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[narrator] Every 90 seconds,
someone is reported missing.
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Many return to their families,
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but for others something
has gone seriously wrong.
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A woman visits a solicitor
about divorcing her husband.
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The next day, she disappears.
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I thought it was just kind
of like I've had enough.
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I don't want anything
more to do with you guys.
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[narrator] A mother is missing,
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and then yet another devastating blow.
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Police came to my house.
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And, um, they said, "I'm really sorry
to tell you we've got some bad news
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and that your father is missing at sea."
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[narrator] What happens
in the police investigation that follows?
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In any other murder inquiry,
you've got a body.
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We didn't have a body.
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To prove that someone's dead
with no body and no paper trail,
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literally zero evidence whatsoever,
is damn near impossible.
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[narrator] What happens
to the family at its heart…
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[Sam] I never knew that there were
such depths of, um, sadness
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that you're capable
of actually going through.
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[narrator reading]
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[Sam] My mother, she was quite
an introverted person.
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{\an8}My father is, um, the complete opposite.
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A lot more gregarious,
a lot more controlling.
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Uh, a lot more the orchestrator of us,
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how he wanted things to be in the house,
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what he wanted to do.
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Um, I can remember reading Ladybird books.
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My father teaching me times tables
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and testing me every single night.
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He'd handwritten out
all of my times tables.
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We'd go to the New Forest,
Sunday, after lunch,
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with the dog for a nice walk,
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playing frisbee in the park.
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Or when we were abroad
and then, you then had other games.
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Swimming a huge amount.
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Um, skiing a huge amount.
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Chasing each other down
the mountains in Canada.
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{\an8}So my grandfather was very much described
as someone that was very driven,
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{\an8}strong-willed, strong-minded.
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{\an8}Russell worked as a draftsman,
electronics draftsman
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{\an8}in the aviation industry.
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They traveled a lot, they worked abroad.
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Um, it was quite lucrative.
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It was a privileged upbringing
to a certain degree.
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Um, they lived all over the world.
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[narrator] But at the heart of what seems
to be perfectly normal family life
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is a worrying character.
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[Neil] He was very, very ruthless.
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Would cut you down as quickly as he could.
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[Joanna] Well, it had been obvious
to Carole's parents
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that Russell was a controlling,
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unpleasant character
right from the beginning.
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[Joanna] Carole left school at 15
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and met Russell at a factory in Reading.
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Carole was head over heels in love.
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And despite the fact
that her parents detested him,
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they ended up getting married.
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He caused a lot of arguments
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and the rest of the family
didn't like him.
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Carole's mother, Mary,
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found out that he had a conviction
for grievous bodily harm.
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Russell didn't want his wife
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to have anything to do
with her parents after that.
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[narrator] Carole doesn't
see or speak to her parents for years,
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during which time
she has her daughter, Sam.
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Then, out of the blue,
Carole calls her mother.
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Carole said that they were living
in Southampton at that stage.
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They had an Alsatian puppy.
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They'd been at work and then came home
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and the puppy had made a mess
or ripped something up.
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Russell completely lost it
and beat up his wife.
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He kicked the puppy to death.
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Carole's mother
wanted Carole to just leave,
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she begged her to leave and she wouldn't.
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He seemed to have control over Carole.
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[narrator] Russell's control
isn't just over Carole.
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[Neil] Very much do as I say not as I do.
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And that was very much
how my grandfather brought up my mum.
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I was heavily disciplined
from a very, very young age.
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A wooden spoon across my backside,
a wooden coat hanger
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um, or being put into isolation for days.
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And literally not spoken to.
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Food just brought to my room.
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But my father was definitely, he was
the one who meted out the punishment.
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When I was 14 we came back
from Canada for the final time.
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[narrator] With the family back in the UK,
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Russell sets up a new business.
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[Sam] Patricia started to work
for my father in 1983.
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The business was now being run
from effectively our kitchen,
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dining room table.
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Financially things weren't
going absolutely great.
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[narrator] Russell has
an unconventional solution
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to his money problems.
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The idea was was that
Patricia would sell her flat.
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She then injected some cash to my parents
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to enable them to be able to pay off
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some arrears on the mortgage
that were obviously in place,
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so that they could
actually save the house,
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so that they didn't lose the house.
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Within a matter of months,
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Patricia was then living in our house.
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She was completely
the opposite to what my mother was.
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Um, she was very confident.
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I don't think my mother
was particularly overly welcoming.
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You know?
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She obviously switched on a few buttons
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with regards to my father, completely.
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It just gave my father basically,
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he brought his lover into the house.
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You have to bear in mind just how much
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that if my father wanted something,
how much my father,
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that was it, that's what was happening.
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Russell continued this affair
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under the roof of the family home.
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So disrespectful.
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[narrator] Family life
is now increasingly strained.
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Bad things were starting
to happen in the house
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as far as rows were concerned,
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as far as my mother's mental stability
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and how she was starting to cope
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with the reality of having Patricia
in the house.
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As to how much she was aware
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of how much the affair was going on,
I don't know.
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That wouldn't have been something
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that she would have discussed with me.
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[narrator] Sam decides to share a secret
with her mother.
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And I said to her, "You do know
that this isn't the first time
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that this has happened.
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I know that he's done this before."
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I said to her, "Don't tell my father."
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Unfortunately, my phone call that evening
was from my father to say to me,
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"just you wait,
you know, until I get home."
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I was petrified.
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He comes in, opens up the door,
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comes straight up the stairs,
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comes straight into my room,
turns my light on.
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Had a hard-soled leather slipper.
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Uh, takes me out of bed,
puts me over his knee
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and literally just starts beating me.
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I'm screaming, I'm crying.
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He throws me
to the other side of the room,
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to the base of where the bed,
and I had some wardrobes.
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This arm here was literally
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absolutely battered black and blue.
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I'll never forget it.
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I was so scared.
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[narrator] It's 1985.
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And Carole and Russell's relationship
is at breaking point.
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{\an8}She was living
under the same roof as her husband
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{\an8}and his mistress.
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{\an8}[Sam] As far as my mother was concerned
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{\an8}this was now irretrievably broken down.
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She was about to turn 40.
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Life begins at 40 is the old saying.
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You watch this space, you know,
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I'm going places now
and I'm getting out of this.
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[Joanna] She saw a solicitor
and talked to him about a divorce.
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Because her life by then
must have been intolerable.
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[Sam] She had obviously, herself,
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was starting then to make
the normal inquiries
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that you normally would
to normally start to dissolve the marriage
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and to split up the assets
that the house had.
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Because I'm going to divorce you.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[narrator] It's the day after
Carole visited a solicitor
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to discuss divorce proceedings.
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My father and I went to London.
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I don't know if I expected my mother
to be there when we got back.
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Because when I walked into the kitchen,
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there was a note
on the side by the back door
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from the kitchen, handwritten, very short.
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And just saying, um,
that she's had enough,
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that she's leaving
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and that she doesn't want
anything more to do with us.
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With her wedding ring
just sat on top of the note.
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And then obviously,
then I was quite concerned
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because I think that
because of the way that then,
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I then ran upstairs
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because I wanted
to know how gone was gone.
