Survivors of a plane crash in the Andes in 1972 had to use great ingenuity to stay alive in the blizzard conditions, with very little food, and as the days passed it seemed nobody was coming to rescue them.

Ep 138 - Plane Crash In The Andes

Garry Hoy

Lawyer Garry Hoy fell to his death from a window on the 24th floor of a Toronto law firm in 1993. Was it suicide, was he pushed, or was there another reason behind his tragic death?

Ep 137 - Garry Hoy

In the UK in 2016, Ian Stewart’s fiancee Helen Bailey goes missing. The investigation into her disappearance leads police to take another look at the death of his first wife Diane. They fear they have hit a dead end when they discover that Diane’s body was cremated.

Ep 136 - The Brain Bank Murder

Renea Lau

The murder of pastry chef Renea Lau in Melbourne's Kings Domain has been described as one of the city's worst. Senior police were shocked by the brutality and duration of the attack and because of its random nature.

Ep 135 - Renea Lau

Worldwide, around 1.35 million people die in road accidents each year.  Research to make road travel safer is constant, as new technology and design emerge.  Crash Test Dummies are used for most of the testing. But that hasn’t always been the case.Kirsten is missing, and we welcome Simon Owens to the studio today in her place.  Join our massive tantrum over her (hopefully temporary) disappearance.

Worldwide, around 1.35 million people die in road accidents each year. Research to make road travel safer is constant, as new technology and design emerge. Crash Test Dummies are used for most of the testing. But that hasn’t always been the case. Kirsten is missing, and we welcome Simon Owens to the studio today in her place. Join our massive tantrum over her (hopefully temporary) disappearance.

Ep 134 - Crash Test Dummies, and Where’s Kirsten?

Adrian Bayley

Sharnelle continues recounting covering the 2013 trial of Adrian Bayley who was convicted of the rape and murder of Gillian Maher in Melbourne. Thawee Nanra was the leader of a Taiwanese cult. His devotees promised his followers they could cure their ills by consuming his bodily fluids. And that’s not the worst of it …..

Sharnelle continues recounting covering the 2013 trial of Adrian Bayley who was convicted of the rape and murder of Gillian Maher in Melbourne. Thawee Nanra was the leader of a Taiwanese cult. His devotees promised his followers they could cure their ills by consuming his bodily fluids. And that’s not the worst of it …..

Ep 133 - Adrian Bayley: Part Two, and the cult of Thawee Nanra

Drought has seen Nevada’s Lake Mead drop to historic lows, exposing things which have remained underwater for years. In one case, a discovery on the lake bed brought closure to a family after years of heartache.Convicted rapist Adrian Bayley is responsible for the rape and murder of Gillian Meagher, in a case that brought the people of Melbourne to the streets in 2012. Sharnelle covered his court case.

Drought has seen Nevada’s Lake Mead drop to historic lows, exposing things which have remained underwater for years. In one case, a discovery on the lake bed brought closure to a family after years of heartache. Convicted rapist Adrian Bayley is responsible for the rape and murder of Gillian Meagher, in a case that brought the people of Melbourne to the streets in 2012. Sharnelle covered his court case.

Ep 132 - Lake Mead, and Adrian Bayley: Part One

Grady Stiles Jr. was not only a killer, but a murder victim. He became famous as Lobster Boy in a bizarre travelling sideshow. While most of the world was confined to their homes at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, UK police were called to investigate a car being driven erratically near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, leading to the uncovering of the murder of Phoenix Netts.

Grady Stiles Jr. was not only a killer, but a murder victim. He became famous as Lobster Boy in a bizarre travelling sideshow. While most of the world was confined to their homes at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, UK police were called to investigate a car being driven erratically near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, leading to the uncovering of the murder of Phoenix Netts.

Ep 131 - Lobster Boy, and Phoenix Netts

Elmer McCurdy

Stephen Searle

Elmer McCurdy was a drunk and a train robber. It was decades after his death that his body was discovered at an amusement park in California. If you had committed a murder, would you consider yourself to be violent? Would you be chummy with the police when they arrived on your doorstep? Some killers behave differently, as evidenced by the odd behaviour of wife killer Stephen Searle.

