The Binge Cases: Scary Terri - Where is Daniel Morcombe? | 1. Bus 1a

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Daniel Morcombe sets out to buy Christmas presents and doesn’t come home. Gradually, his parents realise something is terribly wrong. Binge all episodes of Where is Daniel Morcombe? ad-free today... by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge Crimes on Apple Podcasts and hit ‘subscribe’ or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Paramount Woos. Check out the big stars, big series, and blockbuster movies. Streaming on Paramount Plus. Cue the music. Like NCIS, Tony, and Ziva. We'd like to make up for own rules. Tulsa King. We want to take out the competition.
Starting point is 00:00:16 The substance. This balance is not working. And the naked gun. That was awesome. Now that's a mountain of entertainment. Listen to all episodes of Where is Daniel Morkum, ad-free right now, by subscribing to The Binge. Visit the Binge channel on Apple Podcasts
Starting point is 00:00:39 and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. The Binge. Feed your true-crime obsession. The Binge. There was nothing unusual about a 13-year-old boy on Australia's Sunshine Coast, catching a weekend bus to the Sunshine Plaza, a local shopping center. Standing on the shoulder of a four-lane highway and flagging down a sky-blue sunbus, it was something of a ride of passage.
Starting point is 00:01:28 As long as there was enough space, on the side of the road to safely pull over, those buses would stop. The Queensland operator called it the Hale and Ride policy. What was unusual was what happened on the hot summer afternoon of Sunday, December 7, 2003. Ross Edmonds was driving a bus full of passengers down the Nambor Connection Road
Starting point is 00:01:55 when its acceleration cable snapped. He pulled over. and waited for a replacement bus to arrive. Once it did, the stranded passengers boarded. Jeff Norman, his boss, then gave Edmunds very clear instructions. He said, head straight to the plaza and don't stop for anyone along the way. Norman said he would follow and take care of any pickups. That's why Ross Edmonds didn't stop at the Keel Mountain Road underpass
Starting point is 00:02:26 where he saw a boy in a red shirt, waiting. Edmonds motioned to the boy. He was trying to communicate that another bus was on the way. He radioed back and gave Norman a heads up. Less than three minutes later, Jeff Norman arrived at the underpass. But the boy in the red shirt, he was gone. I'm Matt Angel. Sony Music Entertainment, and Campside Media, this is Where is Daniel Morecam.
Starting point is 00:03:07 Episode 1, Bus 1A. Ready? How did you two meet? In February 1980, it was the day after Valentine's Day, my girlfriend was going to a place called Lawn in Victoria, and I drove down by myself and my little yellow Gemini. That afternoon, Bruce was on the beach and I said hello to him. Bruce, you're shaking your head.
Starting point is 00:03:57 I think the first thing I think. It's heading to too much deep. Tarva, I swear if I'm thinking. The first thing I said to Bruce was, you got red eyes. He must have been a bit sunburn, like, and he just sort of smiled at me. I'd been swimming in the surf. He just smiled at me, and there was nothing more, and we just started talking, and 45 years later, we're still together. This is Bruce and Denise Morcombe, and this conversation we're having, it's one I've been looking forward to for a very long time.
Starting point is 00:04:26 For more than two decades, the Morcombs have been known across. Australia. But I'm not sure many have ever heard this side of them. On the Monday when I went to work, the girl said, oh, how was your weekend? I said, I met a guy called Bruce and we're going to get married. I just sort of knew straight away. Did you know that? Oh, I didn't know I was doomed at that stage. Bruce is 5'10. He has a full head of white hair, a matching beard. He is a true blue Aussie, genuine, loyal, tough. He doesn't give much away. But that's not what Denise saw that day on the beach.
Starting point is 00:05:02 I don't know, he just felt secure and comforting and just a nice person. Don't let Denise's gentle voice fool you, or her shyness, or her short stature. She is a fireball, and she packs one hell of a punch. This is her telling me about some of the girls she went to high school with. They thought that a few of us weren't quite good enough to go to their schools. They were fucking bitches, to be honest. But Denise Morkham is also one of the most caring humans I've ever met. That old phrase about eyes being the window to the soul,
Starting point is 00:05:39 I never thought much of it until the first time I met Denise. Her piercing blue eyes are otherworldly. They seem to carry the sorrow of a thousand lifetimes. And they tell a story. A story I first heard nearly a decade ago. A story with ripple effects. that have quietly changed the world. And it deserves to be heard far and wide.