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I can remember walking
into the master bedroom
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and all the wardrobe doors
were all wide open.
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And nothing had been taken.
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And looking back at my father
who was now stood in front of me
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just leaning against the door,
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and he said, "She'll be back."
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I didn't think
when she went missing that, [stutters]
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that meant missing missing.
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{\an8}A lot of adults go missing
for various reasons.
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{\an8}And the majority of them
are found safe and well.
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My mother wasn't reported
missing straightaway.
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There was nothing untoward
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or nothing that we had to be concerned
about mental health-wise.
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People do go missing.
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And, that sometimes they go missing
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with the full intention
of not ever wanting to be found.
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And I went to the police station,
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to Bournemouth Police Station
with my father.
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Um, I can remember us taking
a photograph with us.
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[Paul] At that stage,
it would then be assessed.
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And then, inquiries would then be made,
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places that they may have gone,
friends that they'd know about.
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And it would move from there.
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But Russell, as always,
had an explanation.
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Russell told a few people
that his wife had left.
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It was as if she wasn't missing.
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It was as if nothing had happened.
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And that everything just continued
as you were.
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So, therefore nothing particularly
was gonna be done
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about actually looking for her.
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[Joanna] Patricia and Russell
continued living together in it
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and they also had Sam living there.
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But things became increasingly strained
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between Sam and her father.
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One evening, sat at the dining room table,
my father says,
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"I don't think I want you
to live in the house anymore."
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And I said, "Okay."
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And I got up went upstairs,
went and got my coat.
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Patricia's at the bottom of the stairs
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and she's doing her dramatic
of, "Oh, Sammie, please don't go.
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Please don't leave like your mother did."
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I can remember walking down the drive,
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my father stood up at the door.
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He said to me, "You'll be back."
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And I said to him,
"Your wife has left you,
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your daughter's now leaving you,
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and hopefully one day she'll see sense,
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she'll leave you as well
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and then you'll end up
as a sad, lonely old man."
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I've got this big, massive blue suitcase.
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My school bag over my shoulder.
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Teddy bear with me
that I'd had ever since I was a baby.
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And she was effectively homeless.
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She, I believe she slept under the pier
in Bournemouth for a while.
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How I actually managed to stay alive
I do not know.
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I did wonder where she'd gone,
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um, but I think though
from the time of when I left home…
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I just started to go off the rails.
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Didn't speak to my father at all.
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Didn't speak to Patricia at all.
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Because that was completely broken now.
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[narrator] Two years pass
before Sam contacts her father
243
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to ask if he's heard
anything from her mother.
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He said, um, that yes, he had.
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[Paul] A lady
giving details of Carole Packman
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00:13:51,443 --> 00:13:55,083
had gone into Bournemouth Police Station
to say words to the effect
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00:13:55,163 --> 00:13:58,683
that I understand you've got me down
as a missing person.
248
00:13:58,763 --> 00:14:00,803
I just want to say I'm safe and well
249
00:14:00,883 --> 00:14:04,043
but I don't want my family or friends
or anybody to contact me.
250
00:14:05,003 --> 00:14:06,243
And I believed that.
251
00:14:06,923 --> 00:14:11,283
My impression was that this was literally
just a temporary thing.
252
00:14:11,363 --> 00:14:14,283
That she would come back,
she would turn up one day.
253
00:14:17,843 --> 00:14:20,443
[narrator] With Carole no longer
in the family home,
254
00:14:20,523 --> 00:14:24,443
Russell's relationship
with Patricia is able to flourish.
255
00:14:24,803 --> 00:14:26,843
They were a fully-fledged couple.
256
00:14:27,203 --> 00:14:28,803
There was no stopping them now.
257
00:14:28,963 --> 00:14:32,963
Because they could openly just say,
"Well, it is Russell and Patricia now,
258
00:14:33,163 --> 00:14:34,763
not Russell and Carole anymore."
259
00:14:35,643 --> 00:14:37,763
[Joanna] They lived in a very nice house.
260
00:14:38,363 --> 00:14:41,723
They had nice things
and they spent a lot of money
261
00:14:42,083 --> 00:14:43,723
that they probably didn't have.
262
00:14:46,803 --> 00:14:48,683
[narrator] It appears
everything's going well
263
00:14:48,763 --> 00:14:51,083
for Russell and new girlfriend, Patricia.
264
00:14:51,363 --> 00:14:53,243
But things take an unexpected turn
265
00:14:53,323 --> 00:14:56,923
when the couple head out on a boat trip
with their solicitor.
266
00:15:00,283 --> 00:15:04,163
[Phil] I came on duty
as the shift sergeant at 6:00 a.m.
267
00:15:04,243 --> 00:15:06,323
on the 21st of October.
268
00:15:06,763 --> 00:15:08,923
{\an8}And was told by the duty inspector
269
00:15:09,003 --> 00:15:11,963
{\an8}that there is a person
reported missing at sea,
270
00:15:12,043 --> 00:15:14,203
having gone overboard from a yacht
271
00:15:14,283 --> 00:15:16,723
which was on charter
from the south coast of England.
272
00:15:16,843 --> 00:15:20,403
And so, um, I was asked
to commence inquiries into that.
273
00:15:21,043 --> 00:15:26,803
Russell Causley had somehow
gone overboard this yacht
274
00:15:27,123 --> 00:15:28,283
in the middle of the night.
275
00:15:28,523 --> 00:15:31,803
And his solicitor, who was on board,
276
00:15:31,883 --> 00:15:34,963
Anthony Hackett-Jones made a Mayday call.
277
00:15:38,043 --> 00:15:41,083
[Phil] When somebody goes missing on land
it's fairly straightforward
278
00:15:41,163 --> 00:15:42,963
in that you would work on information,
279
00:15:43,043 --> 00:15:45,723
where they were last seen,
places that they frequent,
280
00:15:45,803 --> 00:15:48,603
and any other information
that you get from family or relatives.
281
00:15:49,043 --> 00:15:51,083
Whereas at sea
it's slightly more complicated.
282
00:15:51,163 --> 00:15:52,963
Because you need to have a position
283
00:15:53,043 --> 00:15:54,563
where they were last known
284
00:15:54,723 --> 00:15:56,843
and then work back with tide and wind.
285
00:15:57,203 --> 00:16:00,603
And calculate then,
what the direction of travel they maybe
286
00:16:00,683 --> 00:16:02,323
if they are floating in the sea.
287
00:16:02,603 --> 00:16:05,243
The lifeboats and fishing vessels
288
00:16:05,803 --> 00:16:09,243
all were called in to help search
for Russell.
289
00:16:09,323 --> 00:16:12,083
The air search aircraft was also scrambled
290
00:16:12,163 --> 00:16:14,043
and that carried out a search as well.
291
00:16:15,843 --> 00:16:18,323
[narrator] Initial searches
find no trace of Russell.
292
00:16:22,123 --> 00:16:24,203
One of the first things to do
in these investigations
293
00:16:24,283 --> 00:16:27,443
is to make contact with next of kin
and I found out that that was Sam.
