Koala Crimes: Australian True Crime With Samantha Melanie

On the evening of July 23, 2018, police received a phone call. The person on the other end confessed, saying “I strangled him… it felt so good… I don’t want to be a killer”. Today’s story is a common one. It revolves around two people who matched on a dating app and decided to meet up. However, in this story, one of those individuals ends up dead. And even though today’s case is a solved one, the killer manages to get away with murder. Although that is up for debateAll audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

On Friday, January 14, 2022, a 9-year-old school girl, Charlise Mutton, was reported missing by her mother, from a remote village called Mount Wilson, located in NSW’s Blue Mountains, Close to Sydney, Australia. Over the next week, police and emergency services searched for Charlise, but to no avail. 5 days later, on the evening of Tuesday, January 18, their investigation led them to the riverbank of the Colo River. There, investigators found a barrel filled with sand, and buried in this sand was the body of Charlise Mutton. The question everyone was now asking was, why would hurt an innocent child and dispose of them in such a heartless way?All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

Today we are heading to South Australia, where are young Australian mum went missing. For weeks, her fiance begged her to return home, all the while he knew exactly where she was. All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

On this week's episode we discuss the chilling case of Michelle Leng, and how one family member's secret obsession with her, ended her life. All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In 2003, Kathleen Folbigg was found guilty of killing her four children. She was sentenced to 30 years with a non-parole period of 25, however, Kathleen maintained her innocence and continued her fight for 20 years until she was finally pardoned from prison in 2023.All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In September of 2014, the small New South Wales town of Lockhart was rocked by the shocking crimes that took place on Watch Hill Farm, leaving locals, and the entire country left asking, why? All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In 2015 the horrific murder of the Van Breda family sent shockwaves through South Africa and the world. The perpetrator remained a mystery until 18 months later when investigators uncovered the shocking truth.All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In 2017, Anthony Robert Harvey meticulously planned and executed the shocking mass murder of his entire family. He would go on to receive the highest prison sentence ever ordered in Western Australia's history. All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In October of 1978, a young and inexperienced pilot named Frederick Valentich took off on a solo flight from Melbourne, Australia, to the nearby King Island. While flying over the Bass Strait he radioed air traffic control to report an unidentifiable aircraft. His last message to ATC was ‘it’s not an aircraft’ before Frederick disappeared from the radio frequency. Despite searches, sightings, and an endless number of theories, Frederick and his aircraft have never been found. This baffling story still stands as Australia’s greatest aviation mystery.Watch the video version of this episode HERE Leon's Instagram @leonsprogpianoAll audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In today's episode, we are diving into the 1983 solved murder of 16-year-old Michelle Buckingham, which haunted the regional city of Shepparton, Victoria, for almost 30 years. Today’s case is the prime example of that one person in the community holding the key to unlocking a case, but it’s only the passage of time that allows them to divulge the information to the police. And it was actually a journalist from Shepparton that pushed hard to have this case re-opened, leading to the three-decades-old cold case finally being solved. All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In the winter of 1988, a swimmer was enjoying a leisurely paddle down at Perth's famous Cottesloe Beach, when they came across a very unusual item in the water- a car. The vehicle, partially buried in the sand, sat upside down with its roof crushed in, just 50 metres from the shoreline. Police quickly discovered the car belonged to a young woman reported missing several days earlier- Julie Cutler. I discussed this case on my YouTube channel 5 odd years ago but since then there has been an inquest and several interesting developments. It has also been a long-running theory that today’s case is linked to the Claremont serial killer, and in the 5 years since I talked about Julie's case, the Claremont trial has been and gone. This trial very much highlighted just where police messed up in today’s case, and why, due to their own mistakes, police are still struggling to solve the 34-year-old mystery of missing and presumed deceased, Julie Cutler.All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)

In 1996, in Albury, NSW, 19-year-old Kim Meredith, a talented pianist on the brink of being her young adult life, was on a night out with school friends when the split-second decision to make a short walk alone over to another bar, ended in tragedy. Kim's shocking murder would enrage the people of Albury, leaving its mark on the small city forever. All audio is adapted from the YouTube channel 'Samantha Melanie'. Video versions of podcast episodes can be found here. Follow Samantha on Instagram @samanthamelanieytSubscribe to Samantha Melanie's YouTube Channel hereThank you so much for being here and listening! If you enjoyed today's episode, consider following the podcast and leaving a review :)