Starting point is 00:06:08 Married life for Bruce and Denise Morkum began in a small flat in Melbourne. They both worked jobs in the city. Before long, they bought their first home. And then it was time to start a family. I think I always wanted to be a mother. I said I always wanted to be a mother of boys. And she got her wish. Their first son, Dean, was born in October 1987.
Starting point is 00:06:33 Just over one year later, Denise was pregnant again. At 16 weeks, I had my scan, and I remember the lady in the hospital saying to me, how financial are you? And I said, why are we having twins? Because I dreamt about it. The answer was yes. Two more boys arrived on December 19, 1989. Daniel and Bradley were eight weeks premature.
Starting point is 00:06:57 Sure. This was an emergency birth of twins, so your heart's in your mouth. The delivery room was packed. 30 people, doctors, nurses. Bradley came first. Minutes later, Daniel was born, but his lungs hadn't fully developed, and he was rushed away. You try and comfort Denise and say everything will be okay, and you just know you can't contribute to make this better.
Starting point is 00:07:24 They were in the hospital for the next five. weeks. I remember walking around the premature ward and so many other really tiny babies there and you realize how vulnerable life really is. Once the twins were cleared, the family of five settled in at home. Having a two-year-old and then twin boys was very, very busy. You just get up every day and you wash this one, you look after this one, you change it every other than this one, You feed this one. Yeah, that's just part of life being a mother and it's just natural.
Starting point is 00:07:59 You see Humpty Dumpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty Dumble. I think Dean was more outgoing, being the older brother and I think the younger ones looked up to him. Bradley was always the funny one. Smart, quite talkative, always laughing and joking. Daniel was more into,
Starting point is 00:08:17 he had a great big teddy bear and whatever Dean was doing he loved doing. Can I have a go? Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh. Oh, my man, ma'am. It was a good life. But things weren't always easy. Bruce was working. I wasn't working. We didn't have any money, so we had to borrow just different
Starting point is 00:08:35 things. It was quite difficult at the time. Bruce's job at a public utility board wasn't bringing in enough to keep them afloat. So he left and bought a Jim's Mowing franchise. If your garden looks more like a jungle, call your local gym. Jim's Mowing, the complete same day gardening service. Jimbo, Jimbo, off to work we go. He was gone sometimes 12, 13 hours a day, marling lawns pretty much from daylight to dark. Business boomed.
Starting point is 00:09:13 They had their footing. And a year later, an offer came in. A swap. Their franchise in Melbourne for the rights to the whole of a region in Queensland. A stunning oasis, the sunny coast. We took the gamble and we moved up here and, about 2003, we had 56 franchisees running around. And then one day, Bruce and I were going for a drive, and we drove past an open house in Palmwoods,
Starting point is 00:09:40 and we drove down this long driveway, this beautiful two-story Queenslander, and we looked at each other and said, let's put an offer in. It was called Camellia College. It was a five-acre property. They had something like 400 chamelea trees or shrubs as well as some old shedding, huge pineapple packing shed. It was very private off the main road and the boys could do as they wanted to.
Starting point is 00:10:06 It ticked a lot of boxes. It was a great home. He's right. It was. They took me to see it. Yeah, you can just see on the right-hand side about three metres arm. I'll just stick my nose in the driveway. You won't see the house.
Starting point is 00:10:21 So you come in your house. Yeah, just go for it, Bruce. We say, my mom comes are here. I haven't seen the house since we lived. You haven't been down here? No. We're moving down a long driveway through a canopy of lush trees. The air is damp and sticky.
Starting point is 00:10:43 Bright, exotic flowers speckle the foliage. Honestly, this is paradise. Guys. There's the house man. Oh my God. Yeah. Picture a pale yellow two-story house in the heart of New Orleans French Quarter, wrap-around balconies on both floors, white wrought iron railings, French doors, and then drop that
Starting point is 00:11:09 house into the middle of a rainforest. That is Camellia Cottage. We love the place. Dream home. It was beautiful. Their new life in Palm Woods was the ultimate adventure for the three brothers. They saved up and bought motorbikes. There was plenty of land to rip around.