294
00:16:27,683 --> 00:16:29,843
[Sam] Police came to my house.
295
00:16:30,403 --> 00:16:32,923
And, um, they said,
"I'm really sorry to tell you
296
00:16:33,163 --> 00:16:35,563
but we've got some bad news
297
00:16:35,643 --> 00:16:38,643
and that your father is missing at sea."
298
00:16:42,243 --> 00:16:43,323
Completely broke down.
299
00:16:44,163 --> 00:16:46,003
Her father was missing at sea,
300
00:16:46,323 --> 00:16:48,443
presumed dead by this stage.
301
00:16:48,803 --> 00:16:51,043
And, of course,
that was a great shock to her.
302
00:16:51,643 --> 00:16:54,003
I said to him, "We need to find my mother,
303
00:16:54,163 --> 00:16:56,763
we've got to find my mother
and we've got to tell her
304
00:16:56,843 --> 00:16:59,283
what has happened to her husband."
305
00:16:59,763 --> 00:17:01,483
Because my father was now dead.
306
00:17:06,683 --> 00:17:08,683
[narrator] It's now been
eight and a half years
307
00:17:08,763 --> 00:17:10,803
since anyone's had contact with Carole.
308
00:17:13,402 --> 00:17:14,923
Sam had told me that her mother,
309
00:17:15,003 --> 00:17:16,923
she believed her mother
had started a new life
310
00:17:17,003 --> 00:17:18,642
somewhere else in the world.
311
00:17:18,803 --> 00:17:22,362
And so, I then started
to make inquiries to trace her.
312
00:17:22,563 --> 00:17:27,603
Starting with, the UK,
Passport Office, doctors' surgeries,
313
00:17:27,683 --> 00:17:31,043
the usual sort of places
that you might expect to find a record.
314
00:17:31,243 --> 00:17:32,603
No trace in the UK.
315
00:17:32,763 --> 00:17:34,643
And then various other places
around the world
316
00:17:34,723 --> 00:17:38,403
where she'd worked previously
such as Canada, Germany.
317
00:17:38,483 --> 00:17:39,683
And I just couldn't believe
318
00:17:39,763 --> 00:17:42,003
that a mother wouldn't make contact
with her daughter
319
00:17:42,083 --> 00:17:44,803
over the years
that followed her disappearance.
320
00:17:46,603 --> 00:17:48,963
{\an8}[narrator] The press
are quickly onto the story.
321
00:17:50,443 --> 00:17:52,803
[Joanna] I was working as a reporter
322
00:17:52,883 --> 00:17:54,963
in the town center in Bournemouth.
323
00:17:55,483 --> 00:17:57,643
And it was just an ordinary day.
324
00:17:58,043 --> 00:18:00,523
And you never know
what the news is gonna throw up.
325
00:18:00,883 --> 00:18:04,603
But we had a report of this local man
326
00:18:04,683 --> 00:18:08,123
who'd gone missing in the Channel Islands
327
00:18:08,203 --> 00:18:11,683
and was presumed drowned,
he'd gone off a yacht.
328
00:18:12,723 --> 00:18:17,483
So my news editor
sent me around to his house
329
00:18:17,563 --> 00:18:22,443
to try and talk to his wife or widow,
as we thought she was.
330
00:18:23,123 --> 00:18:26,283
Her reactions were like
none I'd ever seen before,
331
00:18:26,763 --> 00:18:28,803
for somebody in that situation.
332
00:18:29,443 --> 00:18:31,163
She didn't behave normally.
333
00:18:32,363 --> 00:18:34,523
So that alerted my suspicions.
334
00:18:35,283 --> 00:18:37,083
This woman that I'd been to see
335
00:18:37,963 --> 00:18:40,363
actually wasn't Russell's wife.
336
00:18:41,523 --> 00:18:47,003
And this is when we found out
that nobody had actually seen
337
00:18:47,083 --> 00:18:52,203
or heard from Carole since 1985.
338
00:18:53,283 --> 00:18:55,483
My gut instinct as a reporter
339
00:18:55,563 --> 00:18:59,683
was there was something abnormal
about the whole thing.
340
00:19:04,403 --> 00:19:06,443
[narrator] Russell's solicitor, Anthony,
341
00:19:06,523 --> 00:19:08,283
and Russell's girlfriend, Patricia,
342
00:19:08,483 --> 00:19:10,523
appear to be acting suspiciously.
343
00:19:11,083 --> 00:19:14,163
Meaning things aren't stacking up
for Guernsey police either.
344
00:19:15,083 --> 00:19:18,323
[Phil] Anthony and Patricia
were regularly contacting me,
345
00:19:18,403 --> 00:19:21,003
wanting me to wrap up the investigation.
346
00:19:21,243 --> 00:19:22,723
Despite being under pressure,
347
00:19:22,803 --> 00:19:25,843
um, I told Anthony
that it could take months
348
00:19:25,963 --> 00:19:27,843
before a body could materialize.
349
00:19:28,003 --> 00:19:31,243
The increased pressure
was really heightening my suspicions
350
00:19:31,323 --> 00:19:32,883
that a crime had been committed.
351
00:19:32,963 --> 00:19:35,963
But I wasn't sure whether it was Russell
352
00:19:36,083 --> 00:19:41,243
being pushed overboard
or whether it was a large fraud.
353
00:19:41,883 --> 00:19:43,923
Or that he'd faked his own death.
354
00:19:44,803 --> 00:19:46,563
After they returned to England,
355
00:19:46,643 --> 00:19:48,603
I then put the insurance companies
on notice.
356
00:19:48,683 --> 00:19:52,043
I wanted to know
if there was any life cover on Russell.
357
00:19:52,203 --> 00:19:53,803
And within a matter of days,
358
00:19:53,883 --> 00:19:57,043
Anthony had made a claim
on Russell's life in,
359
00:19:57,123 --> 00:19:59,163
somewhere in the region
of a million pounds.
360
00:20:01,083 --> 00:20:05,443
Working on that assumption, I then
carried out inquiries with the local ferry
361
00:20:05,523 --> 00:20:08,963
that runs between the Channel Islands
and the mainland UK.
362
00:20:09,203 --> 00:20:12,603
And I was able to find out that
on the night
363
00:20:12,683 --> 00:20:15,243
that the Le Talon Noir left Guernsey,
364
00:20:15,563 --> 00:20:16,883
that at roughly the same time,
365
00:20:16,963 --> 00:20:19,843
a Mr. R. Russell had booked a ticket
366
00:20:19,923 --> 00:20:22,243
to travel back on the ferry,
back to the UK.
367
00:20:25,803 --> 00:20:32,603
[Sam] My father was missing,
presumed dead for four months.
368
00:20:33,963 --> 00:20:37,083
And I was desperate,
really, really desperate,
369
00:20:37,163 --> 00:20:38,203
to find my mother.
370
00:20:39,243 --> 00:20:41,563
[narrator] The police investigation
is gathering pace
371
00:20:41,643 --> 00:20:45,363
and Sergeant Phil Falla
decides to interview Patricia again.
