Casefile True Crime - Case 83: Chantelle & Leela McDougall, Tony Popic

Episode Date: May 5, 2018

In 2007, 28-year-old Chantelle McDougall told her family she was moving to Brazil for spiritual purposes, along with her daughter Leela, partner Simon Kadwell, and friend Tony Popic. The group packed up their farmhouse in the small Western Australian town of Nannup and vanished, but there was no evidence to confirm they ever left the country. ---  Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-83-chantelle-leela-mcdougall-tony-popic

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In 1999, a New Age spiritual book titled Servers of the Deviled Plan was published. According to the anonymous author, the 180-page book was propelled into existence from a remembering process. A technique involving using one's imagination to manifest goals. The author of Servers of the Deviled Plan prophesied Planet Earth was heading towards the end of a 75,000-year cycle. A red alert had begun for Judgment Day, the end of the world. From then, a new world would be born. According to the book, quote, Only those who had learned the lessons of the physical plane will be harvested to or promoted to a higher, more expansive level of experience.

The book's blurb reads as follows. A practical and instructive guide for individuals who are awakening all over the world. Earth is now a focal point of interest for beings from other planets, galaxies and dimensions. Growing numbers of seekers are realizing that they have incarnated at this critical time to play an active role in the great transition that is before us. Servers are awakening and taking up their positions as agents of the new spirit. This book helps recall our soul's purpose in incarnation. Each reading is a unique experience, awakening new and deeper levels of spiritual awareness in a contemporary context. Servers of the Deviled Plan was not the first book written by the same anonymous author.

He had also written a similar book titled The New Call. Both books detailed the same specific set of beliefs shaped around the author's unconventional philosophy on life and premonitions of the future. They were not spiritual self-help books, they had a far grander purpose, a call to action. Both books have been met with dramatically divided reviews. Some criticized the spiritual writings as overly complex and convoluted, faulting the book's bleak fire and brimstone message of dark forces seeking to control humans as blatant fear-mongering. Curiously, aside from these few critical reviews, both books have been met with an overwhelming positive reception from most readers. These readers claimed to have found profound wisdom in the author's message of spiritual advancement.

In fact, the books prompted the creation of a small New Age religious group founded on the concepts within, known as the Truth Fellowship. The Truth Fellowship members were the servers the books referenced, spiritual persons who had awakened to take their positions before the world's imminent end. They worshipped the writings of and were completely devoted to the author, who was the leader of the Truth Fellowship. As far as they were concerned, Doomsday was coming. The anonymous author's first book, The New Call, describes the end as follows. Today, mankind stands witness upon the eve of a great world of transition. An unprecedented global metamorphosis is presently underway in preparation for a momentous leap in consciousness which the whole planet is about to take.

As a result of the Earth's entry into the Age of Aquarius and due to the new life energies that are flooding the planet, every human being is today faced with a critical choice that shall greatly affect both the present course of their life and their future spiritual journey. In 1997, 17-year-old Chantel McDougal attended an ashram in Melbourne, Victoria, a sanctuary for spiritual worship, meditation, and spiritual retreat. Whilst there, a friend introduced her to Simon Cadwell, a 32-year-old man originally from England. Simon was deeply spiritual and introspective. He'd visited ashrams in India and spent time in communes in the United States. He was well versed and educated in New Age philosophy and religious teachings. Chantel became enamored by the wise, older man.

Simon told Chantel they had been brought together for the good of the universe. At that time, Chantel was also introduced to Simon's partner, Deborah, and in 1998, the couple asked Chantel if she would like to move into their home to look after their young son. Chantel accepted the offer. Simon was in the process of writing his second book that he had titled Servers of the Divine Plan, a companion piece to his first book, The New Core. He chose to publish his work anonymously, claiming the reason why was to ensure focus remained squarely on the message of his written work. Simon's writings focused heavily on his personal interpretations and understandings of New Age philosophy and spiritual development.

Most startling was his obsession with Doomsday in the end of the world. His other worldly teachings and warnings resonated with some. Simon had amassed a small following of around 40 dedicated people from all over the world for his spiritual group he called the Truth Fellowship. The Truth Fellowship congregated on an online forum Simon created called The Forecore, where they discussed their leader's visionary concepts and praised his knowledge. Simon frequented the forum under the username Sire. He believed himself to be leading his followers down a destined path he saw clearly. According to Simon, the Truth Fellowship were in the process of recovering their latent memory

and they were quickly approaching their full potential in service to restore the universe. It would soon be judgment day as Simon had prophesied and he made it clear only those worthy would move on to the next dimension. As his book forewarned, quote, The planetary deadline for the advent of an unprecedented spiritual consciousness on Earth is imminent and all who would be prepared to pass through the portal leading into the New World are now being called to awaken and to arise in readiness to assist those amongst humanity who will accompany them. Teenager Chantel McDougal fully embraced and absorbed Simon Cudwell's teachings. He often told her she was not from this world, that she was different.

Everything he said made sense and resonated with her and she became completely ingrained in his leadership. When Simon completed and published Servers of the Divine Plan, he suddenly decided to move his family from Victoria to Perth in Western Australia. When he asked Chantel to come with them and continue looking after their son, she said yes. While settling into their new home amongst the dry rolling lands of Western Australia, Chantel and Simon's partner Deborah met a woman named Justine. Deborah offered Justine a copy of Simon's book and a short time later, Justine became another diverted follower of the Truth Fellowship.

