Introducing...The Lab Detective

Deep Water | Tortoise Investigates

The Observer

True Crime, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.6 • 5.8K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 4 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Introducing...The Lab Detective

Kathleen Folbigg experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective turned up at her door, and arrested Kathleen on suspicion of murder.

She was labelled ‘Australia's worst female serial killer’, convicted, and was destined to spend most of the rest of her life in jail.

Until a different type of detective entered her life. A scientist working in a lab who uncovered the truth behind the deaths.

This is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, but as journalist Rachel Sylvester starts to investigate how this happened, she learns that Kathleen is not alone – other mothers have endured the same fate, and may also be in prison.

The Lab Detective is a story about the power of science, and the determination of those searching for the truth.

Episodes 1 and 2 will be available to listen on 22nd July.

To listen to the full series on 22nd July, subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts and Spotify or download the Tortoise app.

Reporters: Rachel Sylvester

Producer: Gary Marshall

Executive editor: Basia Cummings

Music supervisor: Karla Patella

Sound design: Rowan Bishop

Artwork: Lola Williams

Fact checking: Ada Barume and Madeline Parr

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Observer.
0:05.0	It is something that will be with me for the rest of my life.
0:14.0	You know, I've always said I would want my worst enemies to ever go through this sort of stuff.
0:18.0	Kathleen Folbig is a grieving mother at home in Australia
0:22.4	when a police detective turns up at her door.
0:25.7	As soon as I saw her, my face just just dropped.
0:28.7	You've got to be, you're not serious here.
0:31.8	He's there to arrest her because over a 10-year period,
0:35.7	all four of her infant children have died, out of the blue.
0:40.2	ambulance.
0:41.5	I need an ambulance.
0:43.0	My baby is not breathing.
0:45.2	In your name?
0:46.0	It's crazy.
0:46.8	It's crazy.
0:47.4	At first, it looked like a tragic series of cot deaths, the sudden, unexplained deaths of otherwise healthy children.
0:55.2	But when her fourth child died, a daughter called Laura, sympathy turned to suspicion.
1:01.5	Australia's worst female serial killer, Kathleen Falbig.
1:04.6	She was seen as this horrific monster who murdered her children.
1:08.5	She was the most hated woman in Australia.
1:16.6	For the past two decades, she's been where most people believe she belongs, behind bars. But not everyone believed she belonged there.
1:22.6	I've always said with this case, the devil's in the detail.
	...

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