372
00:20:46,523 --> 00:20:49,163
[Phil] I asked Patricia
why she mentioned in her statement
373
00:20:49,243 --> 00:20:52,723
that she had made,
that she was the wife of Russell…
374
00:20:53,283 --> 00:20:56,363
when I knew now
that Carole was actually his wife.
375
00:20:56,723 --> 00:20:59,123
And I particularly wanted
to know from Patricia
376
00:20:59,203 --> 00:21:02,243
if she might have any idea
where I could find Carole
377
00:21:02,323 --> 00:21:05,163
because I needed to speak with her
about this incident.
378
00:21:05,523 --> 00:21:08,123
And then she said to me,
and looked me directly in the eye,
379
00:21:08,203 --> 00:21:11,123
and said, "Sergeant Falla,
I don't think you'll ever find Carole,"
380
00:21:11,523 --> 00:21:13,963
which sent a shiver down my spine.
381
00:21:19,603 --> 00:21:21,963
[narrator] The police are becoming
more and more suspicious
382
00:21:22,043 --> 00:21:24,363
that Russell may not be lost at sea.
383
00:21:24,443 --> 00:21:26,323
[Phil] At some point
during the investigation,
384
00:21:26,403 --> 00:21:28,963
surveillance was put on Patricia
385
00:21:29,163 --> 00:21:30,723
in the hope that at some stage
386
00:21:30,803 --> 00:21:34,363
she would lead the investigators
to Russell Causley.
387
00:21:34,843 --> 00:21:37,003
[Joanna] So after those months
of everybody thinking
388
00:21:37,083 --> 00:21:40,243
he might be dead,
he was found alive and well…
389
00:21:40,843 --> 00:21:42,403
having lunch with his girlfriend.
390
00:21:45,123 --> 00:21:48,003
And officers were called
and arrested both of them.
391
00:21:48,283 --> 00:21:52,523
I'd investigated on a number
of missing persons reports
392
00:21:52,603 --> 00:21:54,803
but this was the first one
that I'd dealt with
393
00:21:54,883 --> 00:21:58,043
where somebody had faked their own death
for an insurance claim.
394
00:21:58,563 --> 00:22:02,723
I didn't believe that my father
could actually do that sort of thing,
395
00:22:02,803 --> 00:22:08,083
and to completely dismiss my feelings
of as to what effects that would have.
396
00:22:08,723 --> 00:22:10,083
[narrator] Sam's father, Russell,
397
00:22:10,163 --> 00:22:13,123
his girlfriend, Patricia,
and his solicitor, Anthony,
398
00:22:13,203 --> 00:22:15,683
now face a trial for insurance fraud.
399
00:22:15,763 --> 00:22:18,043
But the whereabouts
of Russell's wife, Carole,
400
00:22:18,123 --> 00:22:19,523
remains a mystery.
401
00:22:19,963 --> 00:22:22,443
[Joanna] Patricia Causley pleaded guilty
402
00:22:23,083 --> 00:22:24,763
to the conspiracy to defraud.
403
00:22:25,283 --> 00:22:27,843
And she was given a suspended sentence.
404
00:22:28,123 --> 00:22:29,843
[Phil] Anthony pleaded not guilty.
405
00:22:29,923 --> 00:22:31,883
He went to trial and he was found guilty
406
00:22:31,963 --> 00:22:34,363
and he was sentenced
to three years imprisonment,
407
00:22:34,443 --> 00:22:35,763
because he'd pleaded not guilty
408
00:22:35,843 --> 00:22:37,843
and the fact that he was a solicitor.
409
00:22:38,443 --> 00:22:40,803
Following Russell's arrest,
he pleaded guilty to fraud
410
00:22:40,883 --> 00:22:43,003
and was sentenced
to two years' imprisonment.
411
00:22:48,883 --> 00:22:51,283
[narrator] For the police
and Carole's family
412
00:22:51,843 --> 00:22:54,003
there are still questions to be answered.
413
00:22:54,443 --> 00:22:57,203
If he was capable of lying
to his daughter about that,
414
00:22:57,283 --> 00:22:58,723
then he's capable of lying to her
415
00:22:58,803 --> 00:23:00,923
about the disappearance of his wife.
416
00:23:01,563 --> 00:23:04,123
Something was wrong,
something was very wrong.
417
00:23:06,963 --> 00:23:09,963
Because this was a lady
who was a person of habit.
418
00:23:10,443 --> 00:23:15,683
And all of a sudden, from June,
1985 everything had stopped.
419
00:23:15,883 --> 00:23:19,483
You then think to yourself,
is there the possibility
420
00:23:19,563 --> 00:23:21,523
that actually something
really bad has happened?
421
00:23:21,843 --> 00:23:23,843
And we, we had no idea.
422
00:23:24,043 --> 00:23:26,243
Alarm bells were starting to ring
423
00:23:26,323 --> 00:23:29,083
because we were not getting
a consistent story.
424
00:23:29,643 --> 00:23:32,483
Everybody we spoke to
was giving us a different story.
425
00:23:32,643 --> 00:23:35,243
And bearing in mind
these stories had come from Russell.
426
00:23:36,483 --> 00:23:39,123
He was the focal point of this inquiry.
427
00:23:40,043 --> 00:23:42,683
[narrator] DC Paul Donnell
had already interviewed
428
00:23:42,763 --> 00:23:46,403
Russell and Patricia
before they were convicted of fraud.
429
00:23:47,763 --> 00:23:49,483
The first question I asked him,
430
00:23:49,963 --> 00:23:52,803
I just said, "Right,
I want to explain to you first of all
431
00:23:52,883 --> 00:23:53,923
the reason why we're here,
432
00:23:54,003 --> 00:23:56,723
it's not usual for CID officers
433
00:23:56,803 --> 00:23:58,963
to be investigating a missing person.
434
00:23:59,323 --> 00:24:02,483
We've come to you for help
to try and trace your wife.
435
00:24:02,563 --> 00:24:04,283
And then we can put this matter to bed
436
00:24:04,363 --> 00:24:06,323
and then we won't need
to bother you any further."
437
00:24:06,683 --> 00:24:07,603
And he sort of went,
438
00:24:07,683 --> 00:24:09,643
"Well, yeah, she's gone to Canada."
439
00:24:09,723 --> 00:24:11,843
"Well how do you know
she's gone to Canada?"
440
00:24:12,083 --> 00:24:13,683
"Well I got a phone call from her."
441
00:24:13,843 --> 00:24:16,403
And I said "Well have you received
anything else from her?"
442
00:24:16,563 --> 00:24:18,643
"Yes, I got a letter from her in '91."
443
00:24:19,323 --> 00:24:20,963
"Great. Can we see the letter?"
444
00:24:21,043 --> 00:24:22,203
"No, I've destroyed it."
445
00:24:22,643 --> 00:24:25,243
I think if it was me
I'd want to keep something
446
00:24:25,323 --> 00:24:28,643
to show the authorities
that this was what had happened.
447
00:24:28,843 --> 00:24:32,163
I then turned to Patricia
who was there listening to all of this.
448
00:24:32,243 --> 00:24:34,923
And I said, "Well, okay, that's fine."