It was clear Simon's view of the world had an impact on others and his teachings were fulfilling to those seeking deeper meaning and purpose. Simon and his family had barely settled into their new home in Perth when he announced they were going to relocate once again, this time to the historical town of Glastonbury in England South. Glastonbury had a growing New Age community drawn to the area's rich history of myths and legends. Its artistic hippiesc counterculture appealed to those like Simon, who had a disinterest in maintaining a corporate capitalist lifestyle.

Simon claimed to have chosen Glastonbury as his new home for spiritual reasons because powerful lay lines intersected along the land there. He expressed the hope that his small congregation of servers from all around the world would soon follow and live with him there. His partner Deborah, their child and Chantel all agreed to make the trek to their new overseas home. In Glastonbury, Simon liaised online with Justine, the woman who joined the Truth Fellowship in Perth. When Justine confessed she had fallen in love with Simon,

she accepted his invitation to move to Glastonbury as well. From then onwards, Simon began pressuring more of his followers to make the move. In an email sent to a long-time Truth Fellowship member from Quebec, Canada named Jean, Simon stated, quote, We have been observing your sincerity in world service and acknowledge your purity of motive. Today, we feel that it may be time to introduce ourselves to you on the physical plane, and this is in order to discern whether we may be able to collaborate for the common good. We are working for the same boss, and this is why I deemed that it was time to connect on the physical.

Jean eagerly agreed to visit his spiritual leader in Glastonbury, believing it would only result in more spiritual enlightenment and understanding. However, his time in Glastonbury with Simon was not what he had expected. Upon his return home to Canada, Jean had developed a new perception of the Truth Fellowship. He posted the following on his online blog, quote, Now, despite the profound effect the material and teaching from the Truth Fellowship was having on me, stirring up some quite powerful stuff and mystical experiences, there were a number of things advocated by Simon, which felt quite a bit extreme to me,

such as the imminence of a global world cleansing along the lines of the Judgment Day and apocalyptic depiction found in the Bible, or the continuous reference to unseen manipulations by dark negative forces, influencing everyone to prevent any of this divine plan to take place. Suffice it to say that I'm no longer able to support what he is doing, because I feel it is wrong, deceitful, and in the end, unacceptable. Jean also posted online an email he sent to Simon after their meeting in Glastonbury. In his email, Jean accused Simon of using him to seduce one of the young women also joining them in England, and that Simon was using his partner Deborah as a pawn in what he described as mind control games, quote,

Poor Deborah has been manipulated for years and has now become a willing, albeit sometimes reluctant partner in your schemes. We all feel sorry for her situation and all hope she will soon learn to stand up to you and walk her own path in life. Jean's public criticism of Simon's leadership on his block resonated with other members of the Truth Fellowship. Another follower came forward to further expose Simon as a dubious leader. According to them, Simon did not move his family to Glastonbury for the greater good of the universe or to meet up with his followers. He had actually moved overseas because most of the philosophy featured in his book, Servers of the Divine Plan, was not his own personal wisdom and knowledge gained through a remembering process. That was all a lie.

A lot of the content in Simon's books was actually heavily plagiarized content from other writers' works. Once Simon's literary work had been exposed as fraudulent, his publisher demanded their investment back. So Simon fled overseas. Not only that, Simon's move to England was only possible because he had conned one of his followers to hand over her savings to him. He used the money to pay for the move, buy a new car, and for other expenses. As some followers began to turn their backs on their deceptive leader, Simon assured those who remained loyal that none of the claims against him were true. To maintain the illusion he was still an all-powerful spiritual being, he told his followers that his other worldly abilities were manifesting each day. He claimed to have almost entirely done away with his personality, that he was considering going into a state of complete silence,

and that he was at such a high level of consciousness, that he no longer required sleep. Devoted online followers were convinced, but those who took the time to visit Simon in Glastonbury witnessed the truth. Simon was not gaining mystical abilities, he hadn't done away with his personality or gone into a state of silence. In fact, he was becoming more volatile and irritated. As for his claims of no longer requiring sleep, the truth was that he actually spent a lot of time sleeping. Truth Fellowship Defector Gene warned on his blog, quote, I would no longer recommend to anyone to get involved as I did before with the Truth Fellowship, and I want to apologise here and express my sincere regrets to anyone who might have experienced any difficulties as a result of my initial recommendation of this group.

In the year 2000, Simon decided to return his family, consisting of Deborah and their son, Chantel and Justine, back to Australia. They settled in a rented house in the beachside Perth suburb of Floriot. By now, Deborah, Chantel and Justine were each participating in a sexual relationship with Simon. It was an unusual family unit, but the four adults involved appeared content. Everything changed later that year when Chantel fell pregnant. Simon was pleased, but his long-term partner, Deborah, was not so enthused. Conflict around the pregnancy resulted in Deborah leaving Simon, and she took their young son with her. Justine stayed through Chantel's pregnancy, but soon after the birth, she began to reassess her life.

