMAN: International tourists have gone missing in Australia without a trace. ROGER CLIMPSON: Simone Schmidl...how she was killed... Police are now certain... WOMAN: ..20-year-old Anja arrived in Australia last November. WOMAN 2: The remains of James Gibson and Deborah Everist... WOMAN 3: Detective Gordon, do you have any idea... MAN: The bodies of two women found murdered near Bowral could be those of Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters... JILL: One of Joanne's photos is still missing. RAY: Where is Joanne? Where is our daughter? 1 -Hi. -(SIGHS) -G'day. -Hey. -I got dropped off. Is that OK? -Yeah, sure. I've just been doing a... bit of a workout. Handsome man. -You OK? -Yeah. I'm just a bit, um, sweaty. I think I might go have a shower, alright? OK. -Oh. It's terrible, isn't it? -What's that? CHALINDER: Just about all these kids. Yeah. Yeah, it's, um...horrible. Given the similarities at the murder sites and the fact that we have now recovered seven bodies, I do think it is fair to say that there is a serial killer at work. Do you think there are more bodies in the forest? Can't answer that, but in response to these new finds, Task Force Air will increase by 280 on-site investigators. Seven teams of 40 men and women will commence a new search at first light tomorrow. We've also heard that an information hotline is being set up - can you comment on that? Yes, that is correct - a toll-free number will commence at 5pm tomorrow and run for 24 hours a day. And I do urge anyone with any information to please come forward. I can also announce on behalf of the New South Wales government an increase in the reward to $500,000 for any information leading to the conviction of the killer or killers of these young people. 500,000 - does that make this the largest reward ever offered in New South Wales... Look. I know I'm not a high flyer, OK? But I was a part of this from the very start. -Yeah, I know. -Then give me something. -Let me do something. -Look. You just have to be patient, Paul. -I am being patient! -No, look, look. You heard them, OK? They're setting up a hotline. There'll be new leads. Clive's expanding the investigation, so you won't be last in line. I'll find you something. I promise. Alright? BOB: Right! I want a running sheet for every call. As soon as you hang up, I want you to log that information into a computer. Neil and I look at everything at the end of the day. We will organise a follow-up or we'll list it as 'no further action required'. -Hotline starts...now. -(PHONES RING) -Task Force Air. -Task Force Air. Yep. -Task Force Air. -Task Force Air. -Yep. -Yes. -Task Force Air. -Task Force Air. Alright, come on. Answer phones, everyone. Everyone. Task Force Air. MAN ON PHONE: My son. He's always been odd. I've tried to ignore it, but... YOUNG MAN: My dad, he gets drunk every night... WOMAN: I picked up this young man from England. -He said he'd been shot at. -Great. WOMAN: I took him to the Bowral Police Station. MAN: This guy lives on a farm near Bowral. -CLIVE: Tell me your story. -MAN: So bloody creepy. WOMAN: M-I-L-A-T. WOMAN 2: It's a woman. I know it. She hit me over the head and enjoyed it. -You can see it in her eyes. -Do you have a contact number? WOMAN: I was talking to my dead mother, and she said... MAN: He could do something like this. WOMAN: Joanne's soul is troubled. She can never rest until the killer is caught. WOMAN 2: They all love guns. My husband says... You must go out to the forest on a blue moon and follow the emu. WOMAN: The killer lives in a white house in a straight line from the Belanglo Forest. MAN: I'm a phrenologist. I read bumps on people's heads. It's a science. I'll read the head of any suspect you'd like me to. -And this was how long ago? -Can you spell that for me? Yeah, my name's Paul Onions. I'm calling from Birmingham, in England. WOMAN: It's a woman. WOMAN 2: I'm gonna cut their dicks off, ya hear me? Cut them slow! You're never gonna catch me! CLIVE: Alright, thanks. So, in the first 24 hours, guess how many phone calls we received. Is this like a jelly bean jar where we get a prize, Clive? No, it's a rhetorical question, Bob. No prize. 