I said, "Right, Patricia."
449
00:24:35,003 --> 00:24:36,243
And he interrupted and he said,
450
00:24:36,323 --> 00:24:38,083
"Well she can't help you with anything."
451
00:24:38,563 --> 00:24:41,323
And I said, "Well,
actually we'll be the judge of that.
452
00:24:41,683 --> 00:24:44,523
And we want to ask her some questions
because she was there
453
00:24:44,603 --> 00:24:47,083
and we'd like her
to answer those not you."
454
00:24:47,643 --> 00:24:49,603
And he said, "Well, no,
I'm not happy with that.
455
00:24:49,683 --> 00:24:51,163
You know, she's got nothing to say."
456
00:24:51,243 --> 00:24:53,523
That in itself was very unusual.
457
00:24:53,923 --> 00:24:55,803
[narrator] For daughter,
Sam, and her family,
458
00:24:55,883 --> 00:24:58,683
their fears and concerns
are reaching new heights.
459
00:24:58,843 --> 00:25:00,603
Where is Carole?
460
00:25:00,803 --> 00:25:02,883
[Sam] Person you think is dead
is now alive.
461
00:25:03,123 --> 00:25:05,003
And the person you think is missing,
462
00:25:05,363 --> 00:25:08,283
it's not looking good as far
as initial traces trying to find her.
463
00:25:12,403 --> 00:25:14,323
But it's, it's really not easy.
464
00:25:14,403 --> 00:25:17,923
It tears people apart,
it literally just breaks you.
465
00:25:19,363 --> 00:25:20,803
[narrator] For the police though,
466
00:25:21,283 --> 00:25:23,243
everything is becoming clear.
467
00:25:25,083 --> 00:25:28,203
[Phil] After a year of looking for Carole
and not finding any trace of her,
468
00:25:28,283 --> 00:25:30,883
for me, that moved
from being a missing person inquiry
469
00:25:30,963 --> 00:25:32,523
to a murder inquiry.
470
00:25:32,843 --> 00:25:35,203
[dramatic music playing]
471
00:25:36,843 --> 00:25:38,603
[narrator] Carole Packman hasn't been seen
472
00:25:38,683 --> 00:25:41,363
since the 15th of June,1985.
473
00:25:41,923 --> 00:25:44,643
Police now believe
they're investigating her murder.
474
00:25:45,083 --> 00:25:46,363
We're now in the situation,
475
00:25:46,523 --> 00:25:49,323
having interviewed both
Russell and Patricia,
476
00:25:49,443 --> 00:25:51,563
this is no longer
a missing person inquiry,
477
00:25:51,643 --> 00:25:54,523
it's a murder inquiry
and what we've gotta do is prove it.
478
00:25:56,203 --> 00:25:57,843
{\an8}Russell was serving a sentence.
479
00:25:57,923 --> 00:25:59,723
{\an8}He'd now been convicted of the fraud
480
00:25:59,843 --> 00:26:02,483
{\an8}and he was serving two years'
imprisonment for that fraud.
481
00:26:03,523 --> 00:26:06,043
[narrator] Russell has lied
about faking his own death.
482
00:26:06,363 --> 00:26:09,723
And the police also think he's lying
about what's happened to his wife.
483
00:26:11,203 --> 00:26:13,323
{\an8}You start to realize, um,
484
00:26:13,443 --> 00:26:17,163
{\an8}just the tone of the investigation
that it's now going into.
485
00:26:17,683 --> 00:26:20,563
But, of course, this is now
eight and a half years on.
486
00:26:20,923 --> 00:26:23,643
Uh, and you have no idea
of the length of the road
487
00:26:23,723 --> 00:26:24,723
that's ahead of you.
488
00:26:25,643 --> 00:26:27,843
{\an8}I can't begin to think
what Sam was going through.
489
00:26:27,923 --> 00:26:30,683
{\an8}It was so stressful.
490
00:26:31,163 --> 00:26:33,203
I really felt for her.
491
00:26:33,763 --> 00:26:35,683
We believed that we could
still find a body.
492
00:26:35,763 --> 00:26:37,203
And as a result of what the prisoner
493
00:26:37,283 --> 00:26:39,963
had told us at the time,
we made extensive inquiries
494
00:26:40,043 --> 00:26:41,683
and searches in the New Forest.
495
00:26:41,883 --> 00:26:43,403
Storm drains, et cetera, there.
496
00:26:43,563 --> 00:26:47,083
We also got the help
of a forensic archeologist
497
00:26:47,163 --> 00:26:50,123
to do some work in a local cemetery,
498
00:26:50,203 --> 00:26:53,443
'cause information came to us
that he may well have placed her
499
00:26:53,523 --> 00:26:55,643
in a new grave in that area.
500
00:26:57,163 --> 00:27:00,963
[narrator] For the time being though,
the police face an uphill struggle.
501
00:27:01,443 --> 00:27:03,563
All we had was circumstantial evidence,
502
00:27:03,763 --> 00:27:05,043
we didn't have the body.
503
00:27:05,243 --> 00:27:08,043
We knew that we needed to build a case
504
00:27:08,123 --> 00:27:10,163
good enough for us to arrest him.
505
00:27:10,283 --> 00:27:12,003
We had to have reasonable suspicion
506
00:27:12,083 --> 00:27:13,883
that he'd been involved in her death.
507
00:27:13,963 --> 00:27:15,483
So that's what we set about doing.
508
00:27:15,563 --> 00:27:18,123
They spoke to people
in Germany and Canada,
509
00:27:18,203 --> 00:27:19,443
all over the place.
510
00:27:19,523 --> 00:27:21,603
We took witness statements
from all the neighbors,
511
00:27:21,683 --> 00:27:24,083
the friends and the work colleagues
that we could.
512
00:27:24,163 --> 00:27:27,083
[Joanna] This kind of pattern emerged
513
00:27:27,163 --> 00:27:30,723
that Russell had been telling
all these different versions
514
00:27:30,803 --> 00:27:33,003
of what had happened to Carole.
515
00:27:33,283 --> 00:27:35,443
It was like a jigsaw
that gradually built up
516
00:27:35,523 --> 00:27:38,603
and built up and built up
to satisfy ourselves
517
00:27:38,683 --> 00:27:41,803
in our own mind
that she was no longer alive.
518
00:27:45,163 --> 00:27:48,083
[Joanna] Russell was completely arrogant.
519
00:27:48,163 --> 00:27:51,323
He thought the police
didn't have anything on him.
520
00:27:51,443 --> 00:27:53,083
Think he thought he was untouchable.
521
00:27:55,843 --> 00:27:58,763
[narrator] Things are starting
to unravel for Russell.
522
00:27:59,163 --> 00:28:01,683
We were contacted by a prisoner,
523
00:28:01,883 --> 00:28:06,723
uh, who stated, Causley had
had many conversations with him
524
00:28:06,883 --> 00:28:09,003
about how he'd got rid of his wife.
525
00:28:09,643 --> 00:28:13,723
We also received another phone call
from a guy
526
00:28:13,803 --> 00:28:17,283
saying that he'd been a cell mate
of Russell Causley's.