Starting point is 00:11:32 There were cows, chickens, horses, even a bowl named Hugo. The boys would get up really early and go and feed, you know, their horses and cows and chickens before getting ready to go to school. I remember looking out the bathroom window. You could see the paddocks down below. and the boys would be in their gumboots, like little farmers, sloshing through the mud. And I'm not sure how or why it all happened, but it was a bit of a scene from a comedy movie, I think, where everything had escaped. The chickens were sitting on the outdoor furniture.
Starting point is 00:12:07 The cow was sitting underneath the trampoline in the shade. The horses were over there eating my favorite camellias. It was just madness. Daniel helped round up the animals and put them back where they belonged. He genuinely loved these animals. That's really what it was. He just had that special touch. He was always a quiet, shy little boy, and sometimes I'd remember him.
Starting point is 00:12:27 He'd just walk past and tap me on the shoulder, but he'd be on the other side of me. And I'd turn the wrong way, of course, and he'd laugh and carry on. But, no, he liked a good joke and a laugh, and, you know, we were pretty close as well. Yeah. Got me to find that report, Kurt? Sure. I'm sitting in Bruce and Denise's new home. They moved out of Camellia Cottage many years ago.
Starting point is 00:12:48 It's pristine. Everything is perfectly in its place. Denise told me that she hates dust. And it sits on a peaceful canal, so not a bad view. Denise shuffles through some papers in a nearby office. She comes back with an overflowing folder. Look at this, math. A, A plus, A minus, a minus.
Starting point is 00:13:18 Art C If he's like his mother he can't draw His teacher seemed to really like him dedicated determined
Starting point is 00:13:32 responsible enthusiastic those are just some of the words they used to describe Daniel we just had three boys we just thought
Starting point is 00:13:41 we were average mom and dad we came to the Sunshine Coast and in particular we're living at Palm Woods thinking what an ideal setting. And it was. Then December 7th, 2003 arrived. All of that changed.
Starting point is 00:13:57 As the weather cools, I'm all about finding pieces that actually get the job done. Warm, comfortable and easy to wear and repeat. And Quince always deliver. right now I've been eyeing their lightweight cotton cashmere ribbed long-sleeve sweater it's sleek and a little bit fitted more polished than a basic long-sleeve tea but lighter and less bulky than you know a chunky knit it's kind of that staple that looks you know good with jeans and sneakers but you can also jazz it up put it under a blazer where you know tucked into a skirt has a little bit of cashmere in there for softness which is very luxurious we love that I keep going to back and forth between two colors, the olive and the mocha heather. Two perfect fall shades. And
Starting point is 00:14:54 here's the kicker. It's under $40. So I don't know. I think I don't even have to choose. I should just get both. That's what I love about quince. Elevated essentials made with premium fabrics, but at half the price of similar brands. They cut out the middlemen, partner directly with ethical factories, and make pieces that actually last. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to quince.com slash cases for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash cases. As the weather cools, I'm all about finding pieces that actually get the job done, warm, comfortable, and easy-to-wear and repeat. And Quince always delivers. Right now I've been eyeing their lightweight, cotton cashmere, ribbed, long-sleeved
Starting point is 00:15:44 sweater. It's sleek and a little bit fitted, more polished than a basic long sleeve tea, but lighter and less bulky than, you know, a chunky knit. It's kind of that staple that looks, you know, good with jeans and sneakers, but you can also jazz it up, put it under a blazer where, you know, tucked into a skirt, has a little bit of cashmere in there for softness, which is very luxurious. We love that. I keep going back and forth between two colors, the olive and the mocha Heather. perfect fall shades and here's the kicker it's under $40 so I don't know I think I don't even have to choose I should just get both that's what I love about quince elevated essentials made with premium fabrics but at half the price of similar brands they cut out the middlemen
Starting point is 00:16:30 partner directly with ethical factories and make pieces that actually last layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look go to quince.com slash cases for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada, too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E-D-com slash cases. You got up early on that Sunday morning, and it was a showery day. The boys had organized to do an hour, hour and a quarter, fruit picking on the neighbor's farm next door. This is something the three Morkan brothers did all. to make a bit of pocket money.
Starting point is 00:17:14 But because it was a showery morning, the farmer phoned us and said, we'll just delay it by an hour. This complicated things a bit. Bruce and Denise were hosting their businesses Christmas lunch in that day, at a park down in Brisbane. The whole family were going to leave at 8.30 a.