After seeking the help of a psychologist who perceived Justine's living arrangements as an unhealthy situation, Justine decided to leave. The day she left Simon, Justine reported to police that he had physically threatened her, but no action was taken. Simon and Chantel settled into their life together with their newborn baby girl, Leela. A short time later, they met a quiet, gentle, local man in his 30s named Tony Poppich. Tony Poppich lived a nomadic life, moving from place to place, flexible to the vast possibilities of the world. Described as a gentle soul who wouldn't hurt a fly, Tony was easily drawn to Simon, whose dominating, manipulative personality was influential towards those of opposite traits, like Tony. Tony became a devoted member of the Truth Fellowship, another server, which led him to joining the family fold,

moving in with Simon, Chantel, and their young daughter, Leela. Afterwards, the four moved to the small coastal community of Denmark, approximately 420km southeast of Perth. In Denmark, they lived a quiet, isolated life together, focusing on preparing for the impending judgment day that Simon had been warning his fellowship about for years. Chantel and Tony were fully convinced Simon's premonition was correct, and they were completely devoted to him as their leader. So in 2004, when Simon wanted them to pack up and move on once again, they willingly agreed to follow. The group's next location was the small timber milling town of Nanop, 3 hours south of Perth. Sitting along the banks of the Blackwood River, the longest continually flowing river in Western Australia, Nanop is a small town built around the timber trade and beef farming.

With a local population of around 500 residents, Nanop has always had a strong arts feel, and residents are proud of the gardens and local artistic community. On its main street has Victorian style weatherboard shops and cafes framed by bullnose verandas sheltering the footpaths below from the sweltering sun. By far the most striking thing about Nanop is that it's nestled right in the southern forest region, surrounded 360 degrees by forests and national parks. Backed inside a giant eucalyptus trees, some of which are upwards of 400 years old, 90 meters tall, and take 9 people all holding hands to span their girth. The forests are dense with shrubbery and shadowed by leafy canopies. Nanop pressed the dirt walking tracks weave throughout, trailing off for hours. All you can see are trees and scrub in every direction, as far as the eye can see.

It can be impossible to know which direction is which. Forward, back, side to side. It can all look the same. Disorientation can get the better of you, and with the forest floor carpeted with shrubs and ferns, you're told to never deviate from the trails. If you go too far off track, you might not be able to find your way back. Simon found this sense of remoteness and isolation appealing. Nanop felt like a quiet, secluded, private place, somewhere the family would not be easily found. He settled his family into a blue fibro house on a beef farm property run by their landlords, 10 kilometers south of Nanop's town centre. The house was set back from the road and hidden amongst looming gum trees. It was picturesque Australian country living. The front yard was colourfully lined with native Australian plans.

They raised chickens and two long-haired dachshund dogs. Simon, Chantel and young Leela lived in the main house, and Tony lived in a caravan sheltered by a tin shed out the back of the property. In the backyard, Simon grew a vine known scientifically as banisteriopsis carpi, used to make the brew ayahuasca, a potent hallucinogenic potion well known in Brazil. In Brazilian culture, the brew was a traditional spiritual medicine used in ceremonies and rituals among the indigenous people of the Amazon Basin. Although the usage varies, ayahuasca was often consumed to provide a hallucinogenic experience aimed to find clarity and life's meaning. These hallucinations are often emotional and psychologically stressful, with physical purging a common side effect. Simon believed he would find his own spiritual clarity by consuming ayahuasca, and it would later help prepare his family for the impending judgement day. By 2007, the family were still preparing for the end of the world.

At the time, Simon didn't work, instead spending most of his time on the computer communicating with his few Truth Fellowship devotees. In the meantime, Chantel and Tony worked to provide the family income. Tony worked at the local hardware store in town. Colleagues and customers considered him a hard-working and friendly employee. His gentle temperament adapted well to the slow-paced lifestyle of the small country town. Chantel worked in the local fish and chip shop, the local pub, and taught swimming at the local pool. She remained as she had always been known, an outgoing, spirited, and loving friend and mother who was well liked within the local community. However, others were acutely aware that wherever Chantel was, Simon wasn't far behind.

When Chantel was working at the fish and chip shop, others would spot Simon sitting in his car parked outside. When she worked at the pub, Simon would be there too, sitting at the bar watching her. The tension Simon radiated was palpable. He projected his reclusive insecurities onto her. He didn't like Chantel talking to anyone. Despite Chantel's ongoing devotion to him, her workmates felt that within that love was a simmering fear. Their six-year-old daughter Lila was a happy kid who inherited her mother's friendliness. Even though she was being homeschooled, Lila was naturally outgoing.

She could make friends easily and had no trouble talking to different people. She was naturally funny, loud, and inquisitive. Unlike her father, Lila embraced the tension and allowed to dance around the room. As for Simon, other than the times he was spotted loitering around Chantel's workplaces, locals rarely saw him. He was an introverted homebody, but that in itself wasn't particularly concerning. The Australian countryside drew in quiet, reserved folk who valued the rural, reclusive life. What the locals did know of Simon was that he was an alternative thinker who had a very particular set of beliefs. But none had extensive knowledge of his online cult or of his doomsday premonitions.

By the beginning of 2007, Chantel had dedicated almost a decade of her life to Simon. Her parents, Jim and Kath McDougal, lived thousands of kilometres east on the Victorian and New South Wales border. Nevertheless, they aimed to visit their daughter in Nanop at least once a year. Jim and Kath weren't fully aware of Simon Cadwell's intense spiritual beliefs. They didn't know about the Truth Fellowship, Judgment Day, or the extent in which he had brainwashed their daughter. As far as they were concerned, Simon and Chantel were just spiritual free thinkers who had a different, albeit somewhat weird, belief system. They did, however, pick up on Simon's controlling nature. When they visited Nanop, Jim and Kath didn't stay in the family house.