Elmer McCurdy was a drunk and a train robber. It was decades after his death that his body was discovered at an amusement park in California. If you had committed a murder, would you consider yourself to be violent? Would you be chummy with the police when they arrived on your doorstep? Some killers behave differently, as evidenced by the odd behaviour of wife killer Stephen Searle.

Ep 130 - Elmer McCurdy, and Stephen Searle

Today, Brighton is one of Melbourne’s wealthiest suburbs, but in 1853 it was the scene of two bizarre murders, with a bag of sugar left on the victim’s head.And we unpack some frank feedback from listener Joey.

Today, Brighton is one of Melbourne’s wealthiest suburbs, but in 1853 it was the scene of two bizarre murders, with a bag of sugar left on the victim’s head. And we unpack some frank feedback from listener Joey.

Ep 129 - The Brighton Murders and Joey’s priceless feedback

Have you ever seen a dead body? People find dead bodies everywhere, under floorboards, inside chimneys, and in their homes. They’re at crime scenes, disaster scenes and in morgues. There have been dead bodies on the red carpet, in cannibals’ dens, and even advertised in the classifieds. In this series, experienced crime and court reporter Sharnelle Vella, and veteran radio host Dee Dee Dunleavy look at where dead bodies have been found, how they got there, and most importantly, the effect on people who found them. We talk to people who deal with death daily as part of their jobs, and people who weren’t prepared for the shock of finding a dead body.Please subscribe and rate us on Itunes

Having a good story to tell is important but having good story tellers is at least as important. The two hostesses seem to be disorganized and generally unprepared. 

They tend to ramble. Listening to them, I feel like I just want to shout out “If you have a story to tell, tell it already!”

A Good Concept Poorly Executed

Love it - very entertaining, funny and at times touching!

loving this show all the way from the U.S.A

Have you ever seen a dead body? People find dead bodies everywhere, under floorboards, inside chimneys, and in their homes. They’re at crime scenes, disaster scenes and in morgues. There have been dead bodies on the red carpet, in cannibals’ dens, and even advertised in the classifieds. In this series, experienced crime and court reporter Sharnelle Vella, and veteran radio host Dee Dee Dunleavy look at where dead bodies have been found, how they got there, and most importantly, the effect on people who found them. We talk to people who deal with death daily as part of their jobs, and people who weren’t prepared for the shock of finding a dead body. Please subscribe and rate us on Itunes

Dead Bodies Podcast

Evelyn McHale

Dee Dee tells the story of one of the most famous dead body photos of all time: Evelyn McHale, who jumped from the Empire State Building.Sharnelle tells of the bloody ending to her search for a missing body, and looks at the legendary crime scene photographer Weegee.  The girls speak to journalist Brett McLeod who hadn’t seen a dead body well into his adult life. And then he was sent to cover the horror of the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004.

Dee Dee tells the story of one of the most famous dead body photos of all time: Evelyn McHale, who jumped from the Empire State Building. Sharnelle tells of the bloody ending to her search for a missing body, and looks at the legendary crime scene photographer Weegee. The girls speak to journalist Brett McLeod who hadn’t seen a dead body well into his adult life. And then he was sent to cover the horror of the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004.

Ep 2 - Evelyn McHale, Aceh and Weegee

Chris Watts

August 2018, Colorado, Christopher Watts killed his pregnant wife Shan'ann and their daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste. He then disposed of his daughters' bodies in oil tanks and buried his wife in a shallow grave at his worksite. March 1937, a natural gas leak caused an explosion at the The London School in Texas, killing more than 295 students and teachers. It’s the third deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, and it resulted in a change to household gas supplies that affects all of us today.

August 2018, Colorado, Christopher Watts killed his pregnant wife Shan'ann and their daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste. He then disposed of his daughters' bodies in oil tanks and buried his wife in a shallow grave at his worksite. March 1937, a natural gas leak caused an explosion at the The London School in Texas, killing more than 295 students and teachers. It’s the third deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, and it resulted in a change to household gas supplies that affects all of us today.