Starting point is 00:17:31 Allowing them to get there and set up before the franchisees arrived at 11. But with the boys' fruit picking delayed, they'd never be able to leave on time. So we threw it across to them in a sort of simple family conversation, what would you guys like to do today? They didn't want to go to a crusty old family business luncheon, and they wanted to stay at home, and perhaps doing a little bit of pocket money.
Starting point is 00:17:54 It was settled. The boys would stay back, pick some passion fruits, and enjoy some downtime. Because the fruit picking was just next door, as we were going down to the car, you could hear the boys laughing and joking and enjoying life. Bruce and Denise got their favorite spot in the park. They enjoyed a nice lunch. They had some laughs with friends. Around 2 o'clock, you know, we're starting to look at each other, rattle the car keys as you do, you know, it's time to go.
Starting point is 00:18:25 What do you reckon? They arrived back home around 4 p.m. Bradley was home. I think it was on our computer. And we said, oh, where's Dean and Daniel? Bradley said, Dean's gone to the skate park, meeting a couple of friends. He'll be back in a little while.
Starting point is 00:18:38 Daniel's gone to the shops catching a bus He's going to get a haircut And to buy some Christmas presents Back then in a place like Palm Woods This was no big deal The boys used to catch the bus all the time We didn't think anything of it But about 4 o'clock 415
Starting point is 00:18:53 I knew something wasn't right Just had a gut feeling That something wasn't right with Daniel Just taking clothes off the line I thought It's not right Given the bus schedule that day It made sense that Daniel might not be home yet
Starting point is 00:19:06 But Denise followed her mother's instinct Came inside, got in the car and said, I'm going to go see if Daniel at the bus stop. Drove to the bus stop, waited five or ten minutes if the bus didn't turn up, drove a bit further down the road to Wombay. About a kilometre down the road, she noted a broken down bus. Came back home, I said to Bruce Isle, there's a broken down bus. So we waited about an hour, around about 5.30. I jumped in the car thinking, this is the last bus.
Starting point is 00:19:38 I'll rip down to the spot we expect the bus to pass, Daniel jump off it, save him the walk. Again, no bus, again, no Daniel. We thought, ah shit, something's not right here. Denise called the bus company. Maybe there was a simple explanation. But there wasn't. She called some of Daniel's friends. Maybe they'd met up with him.
Starting point is 00:20:02 But they hadn't. No one had heard from her son. So the family began to search. We needed to find him. There's probably only an hour or so of daylight left. We looked in our paddocks. We looked in our shed. We looked up the street. We looked down the street. We looked everywhere for him. You know, we were thinking, oh, he's dropped his phone card. He's lost his wallet. He's fallen over. We were even thinking he's walking home on the edge of the road and been hit by a car.
Starting point is 00:20:28 We were looking down the embankment at the edge of the road thinking, you know, if he's been hit, is he down there? As their search expanded, so did their fear. We went back home, checked the boys, no news. I can recall Bradley asking, have you found him yet? No. We said to Dean and Bradger, stay home, sit tight. We jumped in the car, drove to the Sunshine Plaza Shopping Centre. We then drove back to Namboor.
Starting point is 00:20:56 We did that a couple of times, back and forth, back and forth, probably around 6.30, heading to 7 o'clock, I dare say. We looked at each other in the front seat of the car and we thought, what are we going to do now? So I went to the bridge door police station and reported Daniel missing. Police would often wait 24 hours before filing an official missing person's report. The officer, he didn't seem worried, but he told them he would broadcast a B-O-L-F alert. That's Ozzy Police Speak for Be on the Lookout for. Question was asked, what was he wearing? We were at a luncheon, so we didn't know what he was wearing.
Starting point is 00:21:32 They were given some reassurances and sent off. The police officer said, go back home, stay at home, I'm sure he'll turn up. Their phone rang around 10pm. It was the cop from the station. He said an officer was going to come by to check on them. But apparently they got called to another job and they didn't get there. No police came to our house to see what was going on. But they did receive another phone call from the police that night.
Starting point is 00:21:57 They were told to return to the station at 8 a.m. the next morning to file an official missing person's report. It was a night that seemed to go on forever. We had a great big barn that used to be the original pineapple packing barn for the area. Went there, we had a dam, we had torches, we were walking around the property. We know we're calling out, we're yelling. We're trying to work out where could Daniel be? I sat on the couch, most of the night just looking out the window because I couldn't sleep. I know I went to bed at some stage and I do remember Brad was lying on the floor.