Instead, they would stay in a nearby cabin. When they'd visited their daughter's house, Simon locked himself in his bedroom and spent the duration of their visit on his computer. He wouldn't allow them to take photographs, so Jim was forced to sneak photos of his daughter and granddaughter on his mobile phone whenever he got the chance. Both Jim and Kath were always apprehensive about Simon. He gave off a bad vibe. Nevertheless, they didn't feel the relationship was out of hand, and despite his dominating personality, they never witnessed Simon harm or threaten their daughter or granddaughter. There was little else they could do but trust their daughter's decision to maintain a relationship with Simon. It wasn't a stretch to assume Simon had his claws deep in Chantel's life, and if Jim or Kath pushed her to end things with Simon, there was the likely possibility it would backfire and only result in him cutting them out of the family's life. The nagging concerns they had for their daughter were amplified on their most recent trip to the farm.

Simon and Chantel were exhibiting stranger than usual behaviors. When a passport arrived in the mail, Simon claimed it was for Leela and quickly put it away before anyone could look inside. One night, Chantel asked her parents to take Leela to the cabin for the night because her and Simon were having visitors over. Kath and Jim agreed to watch over Leela, but felt something seemed off because Simon and Chantel never had visitors. They couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. In April 2007, Bruce Blackburn, an electrician employed by electrical company Western Power, was tasked to install a transformer on a power pole close to Simon Cadwell's house. Bruce also happened to be Simon's neighbour. As Bruce prepared to ascend the pole and get to work, Simon came running out of his house, visibly stressed. He began asking what Bruce was doing. Bruce explained to the job, but his explanation only seemed to make Simon more agitated and upset.

When Casefile spoke to Bruce for this episode, he claimed Simon was acting so disturbed in that moment that he decided not to continue with the transformer installation at that time. When he later returned to the pole to complete the job, Simon reappeared, looking more stressed than ever. His face was bright red and covered in hives. Simon was adamant the electromagnetic fields created by the transformer would kill his family. He had done his research into the health effects the populations exposed to electromagnetic fields from power lines, transformers, electrical substations, cell phone towers, Wi-Fi, and to some extent, electrical equipment. The fear was clearly overwhelming Simon to the point of causing him extreme anxiety. But bizarrely, his concerns were only on the transformer on the power pole outside his house. He didn't appear to hold the same fear towards other electrical equipment his family were constantly exposed to, such as Wi-Fi or computer usage. Bruce Blackburn, Simon's neighbour, told Casefile he witnessed his neighbours burying magnets around their house in an attempt to counteract the electromagnetic fields of the transformer. Simon began ranting conspiracy theories about the power company, Western Power, deliberately directing electromagnetic waves towards his house so that his family would be forced to move.

Simon's increasingly bizarre behaviour became amusing local gossip, but no one took his rant seriously. Although Bruce could see that Simon seemed genuinely stressed about the issue, until one day, in early July 2007, Simon suddenly changed his demeanour. After weeks of rambling and ranting about electromagnetic fields, magnets and conspiracy theories, Simon now seemed incredibly and unusually relaxed, and his hives were gone. On July 13, 2007, Simon, Chantel, Leela and Tony drove 40 minutes north to the urban coastal city of Busselton in Western Australia's southwest. Simon had recently sold his car for $1,500, and now they were planning on selling Chantels. A car dealership offered to purchase Chantel's car on the spot for $4,000. They accepted the offer. The family were then seen getting into an unknown vehicle waiting nearby before driving away. The $4,000 was placed in Chantel's bank account.

The following day, July 14, 2007, a happy and excited Chantel called her parents at their home in Victoria. She informed them she was leaving Australia to go on an extended holiday with Simon, Leela and Tony to Brazil. They had plans on living in and helping a local commune near the Amazon on the outskirts of Rio Branco. Chantel explained Simon had already left Australia for Brazil, and that she, Leela and Tony were leaving soon. Jim and Kath McDougal had concerns, but again trusted their daughter's decision. They told her to keep in touch, and upon her arrival to Brazil, to let them know that she was okay. Later that same day, Chantel spoke with a woman named Carolyn from Perth. But Chantel and Simon had spoken previously with Carolyn, expressing their desire to sell her their two long-haired dachshund dogs.

The family didn't have any issues with the pets. They just couldn't take them to Brazil. Carolyn was a travel agent, and upon hearing the family's travel plans, she offered Simon some friendly advice. But he wasn't interested. In the lead-up to picking up the dogs, Carolyn attempted to email Simon several times, but her emails bounced back, and he never got in touch. When Carolyn arrived to the family's nanoproperty to collect the dogs on Saturday, July 14, Chantel greeted her and explained Simon hadn't been in touch, as he was already in Brazil. Carolyn was surprised to see that the house was still full of stuff, and showed no signs that the family were packing for a big move overseas. When Carolyn inquired about the whereabouts of Chantel's daughter, Leela, Chantel explained the young girl was unwell, and was being looked after by Tony in his caravan. Carolyn was left with the dogs as Chantel disappeared into a bedroom. When Chantel reappeared a short time later, her demeanor had changed.