527
00:28:17,403 --> 00:28:20,923
And he was saying that
one day Russell asked him
528
00:28:21,163 --> 00:28:23,003
"If I was gonna get rid of a body,
529
00:28:24,483 --> 00:28:26,683
what do you think
would be the best way to do it?"
530
00:28:27,883 --> 00:28:30,523
And he then said
that he admitted to killing his wife.
531
00:28:31,643 --> 00:28:33,523
[narrator] This is the break
the police need
532
00:28:33,603 --> 00:28:35,283
to make their move on Russell.
533
00:28:36,283 --> 00:28:39,603
[Paul] Myself and my work colleague
went to Dorchester Prison.
534
00:28:40,043 --> 00:28:42,643
Because our intention is to arrest him,
535
00:28:42,723 --> 00:28:44,643
take him out of their custody,
536
00:28:45,003 --> 00:28:46,883
he'll be then in the police custody,
537
00:28:47,203 --> 00:28:50,203
and to interview him
on suspicion of murder.
538
00:28:50,843 --> 00:28:53,883
And we were stood in a corridor waiting,
539
00:28:54,043 --> 00:28:58,243
and he was being brought through
from the actual prison area itself.
540
00:28:58,843 --> 00:29:00,643
And the prison officers bring him,
541
00:29:00,723 --> 00:29:02,163
were bringing him through.
542
00:29:02,363 --> 00:29:05,643
In a situation like this,
under normal circumstances,
543
00:29:05,883 --> 00:29:08,523
any prisoner has the,
especially a convicted prisoner,
544
00:29:08,603 --> 00:29:11,323
has the right not to speak to the police.
545
00:29:11,563 --> 00:29:14,163
He's told, that the police
are here to speak to him,
546
00:29:14,403 --> 00:29:16,283
and if he decides
he doesn't wanna speak to them
547
00:29:16,363 --> 00:29:17,563
he doesn't have to do it.
548
00:29:17,923 --> 00:29:19,963
But on this occasion that was different
549
00:29:20,043 --> 00:29:21,523
because we were gonna arrest him.
550
00:29:21,603 --> 00:29:22,883
He didn't know that.
551
00:29:23,003 --> 00:29:24,843
And as he's being brought down
the corridor,
552
00:29:24,923 --> 00:29:26,203
I could see down the corridor
553
00:29:26,283 --> 00:29:28,443
and he's turned to the prison officer
and he said,
554
00:29:28,523 --> 00:29:30,363
"Well I don't want
to speak to these guys."
555
00:29:30,443 --> 00:29:31,803
And the prisoner officer says,
556
00:29:31,883 --> 00:29:35,243
"Well you haven't got any choice
on this occasion, Causley, go up there."
557
00:29:35,403 --> 00:29:37,963
And I think the realization hit him then.
558
00:29:38,923 --> 00:29:40,483
Because as he was walking towards us
559
00:29:40,563 --> 00:29:42,523
you could see the color drain from him.
560
00:29:42,603 --> 00:29:44,043
And it was the first time
561
00:29:44,443 --> 00:29:46,323
that we'd seen any reaction from him.
562
00:29:47,083 --> 00:29:48,843
And I arrested him on suspicion of murder
563
00:29:48,923 --> 00:29:50,883
and we took him
to Bournemouth Police Station.
564
00:29:54,243 --> 00:29:55,643
[narrator] Paul and his colleagues
565
00:29:55,723 --> 00:29:57,923
also need to speak
to Russell's girlfriend.
566
00:29:58,883 --> 00:30:00,923
[Paul] Patricia was given an opportunity
567
00:30:01,723 --> 00:30:04,163
and came forward with nothing.
568
00:30:05,243 --> 00:30:07,363
Patricia's not talking to anybody.
569
00:30:08,083 --> 00:30:10,963
[Paul] The CPS decided
that there was not enough evidence
570
00:30:11,043 --> 00:30:14,123
against Patricia to proceed against her.
571
00:30:31,523 --> 00:30:33,563
[narrator] With Patricia out of the frame,
572
00:30:33,643 --> 00:30:35,443
all eyes are on Russell
573
00:30:35,523 --> 00:30:37,483
who's been arrested for Carole's murder.
574
00:30:38,603 --> 00:30:40,443
You know, for you then to realize
575
00:30:40,523 --> 00:30:42,123
after all of that time that actually now
576
00:30:42,203 --> 00:30:44,603
that somebody was now gonna
be charged with the murder.
577
00:30:45,883 --> 00:30:48,643
[narrator] The police are now able
to take their next step.
578
00:30:52,683 --> 00:30:56,003
Russell had been charged
with the murder of Carole.
579
00:30:56,763 --> 00:30:59,443
{\an8}I know every stage so intricately well
but I've never met her
580
00:30:59,523 --> 00:31:01,483
{\an8}and she feels like such a stranger to me.
581
00:31:02,643 --> 00:31:03,563
That hurts me.
582
00:31:03,643 --> 00:31:05,763
It upsets me that my grandfather
threw it all away.
583
00:31:05,843 --> 00:31:07,043
Why did he throw it all away?
584
00:31:07,123 --> 00:31:09,923
He had everything
that most people dream of.
585
00:31:11,723 --> 00:31:13,923
[narrator] Despite Russell being charged,
586
00:31:14,003 --> 00:31:16,883
everyone knows this case
isn't going to be easy.
587
00:31:17,603 --> 00:31:20,283
In any other murder inquiry
you've got a body,
588
00:31:20,363 --> 00:31:21,563
we didn't have a body.
589
00:31:22,403 --> 00:31:24,243
To prove that someone's dead with no body
590
00:31:24,323 --> 00:31:28,683
and no paper trail,
literally zero evidence whatsoever,
591
00:31:28,763 --> 00:31:30,283
is damn near impossible.
592
00:31:31,203 --> 00:31:33,883
[Sam] My mother had now been missing
for 11 and a half years.
593
00:31:36,043 --> 00:31:40,043
I've now got a person
who has the capability
594
00:31:40,123 --> 00:31:42,803
to be able to tell me where she is.
595
00:31:44,763 --> 00:31:46,803
But that person won't speak to you.
596
00:31:48,083 --> 00:31:51,083
That person just remains
just utterly silent.
597
00:31:51,443 --> 00:31:54,283
We wanted to get him convicted
'cause we believed he killed his wife.
598
00:32:00,243 --> 00:32:03,963
{\an8}On the eve of the trial, December '96,
599
00:32:04,043 --> 00:32:06,923
{\an8}we're obviously feeling
a little bit concerned
600
00:32:07,563 --> 00:32:08,843
that this could fail.
601
00:32:09,643 --> 00:32:10,963
[narrator] Without Carole's body
602
00:32:11,123 --> 00:32:13,203
and any associated forensics,
603
00:32:13,483 --> 00:32:16,803
the outcome of this trial
is far from a foregone conclusion.
604
00:32:17,723 --> 00:32:19,723
{\an8}Russell was denying
605
00:32:19,803 --> 00:32:23,723
{\an8}that he'd had anything to do
with Carole's disappearance
606
00:32:23,803 --> 00:32:26,603
or with the alleged murder.
