The missing matter

  The Missing Matter is back.
This Monday, 9 February, 2026 we return with an all-new season.

This season, Sally once again steps into the missing space having gentle, respectful conversations with those closest to the stories, giving voice to families, friends, and the people still searching for answers.

Across the season we’ll dig deeper into the cases left unresolved, speak with voices you haven’t heard before, and follow the threads others have let go cold.

Season 3 of The Missing Matter — coming Monday, February 9.

 On Friday, July 13, 2012, 37-year-old mother of three Sandrine Jourdan vanished from a property in Caboolture, north of Brisbane. Fourteen years later, she has never been seen or heard from again. In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally is joined by Sandrine’s youngest daughter, Nikita, who shares what she remembers, the unanswered questions, and why her family refuses to accept the official narrative.  

 In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with Mindy a relentless behind-the-scenes super sleuth who played a key role in supporting the Dear Rachelle journey. Mindy shares what it’s really like helping families through missing and unsolved cases and how quickly a disappearance can spiral when authorities can’t keep pace. From media pressure to urgent real-time searching, this is a powerful conversation about determination, frustration, and the fight to bring people home. 

 ****Content Warning:
This episode contains discussion of human remains being discovered. Listener discretion is advised.

Anna Jenkins went to the dentist in Penang on December 13, 2017. Hours later, she called her husband in panic, saying someone was trying to kidnap her.

Then the line went dead.

Police dismissed it. Suggested she’d wandered off. Ignored key CCTV. Refused to investigate properly. While authorities looked the other way, Anna’s son Greg flew to Malaysia and began doing their job for them.

For 914 days, Anna was missing.

Over nearly three years, Greg travelled more than 120,000 kilometres across Malaysia, put up thousands of posters, interviewed anyone who would talk — and uncovered leads police never followed.

Then an anonymous message arrived.

In Part 1 of this powerful two-part series, Greg reveals the moment he realised the system had failed his mum — and the discovery that would change everything.

Because Anna matters...

 ****Content Warning:
This episode contains discussion of human remains being discovered. Listener discretion is advised.

When Anna Jenkins vanished in Penang in December 2017, her family believed authorities would act swiftly. They were wrong.

In Part Two of this gripping conversation, Greg Jenkins takes us deeper into the relentless three-year search that followed his mother’s final phone call. From covering more than 120,000 kilometres across Malaysia to conducting thousands of interviews himself, Greg refused to accept silence as an answer.

But what he eventually uncovered would raise even more disturbing questions.

After an anonymous message led him to a construction site, Greg made a discovery that should have changed everything. Instead, he found himself battling roadblocks, denials and a system he believes prioritised power and profit over truth.

Nearly 3,000 days on, Greg is still fighting.

Because Anna matters...

 When 23-year-old Leisl Smith left home on the New South Wales Central Coast on August 19, 2012, she told her father she’d be back by five to feed her animals.

She never returned.

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Leisl's mother, Sandi Harvey, shares the story of the quirky, animal-loving young woman who preferred horses and swimming pools to crowded rooms—and the day her life changed forever.

What began as a routine meeting near Tuggerah Railway Station would become the start of a mystery that still haunts her family more than a decade later. Leisl was reported missing days after she vanished, and the investigation that followed would stretch across ten years, uncovering disturbing inconsistencies and ultimately leading police to charge the man they believed responsible.

With the verdict sealed by law and Leisl still missing, Sandi has been left navigating a grief without resolution. Yet her determination to speak, to push for change and to bring Leisl home has never wavered.

Because Leisl matters.

 Former police officer turned investigator Graeme Crowley has spent nearly fifty years chasing justice.

What began as a career in policing eventually evolved into something unexpected, true-crime podcast investigations that challenge official narratives and reopen forgotten cases.

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with Graeme to explore how podcasting has become a powerful tool for uncovering new evidence, questioning flawed investigations, and giving families answers when the system has failed them.

From missing persons to suspicious suicides and wrongful convictions, Graeme explains how pulling apart a brief of evidence can reveal cracks in the story prosecutors once relied on.

He shares how one podcast investigation helped push police to re-examine a suspicious death ultimately leading to a murder arrest that may never have happened otherwise.

