Vanished in the Outback: The Chilling Disappearance of Peter Falconio

Terror Bites: Bite Sized True Crime

Audio Cowboy

Unsolved Mysteries, Criminal Cases, Chilling Crime Stories, History, Society & Culture, Suspense, Mystery Podcast, Spooky Stories, Serial Killers, True Crime Podcast, Cold Cases, Bite-sized Crime, Horror Podcast, Kidnappings, Short True Crime Stories, Murders, Documentary, True Crime, Disappearances

5 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this gripping episode of Terror Bites, we unravel one of Australia’s most mysterious true crime cases — the 2001 disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio in the remote Northern Territory. Alongside his girlfriend Joanne Lees, Peter was ambushed by a stranger on a desolate stretch of highway near Barrow Creek. What followed was a terrifying ordeal that gripped the world, sparked a massive manhunt, and ended in a murder conviction—despite Peter’s body never being found. Was it the perfect crime in the unforgiving Australian Outback? Or does someone still know more than they’re saying?

Join us as we explore the chilling details, police investigation, media frenzy, and eventual arrest of Bradley John Murdoch—the man convicted of Peter’s murder. With suspense, survival, and unanswered questions, this episode is a must-listen for true crime fans who crave real-life mysteries, unsolved disappearances, and shocking twists.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Terabytes, the True Crime Podcast, where the stories are dark, the laughs are twisted,
0:14.7	and the terror, well, it's real. I'm your host, and this where we dive into the most bizarre, chilling and downright weird
0:24.3	true crime stories you've never heard.
0:27.1	Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss a single second of the madness.
0:33.6	Australia, 2001, the outback, a stretch of road that feels like the end of the world.
0:44.3	Peter Falconio, a 28-year-old British backpacker and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, were driving through the vast wilderness of the Northern
0:57.0	Territory.
0:59.0	They were on the final leg of a road trip that had taken them across Australia.
1:06.0	The sun was setting. The road was long and empty. They were on their way to Darwin, a simple,
1:15.6	carefree adventure. Then everything changed. The outback swallowed them whole. It started like
1:24.9	any other night. They were in their van, driving on the Stewart Highway near Barrow Creek,
1:32.3	about 350 kilometers north of Alice Springs.
1:36.3	It was a quiet evening, just the hum of the engine and the vast open emptiness.
1:44.7	But then, just after 9pm, a Ute pulled up beside them.
1:51.5	The man inside waved them down.
1:54.8	He had a story.
1:57.0	He claimed their van was leaking oil.
2:00.3	Peter, being the Good Samaritan, got out to check.
2:06.1	Joanne stayed inside.
2:09.1	She watched Peter walk toward the Ute.
2:12.2	The man spoke to him.
2:14.8	And then, a bang, a gunshot. Peter fell. Joan screamed. But her screams were swallowed by the vastness of
	...

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