Police release new footage in hope of finding Peter Falconio’s body

Northern Territory Police released new footage and previously unseen photographs in the Falconio investigation, hoping the images will prompt fresh information about where Peter Falconio’s body was hidden. The force is marking 25 years since the British backpacker was killed on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, about 300km north of Alice Springs, and says the case is not closed until his remains are found.

Falconio was murdered on 14 July 2001 while travelling with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, in an orange Volkswagen Kombi van. Bradley John Murdoch signalled the pair to pull over by claiming sparks were coming from their vehicle. When Falconio got out, Murdoch shot him, then bound Lees with cable ties in an attempted kidnapping before fleeing and disposing of Falconio’s body somewhere in the Australian outback.

Lees escaped into scrubland and hid for several hours before flagging down help. Police found a pool of Falconio’s blood covered with dirt beside the highway the day after the killing, and searches have continued over the years, including in 2025. Murdoch was identified as the offender, arrested in August 2002, charged in November 2003 and convicted in December 2005 of Falconio’s murder and the attempted kidnapping of Lees. He received a life sentence.

The new images include photographs of Lees shortly after the attack, showing the trauma and injuries linked to the cable ties, a full-length picture of Murdoch staring into the camera during the investigation, pictures of the orange Kombi van and crime-scene images. Previously unseen footage also showed Murdoch saying he does not “know anything about” the location of Falconio’s body.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said the 25-year mark was significant and that the investigation could not be considered closed until Falconio’s remains were recovered so his family could lay him to rest. After Murdoch died in July 2025 in the palliative care unit of Alice Springs Hospital, aged 67 and without revealing where Falconio’s body was hidden, Joan and Luciano Falconio said they felt relief and that a “weight has been lifted,” while still hoping their son’s remains would be found.