Together, Sally and Graeme discuss:

• Why missing person cases often lose urgency within the system
• The hidden problems inside coronial investigations
• The emotional toll on families waiting decades for answers
• How podcasts are changing the landscape of criminal investigations

For Graeme, this work isn’t a job — it’s a lifelong pursuit.

Because sometimes the search for truth doesn’t begin with police.

And sometimes the answers come from the people who refuse to stop asking questions.

 Our first episode is actually with my friend Jay and we're going to discuss the story of his missing uncle, Desmond Carr. I totally get it, I totally see how, just the ambiguity of not knowing is a trauma beyond words. I’ve lived it and I want to help others in a similar predicament. In all these cases that we will hear about in the coming season, someone, somewhere, knows something.  

So you'll be able to listen to our first episode, The Missing Matter, Des Matters, out and available on all platforms, Monday the 18th of August.

 In this new season Sally Leydon wants to help others who are dealing with ambiguous loss due to a missing loved one. In this episode Jay Walkerden tells the story of is uncle, Des Carr, who went missing in 1979 and has never been seen since. 

 In this episode Jason Sallese tells the story of his dad, Nicola, who was last seen in November 2008. Jason's story is one of unwavering determination to never stop searching for the answers. 

On Easter Sunday, 2008, engineer and devoted dad, Warren Meyer set out for a short, well planned hike at Dom Dom Saddle. He never came home. In this episode, Warren's wife Zee shares who he was, the day he vanished, and the search that followed. We examine early assumptions that shaped the investigation, the long path through the coroner's process and the quiet battles families face when someone does missing. 

On Sunday, 25th June 2017, Jorn Jesper Jensen, known as Jesper, vanished without a trace. A devoted father and grandfather, Jesper's sudden disappearance shocked his family and community. In this episode, we go back to the day it happened, retracing Jesper's last known movements , the first signs that something was wrong, and the search that begun to find him. 

Dr Sarah Wayland is a social work professor and leading researcher who has spent decades working with families of missing people. From frontline support to shaping national conversations on ambiguous loss and trauma, she brings unique insight into what it means to live in the 'missing' space and why these stories matter. 

 Patrick Liedke was 39 when he vanished from Tweed Heads in April 2024 a gentle, artistic soul loved by his family, with paintings on hospital walls and a life shaped by neurodiversity and complex health needs. In the days after a hospital discharge, sightings placed him around Cobaki, Piggabeen and into Currumbin Valley. Then… nothing. 

 In this bonus episode of The Missing Matter, crime analyst Laura Richards joins Sally and Joni from Los Angeles to discuss the case of Sal's mum, Marion and their recent overseas trip. 

  In the vast landscapes of rural New South Wales, a man known for his charismatic presence and unpredictable nature simply disappeared. James "Crackers" Hunter was last seen at a Dubbo pharmacy on February 28, 2020 - over 2,000 days ago. His blue Toyota Hilux was found abandoned on a rural property two years later, but James himself has vanished without a trace. For his former partner Marie Farrell, the years since have been consumed by an unrelenting search for answers. 

  In March 2015, Ray and Jennie Kehlet vanished on a prospecting trip in remote WA. Days later, Ray’s body was found at the bottom of a mine shaft. Jennie has never been found.

A coronial inquest ruled Ray was murdered, but no one has been charged. The only survivor has changed his story multiple times. This podcast unravels nine years of evidence, missed opportunities, and unanswered questions in the search for justice for Ray and Jennie.

  Sally Leydon sits down with families still searching for their loved ones, stories that have faded from headlines but never from their hearts. In this episode, Sally speaks with Amelia Grozdanovski, whose mother, Lorrin Jane Whitehead vanished from Bannockburn, Victoria, in 2013. Together they revisit that day, the unanswered questions, and the emotional toll of living without answers. It’s a raw and compassionate look at Australia’s missing, the families who keep searching, and the fight to be heard. 

   On June 17th, 1985, William “Billy” Steffen vanished from North Hobart, Tasmania, leaving behind two young children, a tent burned on the beach, and decades of unanswered questions. Forty years on, his daughter Susie shares her memories, grief, and determination to uncover what really happened to her dad. From lost police records to missed DNA matches, this episode exposes the deep cracks in Australia’s missing persons system and the enduring love of a family who refuse to forget. 