Ep 64 - Chris Watts, and The London School explosion

Funerals take many forms, but in Taiwan it’s next level, with strippers being called in to send dead bodies off with a thrill.In 1935 a shark at the Coogee Aquarium in Sydney vomited up a human arm, which triggered the bizarre case of the murder of former boxer Jimmy Smith.Sharnelle finally reveals where she would hide a dead body.

Funerals take many forms, but in Taiwan it’s next level, with strippers being called in to send dead bodies off with a thrill. In 1935 a shark at the Coogee Aquarium in Sydney vomited up a human arm, which triggered the bizarre case of the murder of former boxer Jimmy Smith. Sharnelle finally reveals where she would hide a dead body.

Ep 23 - Funeral Strippers and The Shark Arm Case

Imagine dying, and nobody came to your funeral.  Homeless men and women are spared that bleak prospect thanks to Roxbury Latin School’s Ave Atque Vale program — through which Class I boys act as pallbearers at the funerals of homeless men and women.In Antwerp, Victoria, in 1993, 49 year old Joan Vollmer was killed by her husband and a group of devout Christians, who performed an exorcism on her, believing that she was possessed by demons.

Imagine dying, and nobody came to your funeral. Homeless men and women are spared that bleak prospect thanks to Roxbury Latin School’s Ave Atque Vale program — through which Class I boys act as pallbearers at the funerals of homeless men and women. In Antwerp, Victoria, in 1993, 49 year old Joan Vollmer was killed by her husband and a group of devout Christians, who performed an exorcism on her, believing that she was possessed by demons.

Ep 46 - School Pallbearers, and the Exorcism of Joan Vollmer

Sharnelle has been looking through Victorian-era newspapers, where the bodies of babies and children were found in the classifieds.Dee Dee recalls a severed penis found at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, the hunt for the body that went with it, and the gruesome story that unfolded.The girls talk to Tony Tardio who was traumatised as a young man when he saw a dead body on the train tracks.

Sharnelle has been looking through Victorian-era newspapers, where the bodies of babies and children were found in the classifieds. Dee Dee recalls a severed penis found at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, the hunt for the body that went with it, and the gruesome story that unfolded. The girls talk to Tony Tardio who was traumatised as a young man when he saw a dead body on the train tracks.

Ep 3 - Severed penis at Flinders St

L'Inconnue de la Seine translates from French as The Unknown Woman of the Seine. The unidentified young woman whose dead body was pulled from the River Seine in the 1800’s later became known as The Drowned Mona Lisa. We explain why her face is familiar to hundreds of millions of people the world over as part of a lifesaving training.Hart Island, in the northeast Bronx, New York City, serves as the city's potter's field and is run by the New York City Department of Correction. More than one million dead are buried on Hart Island. We look at where all these dead bodies come from.

L'Inconnue de la Seine translates from French as The Unknown Woman of the Seine. The unidentified young woman whose dead body was pulled from the River Seine in the 1800’s later became known as The Drowned Mona Lisa. We explain why her face is familiar to hundreds of millions of people the world over as part of a lifesaving training. Hart Island, in the northeast Bronx, New York City, serves as the city's potter's field and is run by the New York City Department of Correction. More than one million dead are buried on Hart Island. We look at where all these dead bodies come from.

Ep 45 - The Drowned Mona Lisa, and Hart Island

Sharnelle, who doesn’t believe in ghosts - has a bizarre night in a Florida hotel room while covering Hurricane Michael.Dee Dee looks into the disappearance of Ahmet Hagune in Cyprus in 1974, and the fig tree growing out of a cave that led to the discovery of his body.

Sharnelle, who doesn’t believe in ghosts - has a bizarre night in a Florida hotel room while covering Hurricane Michael. Dee Dee looks into the disappearance of Ahmet Hagune in Cyprus in 1974, and the fig tree growing out of a cave that led to the discovery of his body.

