Investigation Update | 1 - Police reopen the case

Fear intensifies around the usually quiet towns of Bargo and Gerroa, as word spreads a serial killer could be responsible for two murders. Police establish Rachelle Childs’ burned, half naked body was discovered just metres away from that of another murdered woman, young mum Jodie Fesus. Ash and Damian go back to Crooked River Road and uncover crucial physical evidence, mapping out the crime scene and the timeline against chilling witness statements from the night Rachelle was murdered. Kristy wonders if restoring Rachelle’s beloved blue 1978 Holden will help her hold onto her sister’s memory - even if it’s possible the killer was the last person to drive it. Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone.  There are new episodes of Dear Rachelle out RIGHT NOW! You can hear podcast episodes three weeks early with a News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and extras.    Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this first update episode of Dear Rachelle, get exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the unfolding investigation. Ashlea Hansen sits down with Kristy, Rachelle’s sister, and her best friend, Mindy, to reflect on the overwhelming response to the series and what inspired them to share Rachelle’s story. Plus, just hours after launch, a major development - NSW Police provide a promising update on Rachelle’s case. Hear Kristy and her mum Anne’s emotional reactions as Ashlea breaks the news. New FULL episodes of 'Dear Rachelle' drop every Friday. Head to dearrachelle.com.au now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachelle Childs has been dead for a week and police have no clear suspects. While detectives race to piece together her final movements, everyone grapples with shock and grief, and the small town rumour mill goes into overdrive. Was Rachelle killed by bikies over a drug debt? Rachelle’s sister Kristy hopes a former bikie boss will share vital information about the rumours. Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone. There are new episodes of Dear Rachelle out RIGHT NOW! You can hear podcast episodes three weeks early with a News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and case files. Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A killer is on the loose in an Australian country town. Excited for the June long weekend, bubbly 23-year old Rachelle Childs leaves work, phones her sister, and is dead within hours. Her burning, partially naked body is found nine hours later in bushland on a lonely coastal road. It’s another two days before her family is told the devastating news. Since Rachelle’s brutal murder and suspected rape in 2001, her younger sister Kristy has been hunting her killer. Now, with an unstoppable cold case team reinvestigating and uncovering damning new evidence, could this finally be the break the family need? Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone. There are more episodes of Dear Rachelle out RIGHT NOW! You can hear podcast episodes three weeks early with a News Corp Australia subscription by visiting dearrachelle.com.au. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and extras. Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“My beautiful sister, Rachelle Childs, was violently taken from us when I was just 18. My big sister was vivacious, hilarious and kind. She was my mentor, my protector, my best friend. I looked up to her so much. Now I know she's looking down on me. Willing me to find the person who killed her.”  Kristy Childs’s sister Rachelle was murdered. No one has ever been charged with the crime. The 23-year-old’s body was discovered, burning and partially undressed, on a remote Australian coastal road in June 2001. For more than two decades, her family and friends have fought for answers. Did Rachelle know her killer? Who was she supposed to be meeting at the Bargo Hotel the night she died?  Now an unstoppable cold case team has unearthed damning new evidence. Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone. You can hear the newest episodes RIGHT NOW at dearrachelle.com.au with a News Corp Australia subscription. It also grants you exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind the scenes and extras. Episodes will drop into this podcast app weekly from Friday 4th April.  Dear Rachelle is a podcast by True Crime Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.