INTRODUCING — Last Seen Katoomba

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19-year-old Belinda Peisley vanished after she left a Blue Mountains hospital, west of Sydney, on the night of September 26, 1998.

The single mum-of-two disappeared within a year of inheriting a significant sum of money from a distant relative and buying a house in Katoomba, a small town in the Mountains.

Six persons of interest were named in Belinda’s case. By piecing together the stories and evidence surrounding these six, Last Seen Katoomba, uncovers a dark underbelly of drugs and violence and a culture of fear and intimidation that still exists in this town. Twenty years on, some are still too scared to speak about Belinda’s case.

The first episode of Unravel Season 3 lands on February 5.

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Transcript

This podcast contains some strong language and themes.

20 years on, detectives have reopened the cold case of Belinda Peasley.

Police are digging under her home in the Blue Mountains looking for her remains.

New South Wales police have been walking in and out of the house all morning.

There's a helicopter just above us that keeps circling around.

The homicide squad today has commenced an excavation of under the house in the rear yard.

We most certainly would love to get to the bottom of what happened.

Belinda Peasley was last seen leaving Katoomba Hospital on September 26, 1998.

Wherever Belinda ended up that night, one thing's become pretty certain.

She wasn't alone.

Somebody knows something.

That's as simple as that.

You know, it's not a disappearing with the fairies that only happens in Alice in Wonderland movies.

Somebody knows something.

Belinda Peasley inherited a big sum of money around the time she turned 18.

Problem is, she told everyone she got an inheritance.

I said, it's a silly thing, you shouldn't have told anyone.

And she was sure that somebody was trying to kill her.

She was talking about getting a fake identity and clearing out.

Rumours were going around that somebody was standing over her.

Any town has lots of drugs.

You just got to find the right people.

Just a year after Belinda got that inheritance, she disappeared.

Six persons of interest were identified by police in Belinda's case.

In the new season of Unravel, episode by episode, we're going to look at each of these persons of interest as we try to understand what happened to Belinda Peasley.

Did you ever say that night I'm going to fucking kill Belinda or smash her fucking head in?

I don't know, I could have.

All I'm asking is you tell the truth.

That's what I'm trying to do.

Well then do so.

If you think I've done something wrong, charge me with murder.

Go on, do it.

That's the ball to fucking charge me with something.

We'll leave me alone.

Did you kill Belinda Peasley?

Join me, Gina McEwen, for Last Seeing Katoombla, the brand new season of Unravel, starting February 5th.

Subscribe to Unravel wherever you get your podcasts or download the ABC Listen app.