Carolyn felt Chantel started rushing her out the door, and she couldn't understand what had occurred in the bedroom that made Chantel so anxious for her to leave. Later, when Carolyn took the dogs back to her place, she noticed she had a missed phone call from Chantel. To hasty exchange of the dogs had ended so abruptly. Carolyn had forgotten to pay. Carolyn transferred the money into Chantel's bank account. The following day she attempted to call Chantel to report the dogs were settled and doing well. But the calls went unanswered, and Chantel never called her back. Perhaps she had left for Brazil after all, Carolyn thought. A couple of days later, Carolyn received a strange phone call. An unidentified woman asked her how she knew Chantel and why she had been calling her number. The woman who made this call has never been identified.

Weeks passed and everyone assumed that Simon, Chantel, Leila and Tony had made good on their plans and were living in a commune in Brazil. But as time wore on and no one had heard from them, Chantel's parents became increasingly concerned. They never received confirmation that the family arrived safely in Brazil. It was unusual for Chantel not to be in touch, so her father Jim made some calls in an attempt to reach the commune just outside Rio Branco where the family were planning on staying. When Jim couldn't find any record of them arriving in the country, he's worried peaked. Maybe there was a logical explanation. Maybe the family cancelled their overseas travel plans and were still on the farm in Manit. When Jim and Kath contacted the landlord in Nanup, they were given some startling news. On July 19, five days after the last sighting of Chantel, the landlords dropped by the house to check in with the family.

No one had informed the landlords that Simon and his family planned on going to Brazil. As they approached the house, they immediately noticed the yellow envelope stuck in the door. Inside was a note in Chantel's handwriting. It read, quote, The caravan has also been cleared of any personal items. You are also welcome to the caravan with all the furnishings. From Chantel, Simon, Tony and Lila. Another note was found inside Tony's caravan in his handwriting that simply said, gone to Brazil. The landlords were surprised at the suddenness of the situation and the fact that they hadn't been informed prior to the move.

Their confusion only increased when they entered the house. The home was still full of furniture, but it was spotless. It didn't appear Simon and Chantel had attempted to sell any of their belongings prior to leaving, as one would expect. They even left their computer and other pricey electronics behind. There was perishable food left in the fridge, including half a bowl of cooked rice. They had also left their wallets and credit cards behind. Although their clothing and other personal items were gone, it didn't feel like the family had packed up and left for a big overseas trip. By now, Jim and Kath McDougal were considering the possibilities of what had become of their daughter and granddaughter.

They contacted the Australian Embassy in Brazil, only to discover there was no documentation proving that Simon, Chantel, Lila or Tony had left Australia by either air or sea. And there was no record of any of them arriving in Brazil. By all official accounts, they were still in Australia. By October 2007, it had been three months since the family had abandoned the Nanap property. There had been no news of or from Simon, Chantel, Lila or Tony. Chantel McDougal and her daughter Lila were officially listed as missing persons. Police arrived at their old Nanap house to conduct a search for clues as to the family's whereabouts. Upon arrival, they discovered that in the previous months, the landlords had thoroughly cleaned the house and it was now being rented out to new tenants.

Nevertheless, a thorough search of the property and its surrounds was conducted, but nothing of note was found. The bank accounts of Simon, Chantel and Tony had not been touched since the time of their supposed trip to Brazil. Chantel's account still held the $4000 she had been paid for her car, as well as the money for selling the two dogs. Government services the family had access to, including social security payments and public healthcare, had not been recently used. This only raised more questions about the authenticity of the Brazil story. Had the family really gone overseas, they would have needed money to do that. They sold their cars and their dogs to ensure they had money. Yet, it had been left untouched.

In the meantime, Chantel's parents weren't the only ones attempting to locate the family. By November 2007, Tony Poppage had been reported as a missing person as well. Tony's father and brother had no clue where Tony was. It was already difficult for them to track Tony in normal circumstances as he lived a nomadic lifestyle. Regardless, he always kept in touch, so it was out of character for him to vanish without a trace. Tony's father told police that he had recently given Tony $25,000 to take care of what he thought was a legal matter. But where exactly that money went? He had no clue. Tony's brother, Joe Poppage, had his concerns about Simon Cadwell.

Joe knew of Simon's alternative lifestyle and believed the Truth Fellowship had all the hallmarks of a cult. Simon Cadwell was the leader, and he demanded full obedience from his followers, including Chantel, Leela and Tony. Simon had even once tried to recruit Joe as another server in the Truth Fellowship. Joe didn't buy into it, but his brother Tony did. When Tony went missing, Joe was convinced Simon relocated the family to an isolated commune where they couldn't be found, likely a remote area of Australia. When Joe attempted to get information from other members of the Truth Fellowship to help find his brother, they were not forthcoming. As the search for the family continued, Simon's online activity was thoroughly investigated.

He hadn't been active since the disappearance, but his online blog held some concerning secrets. Just over two weeks before Simon and his family disappeared, he wrote on his blog, quote, I'm exhausted, and the only option is to leave this world. One of his American followers, a woman named Sharon, reached out. Simon revealed he was considering obtaining the drug Nambutel, a central nervous system depressant that is widely used in euthanasia and suicide. Simon confessed the purpose of obtaining the drug was to give it to his family. Simon planned to administer the lethal drugs to Chantel, Leela, and then himself. Tony would bury their bodies and afterwards take his own life.