5,119, in 24 hours. ROD: Over 2,000 people were put forward as suspects last night. -2,000! -And if we're lucky, one of 'em will be guilty. It is gonna be a problem finding him in all that. By the time all this calms down, we'll have 10,000 running sheets and hundreds of thousands of new leads, many of them actionable. So our biggest problem is information overload with what is a very old and overmatched computer system. Where you going with this, Clive? NetMap, OK? 12 new software packages. We link 'em up. We put everything back in the system. Names, addresses, vehicles, times of day. NetMap can transform all that information into multi-dimensional graphical representations. BOB: So, what, we're gonna do everything again? -CLIVE: Yes. -Everything? Even our first investigation, again? This NetMap, it'll make links we haven't even thought of. It's best to get it over with now. How long is this gonna take us? It'll take as long as it takes. Alright? This is not one of your Darlo cases. We're not gonna solve this one overnight. We'll set up an infrastructure for the long haul. Not much fun, I know, but we need to be consolidating, we need to be organising, alright? The benefits will far outweigh any delay. How are we supposed to follow up leads while we're putting all this into the computers? BOB: Neil, we'll just go to the archives for a few weeks, mate. See the old bloke with the filing cabinet in his head? -Fuck me, Bob, please. -Consolidating? Organising? I mean, come on. The new computer, it's not gonna find anyone. We are. Oh, I'm going back downstairs. Hey, Neil... How's Paul Gordon going? Following directives? Yes, mate. Yeah, he's good. Think he's a good fit for this task force? He's working hard, Clive. I'm not sure he's a team player. The backpackers probe, and there are growing fears tonight that the grim murder toll in the Belanglo Forest may affect Australia's reputation abroad. Police heading the investigation are appealing for the international media to act responsibly. MAN: A German television crew arrived in the forest today. Superintendent Clive Small was anxious for the murders to be kept in perspective. MAN 2: The Germans are being told the Sydney cannibal cut up his victims before cooking them on the camp fires near the bodies and then eating them. MAN 3: The tragedy has sparked huge media interest in Britain, with several papers warning intending tourists of the potential dangers of a trip to Australia in light of the murders. CLIVE: Well, I wanted you all to see this place one last time. Where it began, where we think it's ended for now. So final thoughts, gentlemen. 20 months since the last victim we know of was killed. Do we think he's stopped for good? -Why would he stop? -Could be dead. He could be in jail. Or he's dumping them somewhere else. Let's hope not. Anything new from Ballistics, Stu? Yeah - the bullets we found near Gabor, they match those we found near Miss Clarke. So we now know the same weapon was used in both areas. Right, Neil. What about the new bodies, the Germans? -Anything new there? -NEIL: Similar to the others. There are indications of sexual interference. Anja's body was naked except for the halter top. But, you know, to me, boss, I just find it significant. I mean, the logs that were on Gabor. I just can't see one man lifting them. -Unless he's fuckin' strong. -I mean, you saw yourself, Bob. -Took three coppers to lift. -You're back on that. -Two killers instead of one. -Yeah, I'm swaying that way. Neil, we'll just... we'll find one killer first. Alright? We'll just see where that leads us. NEIL: Boss. CLIVE: One thing that is pretty clear is there's been an escalation in the violence towards the victims. The first two were just stabbed. By the time he gets to these new ones and the English girls, they've been shot multiple times. Anja Habschied was on her knees. There. Killed by a single blow from a sword or a machete. Still no sign of a skull. ROD: Are we... are we sure an animal couldn't have dragged it away? No. Forensics say too heavy. MARK: So this guy took the head? Fuckin' hell. What are we dealing with? How can someone not know who this guy is? Alright. From now on, you will all work in teams of two, following up the leads we receive from the hotline. It's