The 50 Year Secret
The 50 Year Secret
School teacher Jennifer Beard disappeared on New Zealand's West Coast while hitchhiking on New Year's Eve 1969. Nearly three weeks later her body was found under a bridge outside the tiny township of Haast. Now a Herald investigation has uncovered new evidence that could identify her killer.Social links:
Follow the podcast:
NZH Presents - Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial
On Easter Monday 2021, Paulina Hanna was found dead at the Remuera home she shared with her husband of 30 years, Philip Polkinghorne. For 16 months, her death was treated as “unexplained”. That’s until it emerged Polkinghorne had been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty in August 2022. Fro…
00:44
Update episode: A missed opportunity
We reveal how police were told about the rumours Reg Wildbore’s own wife had said he committed the murder - and what happened next.
07:40Clean
Special Update Episode: I Need To Speak To Mitten
More people come forward with new evidence about Reg Wildbore, and his comments about speaking to lead detective Emmett Mitten.
17:41Clean
Episode 9: Suspicion
In the final episode of The 50 Year Secret we talk to Reg Wildbore's old boss about why he always believed Reg was guilty of murder, and ask police about the challenges of getting new information in one of New Zealand's oldest unsolved murder cases.
22:59Clean
Episode 8: A Bad Feeling
The last person to ever see Jennifer alive recalls the moment she saw the British tourist climbing into the car of the man who's believed to have killed her. We retrace the route Jennifer took in her last hour alive.
20:03Clean
Episode 7: Leave It Alone
A confession, sex claims, and a statement putting Reg Wildbore practically at the scene of the crime the day Jennifer disappeared. Had nobody tried to bring this to light before? As it turns out, they did.
24:08Clean
Episode 6: Something In His Eyes
Reg Wildbore's former best mate Peter Johnston talks about Reg's strange behaviour and why it's not hard for him to believe he was capable of murder.
21:34Clean
Episode 5: D-Day Is Coming
Reg Wildbore had more than one secret, and they were all starting to catch up with him. We take a look at the twists in his story and speak to his daughter, who reveals it's not the first she's heard of a confession to the murder.
19:11Clean
Episode 4: The Wild West Coast
It's 50 years on, but former lead detective Emmett Mitten still clearly remembers the challenges of the Beard case - from going three weeks without a shower, to getting reliable descriptions of the possible murderer and the infamous Vauxhall.
21:55Clean
Episode 3: Confession
A secret that had been bubbling under the surface in a small South Island town finally comes to light. Ian Molloy speaks about the day his friend Reg Wildbore showed up on his porch and confessed to the unthinkable.
21:35Clean