Sharon attempted to deter Simon from the horrifying plan, stating that if he supplied the drug to his young daughter Leela, he would be murdering her. Simon agreed and appeared to change his mind. He said his family might instead just wander off and live in isolation, hatching a plan to relocate to Brazil. After learning of this online conversation, police were immediately concerned for the welfare of Chantel, Leela, and Tony. Had Simon gone through with this plan of group suicide? A task force named Operation Omega was created to investigate the disappearance of the family. Investigating detectives obtained phone records for the family members and noticed some confusing activity. On July 12th, the day before the family drove to Busselton to sell Chantel's car, a phone call was made from their house to TransWA, the Western Australian Rail and Bus Service.

During the call, a bus ticket was purchased. The ticket was for a trip departing from the inland town of Bridgetown, almost 50 kilometres east of Nanop. The arrival location was almost 100 kilometres south to the beachside town of Northcliff. The ticket was booked under the name J. Roberts. Further investigation revealed that this bus ticket for J. Roberts was never used. The day Chantel, Leela, and Tony were due to head to Brazil to meet Simon, July 15. Tony's mobile phone records revealed a call was made from Bumbry, a coastal city approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Nanop. Tony's mobile was traced along a train line that reached Perth.

Another call was made in Perth to a Northbridge hostel called Underground Backpackers. Shortly after that call was made, a lone man arrived to the hostel and checked into a double room under the name Tony Poppage, using Tony's driver's licence as photo ID. A further two calls were made that day from Tony's mobile. The first call was to the Court Hotel, a local gay bar just 10 minutes walk from the Underground Backpackers hostel. The second call occurred later that night to Domino's Pizza. The caller ordered a pizza to be delivered to Kings Park, parkland located alongside Perth's botanical gardens, a popular hangout at night due to its proximity to the CBD. A delivery driver arrived to the darkened park a short time later. He described the atmosphere as creepy. He gave the pizza to a man and left. When shown pictures of Simon and Tony, who actually looked somewhat similar, the delivery driver pointed out the photograph of Tony as the man he delivered the pizza to that night.

The following morning, on July 16, two more phone calls were made from Tony's mobile phone. The first call was to Trine's WA, where a return train ticket was booked from Perth to the inland city of Calguli, 600km away. This ticket was also booked under the name Jay Roberts. The second call was to a taxi service for a ride from the Underground Backpackers hostel to East Perth train station. The taxi was booked for 6am under the name Tony. The taxi driver took the unidentified passenger to East Perth train station, where he picked up the train ticket to Calguli on hold for Jay Roberts. Another ticket was booked for Jay Roberts that day as well. This one over the phone and paid for at the station in cash, a one-way trip via train then bus from East Perth down to Northcliff.

Around an hour later, at 7am, an unidentified male boarded the train to Calguli, sitting in car 3 seat 16 on the Prospector train. It was the seat assigned to Jay Roberts. Tony's phone was traced moving in the direction of this near 6.5 hour trip to Calguli. After the trip to Calguli, Tony's phone was never used or traced again. It was never confirmed whether the unknown passenger in seat 16 had reached Calguli or if they had disembarked on one of the 17 stops along the way. It's also never been confirmed if the second ticket that was booked for Jay Roberts, the one-way trip to Northcliff, was ever used. Police were left scratching their heads over Tony's mobile phone records and the actions of the unknown man referred to as Jay Roberts. Was it all an elaborate misdirection? Whatever the case, Tony's phone records provided no answers to what happened to the family and only compounded the already confusing investigation.

In April 2008, nearing the one-year anniversary of the family's disappearance, police appealed to the public for new information that might help determine what became of Simon, Chantel, Leela and Tony. Following the appeal, 30 calls were made to authorities, but no compelling new leads were made. One thing police knew but had yet to reveal publicly was that in May 2007, two months before the family disappeared, Nannap police pulled Simon's car over during a routine traffic stop. Simon was in the car alone. When police asked him to show identification, Simon became unusually agitated and nervous by the simple request. It was no secret at this point that Simon Cadwell used multiple aliases throughout his life. Aside from his online username Si in the forecourt forums for the Truth Fellowship, he also used the names Simon Cadwell and Simon Kedi. Australian authorities put out a call to Interpol for Simon Cadwell and all his known aliases. Their hope was if Simon had relocated to another country, they'd be able to find him.

They had no idea that this line of inquiry would result in a revelation that would change everything. In September 2009, approximately two years after the family disappeared, an immigration officer at Heathrow Airport in London received an alert on his system for Simon Cadwell. Simon was attempting to exit the country. When the immigration officer compared the photograph Australian authorities had shared of Simon Cadwell to the man attempting to leave Heathrow, it was clear there were two completely different men. But that didn't stop the immigration officer from asking a few questions. Even though it was clear he definitely wasn't the Simon Cadwell they were looking for. He did manage to drop a bombshell that shook the entire investigation.