Starting point is 00:22:41 He couldn't sleep. We couldn't sleep. And then he came on into the bed with us and that was the first time and he'd done that for many, many years. I saw and Bruce Kai for the first time since his father had died. That was 13, nearly 14 years prior. We were probably all crying. Yeah. If Bruce cries, something's pretty deep there, yeah.
Starting point is 00:23:10 Denise ended up back on the couch that night, looking through that window. She was waiting for Daniel to appear to walk down that long driveway. The sun finally rose on Monday, December 8th. We dropped Dean off at work. Denise and I and Bradley drove to the... Police Station got there a couple of minutes before eight. They knocked, but no one was there. Not yet.
Starting point is 00:23:40 So they waited in their car. At 8 a.m., Sergeant Lori Davis had arrived. We observed him going up the stairs, unlocking the front door. It's not a big police station, just a little old weatherboard cottage, really. He walked inside, we followed him inside, introduced ourselves. He progressed to flick on the lights and no doubt the air conditioner. and check any information on Daniel. The short, broad-shouldered cop
Starting point is 00:24:08 sat them down and began to ask questions. What did they know? What was Daniel wearing? Where was he going? It was a little bit intimidating. No, he was... Well, he was intimidating to myself because I hadn't been in a police station
Starting point is 00:24:21 before the police officer pretty much went to Bradley, pointed at him, and pretty much pushed his finger into his chest, and he said, you know what happened. You know what happened to your brother. Where's your brother? Where's your brother?
Starting point is 00:24:34 Yeah. He cried. He cried. Yeah, no, he was gutted. He's lost his twin brother. Sergeant Davison picked up the phone, and he called Sunbus. The Morcombe sat at the small desk opposite him. They were silent.
Starting point is 00:24:53 They didn't know who it was Davison was speaking to, or what he was being told. But they knew something was wrong. It was a moment I can say. see it. I can feel him at the Palmwood's police station. I remember Laurie Davidson's face. I remember that. You could see the blood draining. He was puzzled and incredibly anxious. The wheels needed to start turning. Fortunately, they did.
Starting point is 00:25:29 A boy goes missing from a bus stop in Queenie. Queensland, Australia. His disappearance made national headlines and launched the largest search for a missing child in Australia's history. There were over 700 persons of interest. It was absolutely enormous. Now, for the first time, his parents share with a global audience their journey to uncover what happened to their son. We'd said right from the start, who's ever responsible had picked on the wrong family. So we just made it our life's work.
Starting point is 00:26:00 We're going to hunt you down. down. And if not for the parents, the case might still be unsolved. But in the end, the pressure led cops to take shocking risks and go to extraordinary lengths to catch this perpetrator. The master deceiver was deceived and manipulated himself. We did to him what he did to Daniel. From Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media, this is Where is Daniel Morecam. Available now on The Binge. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. On Sunday afternoon, a schoolboy set out to buy Christmas presents for his family. 13-year-old Daniel Morkham hasn't been seen since.
Starting point is 00:26:41 They say the first 48 hours are the most critical in a missing person's case. But here's the truth. Every second is critical in a missing person's case. And the Morkums could feel those seconds slipping away. The clock was ticking. 9.18 a.m. Sergeant Laurie Davison creates a job log. He writes that Daniel Morkham had not returned home.
Starting point is 00:27:08 Then he informs the Juvenile Aid Bureau. He said there was a boy in a red t-shirt at the underpass. 9.44 a.m. Daniel's official missing persons report is entered into the Queensland Police Service database. When we came home, we had to ask Brad, what do you think Daniel was wearing? And I went through his cupboard, and we worked out that he was wearing the red t-shirt with the billable signage on it. 10.30 a.m. The first law enforcement officials arrive at the Morecambe residents.