Ep 21 - The Florida Ghost

Tillie Klimek

We rely on our refrigerators to keep our food fresh. But when it’s time to throw an old fridge out, there’s a warning: they can become deadly.“Tillie” Klimek was born in Poland in 1876, but lived most of her adult life in Chicago, where in 1923 she was found guilty of the murder of her third husband by poisoning.  There is a list of 20 of her victims, most of who died at her hands.

We rely on our refrigerators to keep our food fresh. But when it’s time to throw an old fridge out, there’s a warning: they can become deadly. “Tillie” Klimek was born in Poland in 1876, but lived most of her adult life in Chicago, where in 1923 she was found guilty of the murder of her third husband by poisoning. There is a list of 20 of her victims, most of who died at her hands.

Ep 55 - Refrigerator Deaths and Tillie Klimek

Victor McCaskell

In the 1960s, Ian Brady and his girlfriend, Myra Hindley, sexually abused and murdered young children and teens, then buried their bodies along the Saddleworth Moor, in what became known as the Moors Murders.Farmer Victor McCaskell returned from a day on his land to find his wife and baby daughter axed to death and his young farm hand hanged on the verandah, in what looked like a murder-suicide. But McCaskell himself came under suspicion, before putting a stick of dynamite in his mouth and blowing himself up.

In the 1960s, Ian Brady and his girlfriend, Myra Hindley, sexually abused and murdered young children and teens, then buried their bodies along the Saddleworth Moor, in what became known as the Moors Murders. Farmer Victor McCaskell returned from a day on his land to find his wife and baby daughter axed to death and his young farm hand hanged on the verandah, in what looked like a murder-suicide. But McCaskell himself came under suspicion, before putting a stick of dynamite in his mouth and blowing himself up.

Ep 78 - The Moors Murders, and Victor McCaskell

Todd Kohlhepp

Dianne Brimble

Serial killer Todd Kohlhepp was convicted of murdering seven people in South Carolina between 2003 and 2016. His violent life of crime started when he was just 15, and ended when one of his eight victims was found alive being held captive on his property.Brisbane mother Dianne Brimble died over a drug overdose in 2002 on a P&amp;O Cruises cruise ship, and police named a group of men as “persons of interest”. The investigation, inquest, and eventual trial related to her death concluded in 2010, and resulted in changes to safety procedures aboard cruise ships. Two very special guests join us to celebrate our 50th episode: it’s Bassmah and Sabrina!!!!

Serial killer Todd Kohlhepp was convicted of murdering seven people in South Carolina between 2003 and 2016. His violent life of crime started when he was just 15, and ended when one of his eight victims was found alive being held captive on his property. Brisbane mother Dianne Brimble died over a drug overdose in 2002 on a P&amp;O Cruises cruise ship, and police named a group of men as “persons of interest”. The investigation, inquest, and eventual trial related to her death concluded in 2010, and resulted in changes to safety procedures aboard cruise ships. Two very special guests join us to celebrate our 50th episode: it’s Bassmah and Sabrina!!!!

Ep 50 - Todd Kohlhepp, and Dianne Brimble

Alfonso Bennett

Conditions at the Cantrell Funeral Home deteriorated over the years, with horrific treatment of the bodies of the dead. In August 2018 investigators entered the building and discovered rotting corpses and the remains of hundreds of people.A naked, unconscious man found under a car in Chicago earlier this year, turned into a bizarre case of mistaken identity.  Alfonso Bennett found himself declared dead, when he was very much alive.We talk to Tamara - the daughter of a fatal work accident inspector - who herself worked as a trauma and organ donation nurse.

Conditions at the Cantrell Funeral Home deteriorated over the years, with horrific treatment of the bodies of the dead. In August 2018 investigators entered the building and discovered rotting corpses and the remains of hundreds of people. A naked, unconscious man found under a car in Chicago earlier this year, turned into a bizarre case of mistaken identity. Alfonso Bennett found himself declared dead, when he was very much alive. We talk to Tamara - the daughter of a fatal work accident inspector - who herself worked as a trauma and organ donation nurse.