 In December 2005, 45-year-old Kathleen “Katie” O’Shea travelled from Melbourne to North Queensland to meet her first grandchild. She never arrived. Nearly twenty years later, Katie’s daughter Lily shares the story of her mother’s disappearance — a journey marked by unanswered questions, lost opportunities, and a family’s enduring hope for justice. This episode of The Missing Matter unpacks the investigation, the inquest, and the pain of living without answers in one of Australia’s most haunting missing person cases. 

 More than 50 years after Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon vanished from Adelaide Oval, journalist Bryan Littlely is still chasing their story not for headlines, but for a promise he made.

After decades in newsrooms, Bryan left behind the daily grind to follow one of South Australia’s darkest mysteries. Now, with a small team of volunteers and the girls’ sister, Suzie Ratcliffe, he digs through red dust, old police files, and decades of silence in search of answers the system couldn’t or wouldn’t find.

What began as an investigation has become something deeper: a personal mission to honor the missing, challenge authority, and give voice to those long ignored. This is a story about truth, trust, and the people who refuse to let hope fade.

  In this deeply personal episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with Kim Marshall to share the story of her sister, Bronwyn Winfield, who has been missing for more than 11,848 days. Bronwyn was reported missing by her estranged husband 11 days after she was last seen in May 1993.

Together, Kim and Sally walk through Bronwyn’s final months her courage, her attempts to rebuild her life, the growing pressures she faced, and the heartbreaking gaps in the initial investigation. Kim shares intimate memories of the sister she knew: brave, hopeful, protective, and determined. She also speaks honestly about ambiguous loss, the decades-long fight for recognition, and the systems that failed her family.

   In this powerful and deeply informative episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with forensic human identification specialist Dr. Jodie Ward, known by many as the matchmaker for the missing.

Jodie led the AFP’s National DNA Program for Unidentified and Missing Persons, a ground-breaking initiative that uncovered answers for families left waiting for decades. Together, Sally and Jodie unpack the extraordinary science behind identification: the realities of DNA testing, how bone samples are analyzed, why mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA matter, and how new SNP technology is reshaping what’s possible.

Jodie shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she fought for a national program, the international techniques she brought to Australia, and the 54 cases her team resolved, including long-term missing people who were never even reported missing.

A powerful conversation between two women working tirelessly to bring answers, dignity, and identity back to those who’ve been lost.

 In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally uncovers the quiet, haunting disappearance of 18-year-old Andrew Inglis, who vanished from a Yamba caravan park in 1985 without a trace. What began as a normal summer holiday ended in one of Australia’s most overlooked missing-person mysteries  no search, no inquest, no public appeal, and a family left in limbo for nearly forty years.  

 In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with her friend Chris D'Arcy, the lead behind Search Dog Sydney, the volunteer team called in when families have run out of options. Chris and his dogs work some of Australia’s most heartbreaking cases, from long-term missing searches to human remains detection, stepping in where systems have failed. 

Together, Sally and Chris revisit their own searches, expose the gaps that leave families searching alone, and reveal how these extraordinary dogs find answers that others miss. A raw, powerful look into the people and dogs  fighting to bring the missing home

 In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with Aaron Clear’s sister, Cassandra, to uncover the story behind her brother’s disappearance. Aaron vanished in early 2020, leaving behind only fragments of a life and a family searching for answers.

Cassandra shares who Aaron was beyond the missing person posters his childhood, his struggles, his dreams, and the moments that now carry the most weight. Together, they step through the final known timeline, the reporting delays, and the unanswered questions that still haunt the family today.

 In this episode, Sally speaks with Janette Hayden, whose 46-year-old son Scott vanished on 29 May 2025 near Taree, NSW. Scott’s behaviour had been shifting in the weeks before he disappeared—talking about God, training hard, eating clean, and struggling with his mental health. His family did what families do : they worried, they watched, and when things escalated, they went to police. More than once. 

 Days later, Scott’s bright gold car was found abandoned with his wallet, keys, shoes, food and belongings still inside — but no sign of Scott. It has now been more than 199 days. 

 Sally's journey into searching for her mum has travelled the globe, and now so has The Missing Matter. In this episode of The Missing Matter, we travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to speak with Stephanie Tinsley, host of the investigative podcast Everything They Missed.