607
00:32:27,123 --> 00:32:31,123
The challenges of prosecuting
without a body are monumental,
608
00:32:31,443 --> 00:32:35,843
because the body
is the main source of evidence,
609
00:32:36,043 --> 00:32:37,923
i.e. scene-wise and forensically,
610
00:32:38,003 --> 00:32:39,843
that you'll always have
in a murder inquiry.
611
00:32:40,403 --> 00:32:42,603
[narrator] A guilty verdict with no body
612
00:32:42,803 --> 00:32:44,643
is going to be very difficult.
613
00:32:44,803 --> 00:32:48,163
[Paul] So right from the outset
we had to make it clear
614
00:32:48,243 --> 00:32:51,483
to everybody concerned,
the jury, the judge, everybody,
615
00:32:51,563 --> 00:32:54,603
that we did not have any forensic evidence
616
00:32:54,683 --> 00:32:57,563
and that we were going
to try to convince them
617
00:32:58,083 --> 00:33:00,963
that he'd killed her, through his demeanor
618
00:33:01,043 --> 00:33:03,283
and the circumstantial evidence
that we'd gathered.
619
00:33:04,203 --> 00:33:06,283
It was a mammoth, mammoth challenge.
620
00:33:07,643 --> 00:33:10,723
{\an8}[narrator] Causley's trial
lasts three and a half weeks,
621
00:33:10,803 --> 00:33:13,083
{\an8}during which the jury
hear that Carole's body
622
00:33:13,163 --> 00:33:16,843
{\an8}has never been found
and there's no forensic evidence.
623
00:33:18,083 --> 00:33:21,003
The case rests largely
on testimony from prisoners
624
00:33:21,203 --> 00:33:23,483
who Causley allegedly confessed to.
625
00:33:24,123 --> 00:33:27,483
Finally, the jury are ready
to give their verdict.
626
00:33:29,123 --> 00:33:32,483
[Paul] This was now obviously
the crucial time.
627
00:33:32,563 --> 00:33:35,563
And we were, we didn't know
what to think really.
628
00:33:35,843 --> 00:33:38,523
And two hours later,
which we were very surprised at,
629
00:33:38,603 --> 00:33:39,723
we all got called back in.
630
00:33:43,083 --> 00:33:45,003
Russell was convicted of murder
631
00:33:45,363 --> 00:33:47,963
despite the lack of any material evidence.
632
00:33:48,803 --> 00:33:53,163
[Paul] Russell's reaction to it
was he actually went to sit down,
633
00:33:53,243 --> 00:33:54,723
his legs went from underneath him.
634
00:33:55,323 --> 00:33:57,923
And when he got convicted
I don't think he could quite believe it.
635
00:33:58,683 --> 00:33:59,683
{\an8}It sounds terrible,
636
00:33:59,763 --> 00:34:01,683
{\an8}but it was almost the euphoria
at the end of it
637
00:34:01,763 --> 00:34:04,483
{\an8}that we'd actually succeeded,
that he was found guilty.
638
00:34:05,723 --> 00:34:07,883
[narrator] Despite the lack
of Carole's body,
639
00:34:08,123 --> 00:34:10,403
Russell is finally brought to justice.
640
00:34:11,003 --> 00:34:14,682
He's sentenced to life,
with a minimum of 16 years.
641
00:34:15,083 --> 00:34:17,163
It's an investigation helped
642
00:34:17,242 --> 00:34:19,643
by an extraordinary sequence of events.
643
00:34:23,363 --> 00:34:25,963
[Phil] And looking back on it,
I think to myself, well,
644
00:34:26,043 --> 00:34:28,843
had I not have investigated
the original fraud,
645
00:34:29,202 --> 00:34:31,722
uh, this might not have
ever led to Russell
646
00:34:31,803 --> 00:34:34,682
being convicted of the murder of Carole.
647
00:34:35,163 --> 00:34:37,843
[Paul] Now Sam had
to get her head round the fact
648
00:34:37,923 --> 00:34:41,403
that A, her mother was dead in law,
649
00:34:41,483 --> 00:34:44,643
and B, her father had just been convicted
650
00:34:44,722 --> 00:34:45,682
of her mother's murder.
651
00:34:48,043 --> 00:34:50,643
[narrator] Russell's not going down
without a fight.
652
00:34:51,083 --> 00:34:54,163
Appeal processes went forward after that,
653
00:34:54,242 --> 00:34:57,963
as we expected
because of the nature of the actual trial,
654
00:34:58,043 --> 00:35:03,643
and the fact that
we'd had to use convicted criminals
655
00:35:03,723 --> 00:35:05,843
as evidence and witnesses.
656
00:35:06,403 --> 00:35:08,923
To make us go through that all over again,
657
00:35:09,243 --> 00:35:12,603
all of that emotional trauma again,
all that fear again,
658
00:35:12,683 --> 00:35:14,403
having to give evidence again.
659
00:35:15,203 --> 00:35:17,083
If I hadn't suffered enough
660
00:35:17,763 --> 00:35:20,723
why was it correct then
to then put me through that again?
661
00:35:20,963 --> 00:35:23,483
He still has control over Sam's life.
662
00:35:24,683 --> 00:35:27,443
[narrator] Sam and her
family's ordeal continues.
663
00:35:27,843 --> 00:35:32,243
In 2003, Russell's conviction is quashed.
664
00:35:32,603 --> 00:35:36,803
In 2004, there was a second trial
at Exeter Crown Court.
665
00:35:36,883 --> 00:35:39,803
And again, Russell was convicted
of the murder.
666
00:35:40,163 --> 00:35:41,443
{\an8}We were the first people
667
00:35:41,523 --> 00:35:44,003
{\an8}to convict on twice of murder
with no body.
668
00:35:44,603 --> 00:35:46,643
He was then sent back to prison
669
00:35:47,083 --> 00:35:49,723
to then continue his original sentence,
670
00:35:49,803 --> 00:35:53,443
which was life
with a minimum term of 16 years.
671
00:35:54,843 --> 00:35:57,843
[narrator] Russell's imprisonment
isn't the end of the story.
672
00:35:58,363 --> 00:36:01,003
Sam still doesn't know
what happened to her mother
673
00:36:01,443 --> 00:36:03,083
or where her body is.
674
00:36:04,003 --> 00:36:07,443
You always do hope that one day
675
00:36:08,003 --> 00:36:10,203
you will actually get the knock
at the door
676
00:36:10,563 --> 00:36:12,163
where they will say,
677
00:36:12,563 --> 00:36:16,283
"we have found some credible remains."
678
00:36:17,083 --> 00:36:21,243
The one person
that could end all of this is Russell.
679
00:36:22,443 --> 00:36:25,283
[Paul] I personally would
be very surprised
680
00:36:25,923 --> 00:36:28,483
if Russell Causley
ever says anything about it.
681
00:36:29,203 --> 00:36:30,683
That's the type of guy he is.
682
00:36:31,323 --> 00:36:33,123
Do I hope that he will ever tell me?
