5. The Trial

Six months after she vanished, police finally came looking. But by then, was it already too late?In July 2018, 46-year old Priscilla Brooten vanished in Brisbane, leaving behind an abandoned car and a trail of unanswered questions. In Season 1 of Investigate, journalist Tara Cassidy unravels the case as it evolves from a missing persons investigation into something far more complex and sinister than anyone first imagined.  Through interviews with family and friends, some who’ve never spoken publicly, Tara pulls apart competing theories and uncovers disturbing new details. Across six episodes, this series examines what happened to Priscilla, the people involved - and why 8 years on she still hasn’t been found.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In December 2018, police knocked on the door of a Brisbane home. A missing persons report had been filed for Priscilla Deanna Brooten. Priscilla hadn’t been seen or heard from in more than six months, so why had it taken so long for her to be declared a missing person?In episode one, Tara Cassidy retraces the first steps of Priscilla’s disappearance, speaking to her daughter on the other side of the world who couldn’t reach her mum, and Priscilla’s  best friend who refused to stop searching for answers. As conflicting stories emerge about Priscilla’s whereabouts, Tara uncovers a series of missed opportunities, unanswered questions and a relationship that would soon become central to the investigation. When police finally knock on Priscilla’s former partner’s door, his answers only raise their suspicions. Contact us: [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cult is now locked behind bars, but is anyone else to blame for Elizabeth’s death? In this episode, host Pippa Bradshaw is joined by legal experts to examine allegations of multiple failures by the Child Safety Department and the many lingering questions in this case. Why were warnings from medical experts ignored? Why was Elizabeth's case closed? And why was Elizabeth left in the care of two parents convicted over allowing her to almost die the first time, especially after her mother confessed that she would continue to withhold vital medication.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estranged loved ones of ‘The Saints’ share surreal and heartbreaking accounts of losing family to a cult. This episode reveals that The Saints isn't an outlier, but a textbook example of how cults take hold. Pippa Bradshaw is joined by forensic anthropologist and criminologist Dr. Xanthé Mallett to unpack the formation, impact and far-reaching consequences of fringe religious sects quietly embedding themselves in communities nationwide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 14 cult members reject legal representation and let their police interviews do the talking in the Supreme Court of Australia. Court reporter Anna Rawlings takes us inside the unprecedented mass trial, where The Saints are confronted with testimony from medical experts, police officers and family members. After a nine-week trial, the Judge delivers a shocking verdict that will set legal precedent in Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just weeks after her mother’s release from prison, and with her father now in the grip of the cult, Elizabeth is left vulnerable. Deprived of her insulin, she suffers a slow and painful death. After her parents are arrested, Pippa Bradshaw tracks down the cult in Toowoomba to find answers. Months later, 12 other adults are also charged and we hear them attempt to justify their actions, through hours-long police interviews, steadfast in their belief that God will miraculously bring Elizabeth back to life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Serious red flags loomed long before Elizabeth Struhs' tragic death. In 2019, she was rushed to the hospital on the brink of death. Court documents, police interrogations and expert medical testimony expose the events leading to Elizabeth’s diagnosis. Her case was so extreme, having been neglected to the point of critical illness, that her mother was jailed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who are the 14 cult members arrested over Elizabeth Struhs’ death? How did ordinary people, from teachers to police officers, become entangled in religious cult who called themselves The Saints? Estranged family members and friends break their silence for the first time. This episode breaks down the origins of this group, its members, and the shocking truth behind their decent into religious extremism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In January 2022, two parents were arrested on the front lawn of their Toowoomba home and charged over the death of their eight-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Struhs. In the months that followed a disturbing story unraveled of a religious cult with extreme beliefs, rejecting medical assistance and placing their complete trust in divine healing. In a rare and deeply personal interview, Elizabeth’s sister opens up about how their mother’s unwavering devotion to the cult leader shaped their childhood. She shares chilling details of life inside the cult, the suffocating control, and blind faith. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little girl dead. A cult on trial. A tragedy that should have never happened. The Saints unravels the harrowing story of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, whose parents and their secretive religious group denied her life-saving medical care - choosing prayer over treatment, with fatal consequences. Award-winning journalist Pippa Bradshaw takes you inside one of Australia’s most confronting cases of religious extremism, exposing how blind faith turned deadly. With exclusive interviews, chilling police interrogations, and expert analysis, this gripping series lays bare the sinister side of excessive devotion. How did no one stop it? And could it happen again?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.