all set up, gentlemen. We go after this bloke. Hard. Don't forget this place. You burn it into your memory. We will solve what happened here. Sir. Look, I don't know if he's in jail or if he's stopped or... Look, I just think we'd better hurry. All these kids, they were killed around the holidays, yeah? -Yep. -Easter, Christmas, New Year's. Yep. Your point? Well, Christmas is two weeks away. of the Belanglo State Forest south-west of Sydney for more clues to the murders of seven backpackers... -(LAUGHS) Margaret. -Mmm? -This is Ivan here, isn't it? -Mmm. MARGARET: All the girls loved Ivan. (LAUGHS) He was the smart one. He was a good boy. He's so cute. MAN 2: Some of that property does relate to the missing backpackers Neugebauer and Habschied. as the post-mortems continue on the bodies of the young Germans. MAN 4: So far, police have received more than 1,600 calls from people wanting to help find the backpackers' killer or killers. MAN 5: And on a lighter note, it's now only 10 days till Christmas. If you're like me, you probably haven't even started shopping. (CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY) Thank you, mate. Listen, Rod. Just give me another one. -Is it alright, boss? -Alright. NEIL: Ta. Clive and I thought you might want to take a look at this. -What is it? -A family. Right. Well, it's top-priority, is it? Fuck me, Paul. You want it or not? Yeah, no. I'll take it. Thanks, Neil. Listen, mate. I've gotta start scouting round these gun shops tomorrow. -You want to come with me? -No. I'm gonna stick with this. OK. How do you know it was me who called Crime Stoppers? PAUL: Well, we had a call from Janine. I called the next day and left our names. Someone had to. PAUL: So, Des, you, uh... ..you went shooting with Richard Milat in June '91. Once. He called it Milat Mountain. His brother Wally had this SKS Chinese assault rifle. -Come on, Des. -Piss off. You guys go ahead. (LAUGHS) Oh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuckin' maniacs! You could have killed me! -(FIRES) -Fuck, fuck, fuck! Alright! The look on your fuckin' face, mate. (LAUGHS) DES: It was their own private shooting range. They must have fired off 2,000 rounds. We have a record of... ..of you stating in September '92 that you heard Richard say, "There were more bodies out there. "They haven't found them Germans." So it's more than a year before Gabor Neugebauer and Anja Habschied were discovered. He said other things too. Des, tell 'em what he told you. (SIGHS) It was the same day that he said that other...stuff. At work, the guys is all talking about the murders. And Richard says, "You could pick up anybody on that road, "never find 'em again." And he was talking about the Hume Highway? Well, I think so. Look... Richard's a stoner. Sometimes...he talks crazy shit when he's stoned. But that property where they took Des shooting, that's not far from where they found them girls in Belanglo. G'day. WOMAN: Ivan, please. IVAN: Just relax, will ya? What's the problem? -Fuckin' problem? -(SCREAMS) Get back in the bloody car! SHIRLEY: Ivan. Ivan. Tea's ready. Think I might go for a drive, Shirl. Righto. PAUL: What if it's got nothing to do with backpacking? What if it's got nothing to do with coming from overseas? Come on. What if it's just simpler? You know? Hitchhiking from Liverpool? They could have all left from there. Even Gabor and Anja, heading towards Darwin? Yeah, yeah. I mean, they all have records. -They all live in the area. -But were they working there? No, no. Hear me out. No. Alright? I know what big families are like. I come from one. Right? They're aggressive. They're super-loyal. But these guys, they're Yugoslavs. Come on. Am I crazy? Right, this is the first file they gave me. -What are you doing? -Gonna show him. CLIVE: Well, check his file - see if he was in jail on the dates they went missing. That's not hard. Get it back to me today. How long have you had this file? I've had it for about a week or so. Have you been concentrating just on this one file? Yeah. I've... I've been giving it a lot of my focus. But I don't need to tell you how often a killer's ID'd early, you know, sometimes in the first logbook. No, you don't. A lot of these