Phoebe's Fall
Phoebe's Fall
Playlist by Phoebe's FallA major investigation by The Age newsroom in Melbourne, Australia, into the death of Phoebe Handsjuk, who was found at the bottom of a garbage chute in a luxury apartment building.14 clip(s) in playlist
Trial By Water, Episode 1: Father's Day
On Father’s Day, 2005, Robert Farquharson crashed his car into a dam. He survived, but his three children who were in the car with him didn’t. At first it seemed like a tragic accident. But quickly, it turned into a murder investigation. For exclusive content and additional reporting on the case…
56:25
Phoebe's Fall - New Laws
Victorian Government announces reforms to Coroner's Act and Phobe's grandfather Lorne responds.
06:54
Phoebe's Fall - A Fresh Look
The Victorian Government has announced a review of the Coroner's Act amid widespread public concern about the inquest into Phoebe Handsjuk's garbage chute death.
09:30
Episode 6: Inquest & Aftermath
We dissect the coroner's finding in Phoebe's case, raising serious questions about his conclusion and the methods he used to reach it. We examine the consequences of challenging a poor finding. And we reveal the Facebook post that prompted this podcast.
43:31
Mini-episode: The mystery phone number and the litany of unanswered questions
Seven months after Phoebe Handsjuk died, forensic scientists found a piece of paper in the pocket of the jeans she was wearing when she died. Whose number was it? And what did it mean?
04:10
Episode 5: Saying Goodbye
Phoebe is remembered by her friends and family. We chronicle the competing memorials and funerals. And we journey to the shores of her Viking farewell.
31:17
No time of death for Phoebe
We explore the difficulties of establishing Phoebe's time of death, and a debate between police and doctors over the value of trying to estimate when somebody has died.
04:53
Episode 4: Policework
We explore Phoebe's tumultuous last week and examine what she and her partner, Ant Hampel, did on her final day. Then we put the blowtorch to failings and omissions in the police investigation following her death, and the early conclusion that it was a suicide.
34:08
Podcast prompts political action
Our investigative journalists Richard Baker and Michael Bachelard report back on the tip-offs we've received and the political developments triggered by Phoebe's Fall since we launched.
03:02
Episode 3: A Secret Tape
Examines the state of Phoebe's mind and the relationship that dominated her life at the time of her death. We find evidence that she was planning to leave her partner, Ant Hampel. And we play audio of a secret recording made by Phoebe's mother of Ant's reaction to her death.
29:26