When a photograph of the Simon Cadwell Australian authorities were after, the Simon Cadwell at Heathrow Airport responded, I know that man, and his name isn't Simon. Simon Cadwell, the leader of the Truth Fellowship, partnered to Chantel, father of Leela, was actually a man called Gary Felton. Gary Felton was born in the United Kingdom in 1962. The real Simon Cadwell, the man picked up at Heathrow Airport, had met Gary Felton when the two attended the same British University in the early 90s. During this time, Gary Felton stole Simon Cadwell's birth certificate. Simon had no idea why Gary had done so, but now his motive was clear. Gary had used the birth certificate to assume Simon's identity.

Police now realised they were dealing with a long running professional fraudster. Gary Felton had not only plagiarised his spiritual books to create his own cult, but he had deceived every single person who knew him as Simon Cadwell. What had Gary Felton done that compelled him to assume another man's identity? Police felt there was a strong possibility Gary Felton had assumed yet another man's identity since his disappearance, and was managing to evade authorities by travelling under his new, unknown alias. Chantel McDougall's parents recalled seeing Gary, who at the time they believed was Simon, received a passport in the mail. Jim and Kath McDougall were told the passport was for Leela. Now, police considered it might have been another one of Gary's false passports. Maybe he had obtained fake passports for Chantel, Leela and Tony as well.

They all could have snuck out of Australia under false identities. It wasn't an impossible act. A report conducted by Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper in the 18 months following the family's disappearance revealed passport forgery was alive and well. Between 2005 and 2006 alone, 223 false Australian passports were intercepted worldwide at various country entry points. 118 of those were intercepted in Australia. Figures between 2007 and 2008, the time when the family went missing, were fairly similar. Numerous shady websites offer fake passports for as little as $1250. They promised to feature any country stamps requested, along with a guaranteed success to pass all existing passport confirmation tests, including UV tests and machine readable zone checks.

It wasn't a stretch to assume professional con man Gary Felton, who spent most of his waking time on his computer, may have come across one of these sites and made a purchase. By 2010, there were still no leads into the whereabouts of Gary Felton, Chantel McDougal, her daughter Leela or Tony Poppage. Chantel's parents embarked on a three month trip from their home in Victoria, 4,000km north to Cape York in far north Queensland, distributing 1,000 flyers featuring Chantel's and Leela's details along the way. Police maintained their search, but now they weren't attempting to zero in on the name Simon Cadwell. Their sites were set on the name Gary Felton, and in a similar vein Jay Roberts, the name used to purchase train and bus tickets across Western Australia shortly after the family's disappearance. It seemed likely that Jay Roberts was yet another false identity created by Gary. The scope of the investigation was narrowed in on Australia, as there had been no evidence suggesting the family ever left the country. However, with the realisation Gary Felton had knowledge and experience using fake passports, the possibility the family had followed through with their plan to head to Brazil was now a worthwhile consideration.

The peculiar mystery had gained media attention and became an obsession for online sleuths who began to conduct their own research into what may have happened to the family. Their research led to a disturbing discovery. On the night of July 17, 2007, four days after Chantel was last seen, 10 airlines domestic flight 3054 departed Porto Alegre with 181 passengers and six crew members on board. The flight was destined for São Paulo. Weather was particularly bad during the flight. The runway at São Paulo was noted as incredibly wet and slippery. During the approach, the plane's pilot remarked he had a headache. It's believed he's had ache, along with the problematic weather and slippery runway impacted his ability to land the plane.

As the plane touched down, it slid down the runway and crossed over a major road. Moments later, it collided with a fuel service station, causing the aircraft to burst into flames. The resulting fireball burned uncontrollably for several hours. This led to a number of bodies never being able to be identified or recovered from the wreckage. Questions were raised as to whether Gary Felton, Chantel McDougal, Leila McDougal or Tony Poppich had been on this flight using assumed identities and fake passports. The crash occurred 80 hours after the last sighting of Chantel. It was possible timing-wise for her and the others to have been on the flight. Even taking into account stopovers that may have prolonged their journey to Brazil.

However, Western Australian police and Brazilian authorities have reached the conclusion that none of the missing four were on board the doomed flight. There was a conclusion the families of Chantel McDougal and Tony Poppich agreed with. They maintained the belief that the family were still in Australia and were living remotely under new identities. In March 2012, five years after the family disappeared, horses grazing in a paddock in Nanop disturbed human remains and clothing. It was believed the remains, consisting of bones and a skull, were previously submerged when the farmland was swampy. Police rushed the remains for forensic testing, which revealed they belonged to a 62-year-old Victorian man missing since 2003. In July 2015, the decomposed remains of a female child were discovered in a tattered suitcase on the side of a rural South Australian highway. Testing confirmed the girl had been deceased since around 2007, and the discovery was near several desolate communities of people living off the grid.

Due to the timeframe and location, there was a strong possibility the girl in the suitcase might have been Leela. But in October 2015, the girl was positively identified. It wasn't Leela. In November 2016, nine years after the family disappeared, a young, homeless, English-speaking teenager was found wandering the streets of Rome in Italy. The girl offered various names, making it difficult for people to identify her. Australian authorities held out hope the teenage girl was Leela. When shown a picture of the teenager, Kath and Jim McDougal, Leela's grandparents, weren't convinced it was her. They were later proven right.