Starting point is 00:27:35 Laurie Davidson came to her house not long after we'd left the police station. He came in and asked for any recent photos of Daniel. 11.18 a.m. An SEM, significant event message, is sent out across the territory. Five minutes later, at 1123, a second be on the lookout for is broadcast. When we would ask the police, what's the angle you're pursuing? chewing here. They'd say, look, the last place Daniel was seen was at the side of the road waiting for the bars. 12 p.m. units arrive at the Keel Mountain Road underpass. They dust for
Starting point is 00:28:14 fingerprints, collect shoe imprints, snap photographs. I went and laid down and Bruce came with some homemade chicken soup for me and he said, you've got to eat this. It's going to be a long few days. 15 p.m. The Morcoms are given a status update. Police had been dispatched far and wide. A photo of Daniel, along with a brief physical description, was sent out to local TV, radio, and newspapers. That's the photo of that boy that everyone knows with the blue eyes staring at the camera with his orange cordial. 2.20 p.m. A detective from the Sunshine Coast, C.I.B, a unit specializing in the most complex crimes, is brought in to assist. Quite a few detectives came to the house, asking questions of Bruce and myself, asking about the boys,
Starting point is 00:29:00 asking about the family in our business. I remember saying, ask whatever questions you want because if you don't ask the tough questions, you're not doing your job. Test me, test our story, and also test our alibi in terms of, okay, where were you guys? Why weren't you looking after your boys? Eyewitnesses had put Bruce and Denise at the park outside of Brisbane. Cameras captured them on the toll bridge they crossed.
Starting point is 00:29:26 But they understood the reality. These cases could often end with the conviction of a family member. We're just sitting around the kitchen table, having a bit of a chad, maybe there were four police officers there. There were a few, yeah. The whole kitchen table was taken, plus there was a few standing up in the kitchen. One officer watched from the sidelines. He stood out from the rest. One of those observers was absolutely staring me down.
Starting point is 00:29:57 hanging off the body language, every sound that was uttering from my mouth. David Hickey was the one that stared you down? I remember him. It was quite daunting and intimidating. It would have been. No-nonsense Detective David Hickey oozes intimidation. We threw the challenge to the police, find the answers.
Starting point is 00:30:21 And if you want to stare me down, by all means. But at the end of the day, maybe you should be staring down somebody else. Their phones begin ringing. Concerned friends are calling. Daniel's face, that photo of him smiling, it's all over the local news. 4.30 p.m. Officers conduct door knocks in surrounding communities.
Starting point is 00:30:45 Additional units from down south prepare to head north. I remember standing in the garden with all the camellias, the beautiful gardens looking down in the valley there. There's farmland all around us. There are dams filled with water and there's police divers and, you know, fully kidded out in their wetsuits and if they find something, he ain't going to be in a healthy condition. We had big septic tanks and a big water tank under the house. It was pretty grim standing there and watching that.
Starting point is 00:31:15 There were helicopters buzzing in a grid formation, you know, going north-south and then east-west. They were mapping the terrain and then at one point the helicopter came in and landed on our front lawn. What the hell's going on here? Like, has you seen something, found something? To this day, they have no idea what it was all about. But something like that sticks with you. It's a moment. We will never forget.
Starting point is 00:31:42 When I hear a helicopter now, you look up in the sky and it brings back memories of that day. You see the movies where the Vietnam vets are out there and they hear the helicopters, and they have flashed back some visions. Every time you see a helicopter, same thing happens. 5.30 p.m., Bruce, Denise, Dean, and Bradley return to the police station. They're separated into different rooms, where they each give official written statements.
Starting point is 00:32:09 9 p.m. The Morcombs arrived back home. 10.15 p.m. A knock at the door. More police. This time, coming to seize their computers. Sam night came. I'm at 8.5 o'clock the next morning. Senior constable Samantha Knight had been assigned as the liaison officer to the morcums. She would be a gentle buffer between this broken family and the outside world. Collect their mail. Answer their phones.
Starting point is 00:32:42 Gather information and relay it back to her colleagues. And she started asking Brad all these questions and Dean and all these questions. And then she started going through Daniel's school bag and finding bits of papers and school newsletters that the boys hadn't been. give it to us rotten bananas and found a Christmas card that Daniel had made for us. And she handed that to us as well. Sam Knight also collected Daniel's DNA. Yeah, Sam.
Starting point is 00:33:12 Went to the bathroom and wanted Daniel's toothbrush and his hairbrush and comb and one of his capsity wore so that they could take that to the police station to get his DNA. There were a lot of difficult moments for Daniel's parents during Sam Knight's first week on the job. But it feels like one in particular haunts Denise. The Friday before Daniel went missing, the boys had planned to go to a skating rink, but a storm hit. So that was cancelled, and the boys asked whether we could drive to the school
Starting point is 00:33:46 and pick up their report cards, but it was just torrential rain. We said, oh, look, we'll just wait for it to turn up in the post. And Monday and Tuesday, so they were. sort of happy with that. And that Tuesday morning, the boys' report cards arrived in the post. I felt really guilty because I said, I will just wait until Tuesday, but I think I'd burst into tears when Sam showed me the report card. For the Morcoms, time stood still. But behind the scenes, for investigators, things were moving at the speed of light. The case exploded, activating agencies across the territory.