683
00:36:33,603 --> 00:36:34,803
Of course I do.
684
00:36:35,203 --> 00:36:37,203
Do I think he will? No.
685
00:36:37,923 --> 00:36:39,323
You never get closure
686
00:36:39,443 --> 00:36:42,683
if you haven't got the remains
of the loved one that's missing.
687
00:36:42,963 --> 00:36:45,923
Because you'd still think at some stage,
688
00:36:46,003 --> 00:36:47,443
they're out there somewhere
689
00:36:47,523 --> 00:36:50,203
or their remains are there
somewhere waiting to be found
690
00:36:50,283 --> 00:36:51,843
and it's just not happened.
691
00:36:52,283 --> 00:36:54,323
[Sam] There's lots of things
that will remind you
692
00:36:54,403 --> 00:36:55,723
and different things.
693
00:36:55,803 --> 00:36:59,003
It's a different type of grief
to somebody dying.
694
00:36:59,563 --> 00:37:00,883
You're never free of it,
695
00:37:00,963 --> 00:37:04,083
birthdays, Christmas, family occasions,
696
00:37:04,763 --> 00:37:06,843
Sam must be thinking
about that all the time.
697
00:37:07,403 --> 00:37:09,363
What her father has put her through
698
00:37:09,443 --> 00:37:11,243
is nothing short of torture.
699
00:37:12,123 --> 00:37:16,363
It has overshadowed her son,
Neil's life as well.
700
00:37:17,043 --> 00:37:19,323
Neil's just been
absolutely paramount for me.
701
00:37:19,763 --> 00:37:21,683
But it's tested us as well at times.
702
00:37:21,843 --> 00:37:23,963
But I think though that it's fortunate
703
00:37:24,043 --> 00:37:26,123
that we have the relationship that we do.
704
00:37:26,523 --> 00:37:30,083
This isn't his problem
but this has affected his life hugely.
705
00:37:30,363 --> 00:37:33,363
And unfortunately it's always
been there in the background
706
00:37:33,603 --> 00:37:35,563
from the age of almost four.
707
00:37:35,803 --> 00:37:36,923
It is difficult.
708
00:37:38,083 --> 00:37:40,283
And if we could close this book
the rest of our lives
709
00:37:40,363 --> 00:37:41,963
would be so much, so much easier.
710
00:37:42,243 --> 00:37:43,683
This has been a huge thing for Neil
711
00:37:43,763 --> 00:37:46,723
to actually cope with himself
from a very young age.
712
00:37:47,243 --> 00:37:49,123
But he's my biggest supporter.
713
00:37:49,283 --> 00:37:54,363
He's got my back, absolutely, 110%.
714
00:37:54,803 --> 00:37:57,323
Um, I love Neil to bits.
715
00:37:57,803 --> 00:38:00,323
We've been through enough tragedy,
716
00:38:00,403 --> 00:38:02,843
enough upset over the last three decades,
717
00:38:03,203 --> 00:38:05,123
that I think we can just
about cope with anything
718
00:38:05,203 --> 00:38:06,803
that was to be thrown at us.
719
00:38:11,723 --> 00:38:14,563
[narrator] Sam and her family
also face the reality
720
00:38:14,963 --> 00:38:17,243
that Russell could be
released from prison.
721
00:38:18,803 --> 00:38:20,763
[Sam] In August, 2014,
722
00:38:22,563 --> 00:38:26,523
we had my father's first
proper oral parole hearing.
723
00:38:27,283 --> 00:38:31,203
{\an8}I've been completely against the fact
that my father should be released
724
00:38:31,283 --> 00:38:33,443
{\an8}and should be considered for parole.
725
00:38:33,883 --> 00:38:38,123
Until he actually tells us
what he did with my mother
726
00:38:38,283 --> 00:38:40,883
and shows some sort of
form of rehabilitation
727
00:38:40,963 --> 00:38:44,523
by actually acknowledging the harm
728
00:38:44,603 --> 00:38:46,763
{\an8}and the distress that he's caused,
729
00:38:48,003 --> 00:38:49,803
{\an8}is it, he should stay where he is.
730
00:38:50,043 --> 00:38:52,963
I still think
that he's a danger to society.
731
00:38:53,443 --> 00:38:54,523
Come on.
732
00:38:54,963 --> 00:38:56,483
Help me find her.
733
00:38:58,323 --> 00:39:02,363
I still maintain to this day that justice
734
00:39:02,443 --> 00:39:05,403
has not been fully served
on behalf of my mother.
735
00:39:05,843 --> 00:39:08,283
[Paul] Well Sam has never,
never been free of it,
736
00:39:08,363 --> 00:39:10,763
she's never been free of it
since her mum disappeared.
737
00:39:10,843 --> 00:39:12,403
I mean, it, it's horrendous.
738
00:39:12,563 --> 00:39:14,363
And she still hasn't got closure.
739
00:39:14,443 --> 00:39:15,763
Because at the end of the day,
740
00:39:15,843 --> 00:39:19,843
all it's done is reaffirm the conviction
of her father for murder,
741
00:39:19,923 --> 00:39:21,923
but her mother's remains
have never been found.
742
00:39:22,283 --> 00:39:24,603
Like nothing else can shape your life.
743
00:39:24,843 --> 00:39:27,083
But I'll never ever allow you to break me.
744
00:39:27,883 --> 00:39:30,363
[Neil] I think that emotionally
in terms of the turmoil
745
00:39:30,443 --> 00:39:32,963
that you go through
it's that there is no end.
746
00:39:33,163 --> 00:39:35,523
You can't turn the page
of that chapter and go,
747
00:39:35,603 --> 00:39:37,403
you know what,
I've put that book down now.
748
00:39:37,483 --> 00:39:39,403
I've finished it.
I understand what happened
749
00:39:39,483 --> 00:39:41,323
and I can slowly adjust
750
00:39:41,403 --> 00:39:43,443
and come to terms
and come to grips with that
751
00:39:43,523 --> 00:39:46,283
and accept it,
come to that acceptance point.
752
00:39:46,563 --> 00:39:47,683
We don't have any of that.
753
00:39:47,763 --> 00:39:49,763
So, for us, it's constantly evolving.
754
00:39:49,843 --> 00:39:51,363
The story just gets worse and worse.
755
00:39:51,443 --> 00:39:54,043
And as it gets worse and worse
it twists and twists more.
756
00:39:55,723 --> 00:39:57,883
[Sam] I have tried so hard
757
00:39:59,363 --> 00:40:02,563
just to say sorry to my mother.
758
00:40:02,643 --> 00:40:03,803
I'm sorry.
759
00:40:03,883 --> 00:40:05,923
I don't know what else I can do for you.
760
00:40:07,163 --> 00:40:08,043
I don't know.
761
00:40:09,283 --> 00:40:10,203
Um…
762
00:40:13,083 --> 00:40:15,283
[sighs] I don't know.
763
00:40:15,883 --> 00:40:16,803
[sniffles]
764
00:40:19,323 --> 00:40:21,083
I've just tried so hard.
765
00:40:23,123 --> 00:40:26,883
[dramatic orchestral music playing]