Episode 11: Heart and Soul

Friends and relations rally around Chrystal, who has suspected the existence of a ‘curse’ affecting her mother, herself and the Read family.  But some of her closest confidantes – including Bronwyn’s brother, Andy Read, and his cousin, Megan Read, regard it as fantasy. Clairvoyants get short shrift too. Madi and Hedley disclose more about the search of Lake Ainsworth and the unusual reaction of a cadaver dog. Madi spills a suspicion over the possible identity of an informant who was controversially nominated by police in 1993 for having disclosed things which helped clear Jon of foul play at that time. Kim is hopeful she will be reunited with her other niece, Lauren.  Questions from listeners are answered as Claire Harvey, Susie Newman, Madi Walsh and Hedley delve into the details. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bronwyn’s daughter Chrystal reverses her pledge to stay out of the case. Chrystal ventures opinions about her mother’s fate, defends her step-father Jon, and implores readers and listeners to keep an open mind about him. Her decision to become involved hits Bronwyn’s brother Andy Read hard. He’s concerned Chrystal is being unfairly lobbied by her sister Lauren and murder suspect Jon in a desperate bid to deflect suspicion. Chrystal discloses that she has recently been the victim of a costly scam. A self-proclaimed ‘trainee soul doctor’ who won Chrystal’s trust took bars of gold bullion she had newly purchased. The soul doctor switched the valuable metal for worthless cement, leaving the single mother more sure of the existence of a family curse.  Top Homicide Unit detectives seek key files from journalist Hedley Thomas as the police investigation widens. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] If you need support, Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A blockbuster new podcast from The Australian and our investigative star reporter Hedley Thomas: Sick To Death is the horrifying true story of a surgeon who made catastrophic mistakes - and went unchallenged by a broken system. Hedley Thomas is here for a special episode to mark the launch of Sick To Death, available now in Apple Podcasts and at sicktodeathpodcast.com This is an episode of our daily news podcast The Front,  presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Joshua Burton with Lia Tsamoglou. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, Joshua Burton, Stephanie Coombes and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the final episode for some time, the owners of a Sydney property learn that the missing mother’s remains may have been concealed under concrete there. Andy, Michelle and Madi reflect on some of the major milestones over the past 18 months of podcast investigation. New evidence is discovered by Karina who finds the former owner of the hair salon where Jodie Winfield worked in May 1993. She reveals that Bronwyn would telephone the salon to say Jon Winfield was going to kill her. Hedley and Karina go through the numerous clues which arouse suspicions over the Illawong property. Bev Brooker's cousin reveals what’s happening with a proposed legal challenge to Bev’s will and its multi-million-dollar windfall for Jon. Hedley thanks everyone who has helped the investigation and pays tribute to one of Bronwyn's best friends from Lennox Head, the late Denise Barnard. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Megan performs a dramatic backflip by changing her evidence about Jon’s moves in Sydney in the hours after his wife Bronwyn’s disappearance. Megan expresses doubts about whether Bronwyn's body was in the car’s boot during a road trip from Sandstone Crescent to Sydney. Bronwyn’s brother Andy Read accuses Megan of inventing ‘fairytales’ in a bid to make herself more relevant in the investigation of the suspected murder of the mother of two. Megan denies she was helping Jon. Madi sides with Andy while a senior detective who ran an exhaustive cold case probe in 2009 into Bronwyn’s disappearance reveals his theory and the evidence to support it. Jon’s former lover Lena sends a heartfelt message to Bronwyn’s family. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com. If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retired detective Glenn Taylor who has worked harder on Bronwyn’s case than any other police officer faces a problem. Will his video-taped formal interview in Ballina’s police station in 1998 with murder suspect Jon Winfield be ruled out in the event of any prosecution? Lawyers and police say it is on the cards because Jon was not cautioned by police that he had a legal right to silence. Glenn believes that damning evidence from the interview ‘should’ be admissible in a future prosecution – but he agrees it will be up to a judge to decide. Legendary former Sydney detective Michael Drury highlights what he describes as a disturbing ‘pattern of alibi construction’ by Jon, who denies wrongdoing. Chrystal ceases all contact with her Uncle Andy, who blames the Winfield family for the rift. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a break of almost three months between episodes, Andy and Michelle come away from a meeting for the loved ones of homicide victims with newly found patience and confidence in the restarted police investigation into Bronwyn’s 1993 disappearance. They explain why. A former insider from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions discloses concerns she has held for a quarter century about how the brief of evidence was handled behind closed doors in Lismore in 2000. The fallibility of prosecutors in significant cases where there is no formal external accountability comes under scrutiny. And Madi Walsh is a step away from joining the New South Wales Police Force to realise her ambition to help solve serious crimes as a forensic scientist. The podcast series starts its final stage. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com. If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The family of slain gangster Stewart John Regan has been frustrated by an unwillingness on the part of the NSW Police Unsolved Homicide Unit to share information about its investigation into his death. It's the same police unit leading the investigation into Bronwyn Winfield's disappearance – and they say they're reluctant to share important files because they're concerned publicity from podcasts like Bronwyn and The Teacher's Pet will compromise their investigation.  Catch up on Episode 1 of The Gangster's Ghost now, and subscribe to hear new episodes first at gangstersghost.com.au The podcast investigates the five-decade mystery of who killed psychopathic pimp and murderer Stewart John ‘The Magician’ Regan at the age of 29. One of Australia’s most notorious gangsters, Regan was gunned down by three assassins in a Marrickville laneway in 1974.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a bizarre last ditch bid by Jon Winfield to curry favour from a Ballina detective, the coroner heading the inquest into Bronwyn’s presumed murder sums up the case against the surfing bricklayer. He describes Bronwyn’s predicament in May 1993, the plans she was making for herself and her two girls, and her resolve to be free from Jon. The coroner weighs and rejects Jon’s claims – that a mentally befuddled Bronwyn had gone on an impromptu break and must have started a new life. Jodie’s protection of her father comes under closer scrutiny. Chrystal reveals the significance of a signet ring. At the end of the inquest, Jon’s luck looks like it’s finally run out – he’s being referred to the DPP with a recommendation that he be prosecuted for murder. Read more about this case and see photographs, maps, timelines and more at bronwynpodcast.com.  If you have information which may help solve this cold case, you can – contact our team confidentially by emailing [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johnny 'The Magician' Regan was a murderer, pimp and psychopath, gunned down by three assassins in a grimy back lane in 1974. He was 29. In this new investigative podcast, The Australian's Matthew Condon investigates gangland’s last great murder mystery. Subscribers to The Australian and registered users hear episodes of 'The Gangster's Ghost' first at gangstersghost.com.au. Plus, you can read more about this case, see exclusive stories, photos, videos and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.