Ep 59 - Alfonso Bennett, and the Cantrell Funeral Home

Vincent Brothers

In 2003 the bodies of a woman, her three children, and her mother were found dead in a house in Bakersfield California. Police used extraordinary forensics, including insects embedded in a rental car,  to convict the woman’s husband Vincent Brothers of the murders. In August, 1974, a massive flood hit Queanbeyan in New South Wales, and locals claimed that bodies from the local cemetery were washed down the river and into Lake Burley Griffin in the heart of Canberra.

In 2003 the bodies of a woman, her three children, and her mother were found dead in a house in Bakersfield California. Police used extraordinary forensics, including insects embedded in a rental car, to convict the woman’s husband Vincent Brothers of the murders. In August, 1974, a massive flood hit Queanbeyan in New South Wales, and locals claimed that bodies from the local cemetery were washed down the river and into Lake Burley Griffin in the heart of Canberra.

Ep 36 - Vincent Brothers and Bodies in The Lake

Have you ever seen a dead body?  We share some of your stories, including the kids who found a “green, wrinkly crocodile” in a swampy lake, that was linked to the disappearance of a local woman.

Ep 61 - Nice things, Nice Things

Rebecca Schaffer

Actress Rebecca Schaeffer lived in a quiet and seemingly safe area of LA. But a crazed fan stalked her, found her home, and murdered her in cold blood. Workers cleaning out a massive storage tank at Velva Liquids in the UK in 1979, found the torso and head of a young woman named Eileen McDougall. How had the body gotten there, how long had it been there, and who killed her? And was the right man jailed for the crime?

Actress Rebecca Schaeffer lived in a quiet and seemingly safe area of LA. But a crazed fan stalked her, found her home, and murdered her in cold blood. Workers cleaning out a massive storage tank at Velva Liquids in the UK in 1979, found the torso and head of a young woman named Eileen McDougall. How had the body gotten there, how long had it been there, and who killed her? And was the right man jailed for the crime?

Ep 53 - Rebecca Schaffer, The Torso In The Tank

Brynn Rainey

Carol Andersen

Caroline Byrne

An emerging DNA technique has been used to solve the murders of two young women in El Dorado County, California, more than 40 years ago. Joseph Holt was identified as the killer of Brynn Rainey in 1977 and Carol Andersen 1979 using genealogy databases. Caroline Byrne was a model found at the bottom of a cliff at The Gap in Sydney in 1995. Her boyfriend Gordon Wood was convicted of her murder but later acquitted.Sharnelle and Dee Dee talk to Wendy who worked as a funeral and mortuary assistant.

An emerging DNA technique has been used to solve the murders of two young women in El Dorado County, California, more than 40 years ago. Joseph Holt was identified as the killer of Brynn Rainey in 1977 and Carol Andersen 1979 using genealogy databases. Caroline Byrne was a model found at the bottom of a cliff at The Gap in Sydney in 1995. Her boyfriend Gordon Wood was convicted of her murder but later acquitted. Sharnelle and Dee Dee talk to Wendy who worked as a funeral and mortuary assistant.

Ep 41 - Brynn Rainey and Carol Andersen, and Caroline Byrne

Neil Gordon Wilson pretended to be a fish. People in his home town of Horsham in Victoria accepted his quirky ways, but were shocked when his dead body was found in a paddock in 1995.Maria Korp was strangled by her husband Joe Korp’s lover Tania Herman, put into the boot of a car and abandoned in Melbourne in 2005, in what became known as The Body In The Boot case. Herman was jailed, and Joe Korp met his own fate.

Neil Gordon Wilson pretended to be a fish. People in his home town of Horsham in Victoria accepted his quirky ways, but were shocked when his dead body was found in a paddock in 1995. Maria Korp was strangled by her husband Joe Korp’s lover Tania Herman, put into the boot of a car and abandoned in Melbourne in 2005, in what became known as The Body In The Boot case. Herman was jailed, and Joe Korp met his own fate.