The teenage girl found in Rome was identified as a runaway from Sweden. In mid-May 2017, ten years after the disappearance of Chantel McDougal, her daughter Leela, Tony Poppich and Gary Felton, the Western Australian Coroner's Office announced they would hold an inquest into the suspected deaths of the group before. It was a long time coming for Jim and Kath McDougal, who had been petitioning for an inquest since 2011. Jim McDougal, quote, We would like some final decision. If it's an open finding, then it is what it is. It would be so much of a relief to find out what happened, whether it's good or bad. It's the not knowing that's horrible. In December 2017, Coroner Barry King began proceedings in the Western Australian town of Busselton.

The last location the entire family were seen alive together, where they sold Chantel's car. Gary Felton was exposed as the con man he had always been, someone who chose his followers wisely, easily manipulating them to believe in him and using this power to disassociate them from mainstream society. A criminal behavioral psychologist defined Gary Felton as a narcissistic con man who used isolation to control his group. He boasted to be above the constraints of human existence, when in reality, he spent his time sleeping and engrossed in his computer, while his girlfriend worked three jobs to maintain his apathetic lifestyle. It was little wonder that someone like Gary Felton, described as a controlling, manipulative cult leader, was able to tighten his grip around people like Chantel McDougal and Tony Poppage,

who were both described as kind and generous, the kind of people who were out to please, and therefore were easily influenced. The inquest revealed police had received several reports of sightings of members of the family after their disappearance. But these reports were not followed up on at the time due to a lack of evidence. Additionally, three months after the disappearance, prison workers found a woman's t-shirt in bushland near Northcliff, a location that was featured prominently throughout the investigation. According to those who found it, the t-shirt smelled of dead flesh. This report was not fully investigated by authorities until eight years later. By then, bushfires had swept through the area, destroying any evidence that may have led to the t-shirt's owner.

Furthermore, items rumored to have been Chantel McDougals were discovered at the Nanap rubbish tip, but police never recovered them. The landlords of the property in Nanap appeared at the inquest. They had visited the house often when the family were still living there. They described Chantel McDougal as a hard-working, practical and loving mother, and Tony Poppich as polite. They were the perfect tenants. One of the landlords recalled running into Chantel and Lila in town. Chantel explained that she couldn't go home yet, as Simon had clients. But she never elaborated on what that meant.

When asked to describe the person she knew was Simon Cadwell, real name Gary Felton, the landlord described a clueless and impractical man who, from her perspective, completely dominated the household he'd desperately relied on. Although she maintained in her opinion, he was incapable of killing his family. A close friend of Chantel's then spoke at the inquest. She revealed that Chantel had gradually become more withdrawn over the years and had once spoken of not belonging or wanting to be here. This witness was under the impression that Gary Felton had completely brainwashed Chantel. Quote,

I just don't think they ever felt like they belonged in modern society. They couldn't wait not to be here. The inquest also heard the story of two devoted members of the True Fellowship. They were a Canadian couple in their 20s who trekked to Nanop to meet their leader when he was still living there. The couple eventually returned to Canada and by the end of 2007, they had both committed suicide, along with another follower. In Gary's philosophical writings, he doubted the existence of suicide. Instead, he considered it a move between the physical and spiritual realms. Online chat logs between Gary and one of his servers confirmed that the spondent and depressed Gary had contemplated self-harm and death prior to his disappearance.

It was also revealed he was taking strong anti-psychotic medication at the time. Justine, the woman who had participated in a shared sexual relationship with Gary Felton, Chantel and Deborah, spoke at the inquest via video link. Justine described how she had fallen in love with the man she knew as Simon after beginning online contact with him in Perth. She admitted Gary dominated the household but felt suicide was not a spiritual driver for him. If the family had been led to suicide, Justine believes they would not have gone to such great lengths to cover it up. The mystery would serve no purpose. Therefore, Justine was under the impression the group was still alive, hiding somewhere. Quote,

Justine interpreted the handwritten notes detailing the plan to relocate to Brazil as misdirection and believed it was more probable the group was still in Australia. It's unknown if Simon's former partner Deborah appeared at the inquest or what, if anything, she has told investigators. Criminal behavioral psychologist Dr. Chris Gysan agreed the Brazil story was deliberate misdirection. But in her opinion, it was a way for the family to escape explaining their true intentions and to protect their loved ones from worrying and grieving over their suicide. Dr. Chris Gysan, quote, I'm fairly confident that Chantel, Leela and Tony are no longer with us. With Felton, I'm a bit more ambivalent. We can't ignore his history where he had concealed his identity before.

It would not be difficult for him to change his identity and start again. That's a possibility. The inquest concluded after three days of questioning multiple witnesses. Coroner Barry King, quote, My inclination at this stage is that there is simply insufficient evidence to find beyond a reasonable doubt that everyone is dead, although possibly one or more could be dead. It's difficult to exclude the possibility that somehow all of these people are living somewhere else under assumed names. Coroner Barry King is due to hand down his final findings from the inquest in mid-2018. Tony's family released a statement urging any followers of the fraudster who labeled himself as Simon Cadwell or other vulnerable people in the same situation to walk away from self-proclaiming profits.

They asked for publishers and websites to stop selling Simon's books, which remain for sale online to this day, some now going for hundreds of dollars due to the author's infamy. Jim and Kath McDougal will never give up the search for Chantel and Leela. Kath McDougal, quote, Often I think they have gone into hiding, but then another day I think maybe something's happened to them. It's always there every day, but we just try and get on with our lives. We have two other children and three other grandchildren, so we try and focus on that and keep hoping that one day they'll turn up. Thank you.