logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
1h 6m

Episode 15 - Spin Cycles

THE AUSTRALIAN
About this episode

Queensland’s government-run forensics lab has been using a testing threshold that is preventing it from detecting DNA in many samples, says Dr Kirsty Wright, with potentially catastrophic consequences for victims of violent crime. A t-shirt described as 'blood-soaked' is found at a Mackay business near the murder scene – but the lab reports “No DNA detected”. A truck driver who is sure he saw Shandee’s handbag at a Mackay rubbish dump just days after the murder says his information wasn't followed up by detectives for two months. In 2019 the inquest examines new persons of interest.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Oct 2023
From The Front: Queensland's DNA lab is back under the microscope
The Queensland government will reopen an inquiry into its troubled DNA lab after new evidence of flawed automated testing processes emerged. Find out more about The Front podcast here and subscribe in your podcast app. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's we ... Show More
13m 49s
Sep 2023
Shandee’s Legacy Episode 11: What Linzi Left Out
A cloud has been cast over the new chief of the lab following revelations that a DNA extraction method may have failed across thousands of samples in criminal cases for nine years. Professor Linzi Wilson-Wilde reviewed the automated method for retired judge Walter Sofronoff’s inq ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2023
Shandee's Legacy Episode 10: Project 13
Dr Kirsty Wright is the remarkable scientist who exposed the worst forensics disaster in Australia’s history, and now she’s identified the ‘smoking gun’ in the Queensland DNA lab disaster. It’s a catastrophe called ‘Project 13’ which has been hiding in plain view -- but Dr Wright ... Show More
1h 17m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
FORENSICS | The Lin Family Murders
DNA has become the gold standard in forensic investigation. As its use is increasing, so is our understanding of its limitations.   Jae Gerhard is the principal forensic scientist at Independent Forensic Services. Starting out as a forensic scientist at the Australian Federal Pol ... Show More
52m 59s
Nov 2024
Ep 8 of 11: Journey
The private forensic lab that handled the evidence in the Jones case in 2018 and 2020 tells Delia that advances in forensic science may be able to reveal more about the unknown DNA in the case. Delia dives deep into the Willard Cab Company phone bill from 2002 and tries to get in ... Show More
28m 56s
Aug 11
Did Investigators MISS Key Kohberger Evidence at Crime Scene? FBI Vet Gives Insight
Did Investigators MISS Key Kohberger Evidence at Crime Scene? FBI Vet Gives Insight In a crime scene this gruesome, can anything really go unnoticed? According to retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer, the answer might be yes. In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony ... Show More
21m 15s
Oct 2024
The Murder of Dana Ireland: Searching for Justice in One of Hawaii's Most Notorious Cases
The 1991 murder of Dana Ireland on Hawaii's Big Island has been full of twists and turns. Last year, a man who had served 26 years for that crime was formally exonerated by DNA evidence. Earlier this year, DNA evidence implicated another man. Police confronted him- and then let h ... Show More
53m 20s
May 2024
Episode 3 - Danger Road
Detective Smith meticulously examines the forensic evidence from Billy Halpern's murder, uncovering crucial details. Meanwhile, Scott discusses the case with the prosecutor of a previous multiple-murder incident on Danger Road, exploring potential links to their current investiga ... Show More
54m 37s
Oct 1
MURDERED: Idaho Murders
In November 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered inside their off-campus home. The killer left behind a trail of evidence: from DNA on a knife sheath to cell phone records and chilling witness accounts. Morgan and Kaelyn unravel the case that shocked a c ... Show More
1h 33m
Oct 6
INFAMOUS: The Murdaugh Family Murders
When Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are killed on their family’s estate in 2021, the investigation unravels a history of privilege, corruption, and suspicious deaths tied to one of South Carolina’s most influential families. But beneath the headlines and courtroom drama are stories of ... Show More
56m 1s
Aug 7
The Michael Proctor files. Parents of murdered daughter want answers. And behind the scenes with a CSI.
Prosecutors at the Norfolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts share new details in the murder case against disgraced art salesman Brian Walshe, just two months after they finished one of the biggest trials of the year -- Karen Read. And Michael Proctor, the lead investigator ... Show More
28m 27s
Oct 3
Episode 1211: How gangland murder victim Darren Falsey rose to top of Cork's drugs trade
Gangland murder victim Darren Falsey told a relative he was owed €300,000 shortly before he was shot dead, gardai have revealed. Details of Falsey’s involvement in Cork’s drugs trade were laid bare in documents lodged as part of a Criminal Assets Bureau case.Today, Niall speaks t ... Show More
13m 5s