Stephanie shares how witnessing the Alex Murdaugh murder case up close drew her into the world of true crime and exposed serious flaws in the justice system. That path led her to the 2007 murder of Danny Harris and the wrongful conviction of Andrew Hayes, a man who has spent 18 years in prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit. 

 We talk about the power of podcasting to uncover missed evidence, the vital work of the Tennessee Innocence Project, and the emotional toll of chasing truth in real time when justice, freedom, and hope are still on the line. 

Just when you thought the story was over, the questions only deepen. Hosted by Sally Leydon - Marion's daughter and the voice you know from The Lady Vanishes - along with super sleuth, Joni Condos. The Missing Matter picks up the trail after the February 2024 coronial findings. With over 22 million downloads behind it, this fan-funded follow up launches on its own new feed, ready to chart a fresh journey into the unknown. 

Before you listen to the first episode of The Missing Matter, hear how the story has unfolded. In this bonus episode you can catch up on the story of missing person Marion Barter and her daughter Sally's decades-long journey to find out what happened to her mum, who disappeared in 1997. 

On 29 February 2024, the coroner delivered her findings into the disappearance of Marion Barter, Sally's mum. After almost 27 years, Sally was left with more questions than answers - questions she was determined to resolve. In this episode, hear what unfolded in the aftermath of the inquest and discover what comes next 

In this episode, Sal and Joni share the frustration of trying to move forward after the coronial verdict. For every step ahead, they're pushed two steps back. Tune in to hear about the red tape, the blunders, the nightmares, the lack of empathy - and finally, the breakthrough.

Sally and team join Search Dogs Sydney at two different locations in New South Wales, following up on leads that have emerged over the past few years. You can help Search Dogs Sydney continue their incredible work for people like Sally - who are living with the pain of ambiguous loss - by visiting https://searchgdogssydney.org/ and making a donation. 

One of the last notes Sally received from her mum was written on notepaper from a room at the Hotel Nikko Narita in Japan. In this episode, Sally and Joni travel there to uncover answers: did her mum ever stay at this hotel? Did she get married here? And what immigration records might finally unlock the secret of Marion's disappearance?

After leaving Japan with even more questions, Sal and Joni land in London. The first stop is the British Library, and then it's off to the Sphinx to try to place Marion - and possibly Ric Blum - in the same location back in 1997. 

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally and Joni arrive in Amsterdam, following Marion's footsteps through rain soaked streets, smoky hotel rooms, and winding tram rides. With one of them unexpectedly side-lined, the other takes the city solo - navigating hidden corners, historic museums, and cryptic conversations in search of answers. What unfolds is a mix of emotions, determination, and discovery in a city that holds more than just memories. 

Sally and Joni head to Brussels on a mission to follow one of the strangest leads in the case: a mysterious coin cabinet inside Belgium's Royal Library. As they dig through archives, flea markets, and fragile connections to Ric Blum's past, they begin to uncover more about his aliases, his dealings, and possible links to stolen coins and foreign bank accounts. But a visit with one of his former victims - and a quiet moment of compassion - reminds them why they're really here.  

In Luxembourg, Sally and Joni set out to meet Monique Cornelius - a key witness in Marion Barter's case - but instead stumble upon a detail that stops them in their tracks: As they trace old addresses, explore Luxembourg's hidden banking secrets, and speak with locals in quiet villages, more strange coincidences emerge. 

Sally and Joni arrive in Lille, France, hoping uncover long-buried records. But instead of answers they find closed police stations, sealed archives, and endless red tape. Could one small detail still hold the key?

In this final episode of the season, Sally and Joni follow a curious lead about a passport found in Tasmania that belonged to the former owner of a house Ric Blum lived in and they journey to Rye, Tonbridge Wells and Burwash.

Sally and Joni hit the road to northern New South Wales, knocking on doors, and coming face to face with people who just might hold missing pieces of the puzzle. Along the way, Sally unveils the next chapter for The Missing Matter - an ambitious new direction that will open up the podcast to other families of the missing, giving their stories a voice and their loved ones a platform. 

In this bonus episode, Sally interviews Gary Jubelin, one of Australia's most respected detectives, about her mother's unsolved disappearance. They discuss the importance of connection people and key events in her mother's final days. Sally also asks Gary for his take on the coroners findings, tendencies in Ric Blum's behaviour, and whether police should dig deeper into his past, providing fascinating insights and advice from one of Australia's top detectives.