Starting point is 00:34:25 The Queensland Police Service, or QPS, the state's primary law enforcement agency, were fully engaged. Detective Inspector Mike Condon was the highly respected manager of the QPS's homicide investigations unit. He arrived on scene that Tuesday morning, December 9th. A major incident room was set up, and Operation Bravo Vista began. In the days to come, arrest teams, investigating teams, intelligence officers, crime scene managers, scientific officers, and state emergency services all jump into action. Witnesses are interviewed. Persons of interest are questioned. Bushland is searched, and bit by bit, detectives start to build a case.
Starting point is 00:35:13 The twins' 14th birthday arrived on December 19th. It had been 12 days since Daniel was last seen. The family didn't feel like celebrating, but two local priests, Father Joe and Father Yarn, they encouraged them to do something for the boys, for the family. I found the boys three baptism candles. I had them at home. They set up like a little tight.
Starting point is 00:35:43 and in the front yard and Bradley lit the three candles. And then we were sitting there saying a couple of prayers with the priests. One of the candles just flickered and went out. When the candle blew out, we just looked at each other, thought, well, that's Daniel's candle. That's a sign. Three candles lit and one just went out. I think I just stared out. I think I just stared at it, didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say.
Starting point is 00:36:16 Just a freakish puff of wind, of course. We know that. But why didn't all three blow out? Why didn't two blow out? Why didn't they just flicker and be okay? But one blew out. That was a sign that he ain't coming home. This season, we'll peel back the layers of one of the largest and most haunting investigations in Australian history. Who's ever responsible to pick on the wrong family, we're going to hunt you down. For the first time, Daniel's parents share with a global audience their journey to uncover what happened to their son.
Starting point is 00:37:14 He said it's going to be a long few days. We didn't know it was going to be a long 12 years. A decade-long battle to uncover what happened to Daniel Morecam. In that moment when a child is going through the worst moments of their life, there's clues. Find the clues, find the child. To hunt down whoever was responsible. There were over 700 persons of interest.
Starting point is 00:37:40 It was absolutely enormous. And to bring them to justice. The largest investigation ever in Queensland, probably was. Was it the best investigation? Probably not. As a COVID operative, you can't be not called a liar because you're living a lie. And everything you do is a lie.
Starting point is 00:37:59 So you're a trained liar. That's what it's all about. The master deceiver was deceived and manipulated himself. It's been a wild ride, I tell you. I've been there since day one. It's been a wild ride. Don't want to wait for that next episode? You don't have to. Unlock all episodes of Where is Daniel Morecam?
Starting point is 00:38:47 Add free right now by subscribing to the binge podcast channel. Search for the binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Not on Apple? Head to getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. As a subscriber, you'll get binge access to new stories on the first of every month. check out the binge channel page on Apple Podcasts
Starting point is 00:39:12 or getthebinge.com to learn more. Joe Barrett is the managing producer and co-writer. Grace Valerie Lynette is the associate producer. Additional production support from Tiffany Dimack. The series was sound designed, composed, and mixed by Garrett Teeteman. Our studio engineer is Trino Madriz. Fact-checked by Tracy Lofgren-Lee Lee. A special thanks to Ashley Ann Crigbaum and Doug Slaywin
Starting point is 00:40:02 and our operations team, Ashley Warren, Sabina Mara, and Destiny Dinkle. Campside Media's executive producers are Josh Dean, Vanessa Gregoriatis, and Matt Share. Sony's executive producer is Jonathan Hirsch. For Paceetter Productions, the executive producer is Jessica Rhodes. Allison Momasey and Brian Daly are the associate producers. For Mad Jimmy Productions, the executive producers are me, Matt Angel, and Suzanne Coot. Consulting producers are Dan Angel, Lee Parker, and Andrew Fairbank. If you enjoyed Where Is Daniel Morecam, please rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:40:44 And if you'd like to make a donation to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, please visit danielmorkum.com.com. I don't know. Thank you.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.