Milats, they have records, they live in the area. You know, they all love guns. Paul, we gave you this file because we think it's a good lead too. You know how many people in this area have records and like guns? -I'd say probably quite a few. -Quite a few. Most of an investigation of this size is not about zeroing in on one suspect. It is about eliminating who is not the killer. It's the boring stuff. We've got a system in place. You can't start accusing the first person you investigate. It's not that I'm accusing anybody. It's just... -I have a gut feeling about it. -Gut feeling? Know what that's called? Zeroing in on one line of inquiry? Tunnel vision. I cannot have this case depending on gut feelings. Do you know what a defence counsel would do with that? They would say, "Your Honour, "they zeroed in on our client from day one. "They didn't even look at anyone else." I don't want gut feelings. I don't want hunches. I want a case that is provable in the Supreme Court. The unfortunate result of travelling down a one-way street is often makes it very difficult to turn around. And you've misspelt 'significant' three times. It's a 'C', not a 'G'. (PHONE RINGS) ROYCE: The investigation's being broadened. -We're looking at Newcastle now. -Come on, I've got something. Is this about the Milats? I was just doing my fucking job. I need you to follow up on something. We're in the middle of getting work time sheets for the Milats. Yeah, well, that can wait - got a barmaid in Liverpool who overheard some soldiers talking about shooting people in the forest. Now, this is before anyone was killed. Royce, we want to get this stuff on Richard before people... The boss's orders. I'm sorry. I need you at Holsworthy now. MARK: The army base is back that way. Where you going, Paul? PAUL: We're here to check the time sheets of the gun owners in the area. We need to know if... ..Richard was working on any of those dates. I can get that for you. Take couple of hours, mate. -His files have been boxed up. -Right. When you do, could you fax it through to that number there and maybe add the names of any of Richard's known associates you might remember? We weren't supposed to get a list of his friends. We were supposed to get the time sheets, not make waves. -That was the brief. -We'll be OK. Are we going to the army base now? Yep. Since we're all the way out here, we might as well check Ivan's work sheets first. Donnie Borthwick used to say that if he had 10 Ivan Milats, he'd be able to re-tar the entire Hume Highway in a week. He was a good bloke too. Ivan never fudged his hours, not like some of those guys. Do you know, I reckon those time sheets are in the basement. I'm gonna have to get back to you on this. I'd really like them before you break for Christmas. Well, if I find 'em, I'll fax 'em through by 6:00. OK. MARK: Are we going to the army base now? PAUL: Yep. ('AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN' BY THE ANGELS PLAYS) (BOTH SING) # Went down to Santa Fe # Where Renoir paints the walls # Described you clearly, but the sky began to fall # Am I ever gonna see your face again? # No way, get fucked, fuck off... # Oh, stop it. # Am I ever gonna see your face again? # No way, get fucked, fuck off # Can't stop the memory that goes climbing through my brain # I get no answer... # You're home early. Had to stop off and get these. CLIVE: Here we are. Thought I'd find you here. What's the matter? According to Richard Milat's time sheets, he was at work when... Everist and Gibson went missing. And Simone Schmidl. Shit. None of these dates match Richard. Where you having dinner tonight, Paul? -I'm alright. -Christmas Eve, mate, eh? -No, I'm OK. -Julie'd love it, mate. -Welcome to come to our place. -I'm gonna go to my brother's. -It's fine. -Alright. Good. Can you check if those are Ivan's time sheets for me? Then I'm going home, Paul. Alright. Um... Got, uh...December 30, 1989. Ivan was on holidays. (TROUBLING MUSIC) January 20...1991. Off again. (TROUBLING MUSIC CONTINUES) December 26, 1991. Off. (INAUDIBLE) April 18, 1992. Off. G'day, girls. How are ya? Jump in. It's Ivan Milat. How are we gonna prove it? www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Able 2016