It’s 1987 and a coastal town named Noosa Heads in Queensland is about as idyllic as it gets. On the Sunshine Coast, Noosa Heads isn't yet the popular and developed tourist destination that it is today. It is surrounded by rivers, lookouts, bays, national park and of course expansive coastline. Families feel proud to bring their kids up in such a beautiful and safe coastal town, where they often play outside until the sun goes down. 

Sian Kingi is 12 years old, tall for her age with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She’s described as the kind of girl who would accidentally knock her opponent in netball, and stop to make sure she was okay. She’s shy, popular but never cruel. 

It’s a Friday afternoon on November 27, and after school, Sian and her mother Linda go shopping. She has a party that weekend, and so Linda takes her to a fabric shop so together they could make Sian something to wear. 

At 4:30pm, the pair finish up and head home. While Linda walks home, Sian takes her bike, and for most of the journey, they’re together. But when they get to a local park, Linda walks around it, while Sian cycles through it, passing the tennis courts. 

When Linda walks through the door, she figures Sian will be a moment behind her. But she waits and waits. 

What happened to Sian Kingi that day remains every parent’s worst nightmare and would change the beachside town forever. Hers is a name so many Australians won’t ever forget. 

CREDITS

Host: Jessie Stephens

Guest: Dot Whittington

Executive Producer: Gia Moylan

Audio Producers: Ian Camilleri & Gia Moylan

RESOURCES 

• Crime Investigation Australia: Murder Of Innocence - Sian Kingi

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Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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