Peter Falconio investigators release new photos 25 years after Brit backpacker’s disappearance
Peter Falconio was a British backpacker who was murdered in the Australian Outback in 2001, with his body never found. His girlfriend Joanne Lees was also abducted but managed to escape
(Image: Getty)
Australian authorities have released previously unseen photographs from their cold case probe into the killing of British backpacker Peter Falconio, who disappeared without trace in 2001 in the remote Outback.
Northern Territory Police are hoping the newly revealed images will trigger memories of a crime scene that went cold a quarter of a century ago, with the 25th anniversary of his disappearance occurring on Tuesday (July 14).
On July 14, 2001, Falconio was enjoying the adventure of a lifetime; the 28 year old was travelling across Australia following his university graduation. On that fateful day, 25 years past, he vanished alongside his partner Joanne Lees, then 27, who successfully escaped.
Falconio and Lees were motoring through a desolate stretch of the Australian wilderness in 2001, when a driver waved them down claiming vehicle trouble on the remote Stuart Highway. When Falconio approached to assist the allegedly stranded motorist, Lees recalled hearing a sharp crack she thought was gunfire.
Her attacker subsequently bound her hands, though she broke free and fled while he was preoccupied relocating Falconio’s remains. Lees escaped into the scrubland, remaining hidden for five hours before emerging onto the highway to stop a passing lorry whose driver transported her to safety.
The desolate scrub in which Lees hid from Murdoch alongside the Outback highway on July 14, 2001(Image: Getty)
Falconio’s vanishing remains amongst Australia’s most notorious unsolved mysteries – a puzzle that could remain forever unanswered.
Bradley John Murdoch was found guilty of murdering the missing 28-year-old, yet he passed away in 2025 without ever confessing to the killing.
He also refused to reveal to authorities where Falconio’s body could be located.
Despite Murdoch’s conviction and life sentence, the probe into Falconio’s slaying continues as his remains have never been recovered.
Police photo shows abandoned chapstick in the dirt, understood to have been dopped by Lees(Image: Getty)
Murdoch had previously faced seven charges relating to the abduction and sexual assault of a 12 year old girl and her mother, whom he allegedly terrorised for 25 hours.
Though he was cleared of those charges, he employed identical restraint and blindfolding techniques on Lees that the abductor had inflicted upon the young girl.
Detectives remain determined to crack one of Australia’s most chilling cold cases, with NT Police unveiling a collection of fresh documents hoping to trigger someone’s recollection and spark new leads.
One photograph captures a shocked-looking Lees in the aftermath of her escape from Bradley John Murdoch following their encounter on an isolated stretch of the Stuart Highway during that tragic evening of July 14, 2001.
Peter Falconio, pictured with then-girlfriend Joanne Lees, was taken by a mystery man in the Outback(Image: Getty)
Another image shows evidence markers positioned alongside the Stuart Highway, outlining a dark crimson mark clearly visible on the coarse tarmac surface. Additional photographs feature a shot of the orange Volkswagen Kombi van the two young Britons had been journeying in, along with images documenting wounds and abrasions across Lees’ body following her harrowing experience.
NT Police have additionally unveiled footage showing investigators’ final attempts to persuade Murdoch to disclose where he had disposed of Falconio’s remains. However, their appeals consistently went unanswered.
NT Police commissioner Martin Dole condemned Murdoch as a “coward” for his refusal to reveal the whereabouts of Falconio’s body in a statement accompanying the newly released images.
“This was a traumatic and horrific event for Ms Lees and for Peter’s family, who have now gone such a long time without the answers they deserve,” Dole said.
Police mugshot of Bradley John Murdoch(Image: Getty)
“It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch died without, as far as we know, ever disclosing the location of Peter’s remains. His cowardly silence has denied [Falconio’s] family, friends and loved ones the closure they deserve.
“Twenty-five years is a significant milestone, and the Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to bringing this investigation to its fullest conclusion and will continue to pursue every avenue available.”
A bounty of AUD$500,000 – approximately £260,000 – remains on offer for any intelligence that directly results in locating Falconio’s body. Dole emphasised that anyone possessing information, regardless of how minor it might seem, should contact authorities immediately.
“There may still be someone who knows something whether that be information they have never previously shared with police or something Murdoch said to them,” he said, adding: “No piece of information is too small; what may seem insignificant could prove critical in helping investigators finally resolve this case.”
Officers suspect Murdoch may have admitted to the offence at some stage in the subsequent years to mates and relatives, despite his public rejection of any connection with the savage crime.
The fresh photograph release from NT Police arrives just hours ahead of a brand new documentary’s debut examining the Falconio enigma. Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder delves into the scientific evidence surrounding the notorious unsolved case.
Internationally acclaimed geoforensic expert Dr Mark Harrison and ex-FBI behavioural analyst Kathy Canning-Mello team up to harness cutting-edge forensic technology in a bid to provide the Falconio family with the closure they desperately need.
Confronting the harsh landscape of the remote Australian Outback, the duo revisit existing evidence while attempting to penetrate the psyche of a murderer in their quest to identify the most probable site of Peter’s remains.
Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder is available to stream on Channel 4, or on Channel 9 and 9Now for Australian audiences.