Ep 27 - The Human Fish and The Body In The Boot

Lindsay Rose

John Wayne Gacy

Lindsay Robert Rose was a paramedic in 1977, where he was among the rescuers who worked to save lives after the Granville train disaster.  But his life took a dramatic turn after that, and he is now serving five consecutive life sentences in jail for the murder of 5 people in New South Wales between 1984 and 1994.John Wayne Gacy raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County, Illinois, and he buried buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his home. Three other victims were buried on his property, and the bodies of another four were dumped in the a river. The girls talk to psychologist Sandy Rea to find out why people who find a dead body are often so deeply affected by it.

Lindsay Robert Rose was a paramedic in 1977, where he was among the rescuers who worked to save lives after the Granville train disaster. But his life took a dramatic turn after that, and he is now serving five consecutive life sentences in jail for the murder of 5 people in New South Wales between 1984 and 1994. John Wayne Gacy raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County, Illinois, and he buried buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his home. Three other victims were buried on his property, and the bodies of another four were dumped in the a river. The girls talk to psychologist Sandy Rea to find out why people who find a dead body are often so deeply affected by it.

Ep 77 - Lindsay Rose, and John Wayne Gacy

Singer songwriter Gram Parsons was loved by his friends in the music industry. But when he died of a drug overdose in September 1973 at Joshua Tree in California, their efforts to carry out his wishes for his dead body went horribly wrong. We look at what happens to the bodies of people who die on an aeroplane.

Singer songwriter Gram Parsons was loved by his friends in the music industry. But when he died of a drug overdose in September 1973 at Joshua Tree in California, their efforts to carry out his wishes for his dead body went horribly wrong. We look at what happens to the bodies of people who die on an aeroplane.

Ep 22 - Gram Parsons, and Dead Bodies in the sky

Gabriel Omar Chang

In 1959, nine hikers died in the northern Ural  Mountains in the former Soviet Union, in what became known as The Dyatlov Pass incident. They set up camp, but during the night, something caused them to tear their way out of their tents and flee in the sub-zero temperatures.In Melbourne, in 1999, Gabriel Omar Chang took to the dead body of Dianne Psaila with a meat tenderiser, and carried her corpse in the boot of her car for five days. His erratic behaviour that took him from the murder scene in Melton to Lorne on Victoria’s west coast.

In 1959, nine hikers died in the northern Ural Mountains in the former Soviet Union, in what became known as The Dyatlov Pass incident. They set up camp, but during the night, something caused them to tear their way out of their tents and flee in the sub-zero temperatures. In Melbourne, in 1999, Gabriel Omar Chang took to the dead body of Dianne Psaila with a meat tenderiser, and carried her corpse in the boot of her car for five days. His erratic behaviour that took him from the murder scene in Melton to Lorne on Victoria’s west coast.

Ep 48 - The Dyatlov Pass Incident, and Gabriel Omar Chang

Funerals are distressing enough, and Sharnelle has found one that left mourners distressed when the body came out of the coffin.Dee Dee looks at Leonarda Cianciulli who was known as the Correggio soap-maker. She boiled the bodies of her victims to make soap, and in some cases, biscuits. Channel Seven reporter Michael Scanlan shares the moving story of his moment with death, that of his beloved sister Jes.

Funerals are distressing enough, and Sharnelle has found one that left mourners distressed when the body came out of the coffin. Dee Dee looks at Leonarda Cianciulli who was known as the Correggio soap-maker. She boiled the bodies of her victims to make soap, and in some cases, biscuits. Channel Seven reporter Michael Scanlan shares the moving story of his moment with death, that of his beloved sister Jes.

Ep 10 - Human soap and biscuits

The best podcasts about ourselves as well as the world through the lense of Science. Specific topics include things about our brain, emotions to biology, physics and more!

Best Episodes on Science, Humans & The World

The best episodes for anyone looking to learn more about topics such as happiness, fulfillment, depression and psychology/mental health in general. With interviews with industry experts, personal stories of individuals, this topic has lessons applicable to everyone. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!