Brit backpacker Peter Falconio's investigators issue new pics 25 years after disappearance

Australian police have unsealed never-before-seen photographs from their cold case investigation into the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio, who vanished without a trace in 2001 in the Outback.

Northern Territory Police are hoping the freshly unveiled snaps will jog the memory of a crime scene gone cold 25 years ago, with the quarter-century anniversary of his abduction falling on Tuesday (July 14).

On July 14, 2001, Falconio was on the trip of a lifetime; the 28-year-old was backpacking around Australia to celebrate his university graduation. On that day, 25 years ago, he vanished alongside his girlfriend Joanne Lees, then-27, who managed to get away.

Falconio and Lees were driving in a remote region of the Australian outback in 2001, when a motorist flagged them down after an apparent car breakdown on the isolated Stuart Highway. When Falconio went to help the supposedly stranded driver, Lees recounted hearing a loud bang she believed was a gunshot.

Her captor then tied her up, but she managed to get free and ran off while he was distracted as he moved Falconio’s body. Lees fled into the bush, and hid for five hours before running onto the highway to flag down a passing truck who then took her to safety.

Falconio’s disappearance is one of Australia’s most well-known cold cases – and one that may never be solved. Bradley John Murdoch was convicted of the vanished 28-year-old’s murder, but he died in 2025 having never admitted to the crime. He also never told investigators the location of Falconio’s remains. Despite Murdoch being convicted and sentenced to life, the investigation into Falconio’s murder remains open as his body was never found.

Murdoch was previously charged with seven counts of abduction and rape in the case of a twelve-year-old girl and her mother, whom Murdoch allegedly tormented for twenty-five hours. He was acquitted, but he used the same method of restraints and blindfolding on Lees that the kidnapper had used on the twelve-year-old girl.

Investigators still hope to solve one of Australia’s most infamous cold cases, with NT Police releasing a tranche of new files in the hope that it may jog someone’s memory and generate a fresh lead.

In one of the photographs, a stunned-looking Lees can be seen in the hours after she got away from Bradley John Murdoch when he confronted the couple on a remote part of the Stuart Highway on the fateful night of July 14, 2001. In another, evidence markers can be seen on the side of the Stuart Highway, lining a dark red stain visible on the rough bitumen road.

Other photos include a snap of the orange Volkswagen Kombi van that the pair of young Brits had been travelling in, and images chronicling cuts and grazes on Lees’ body in the wake of her ordeal.

NT Police have also released footage chronicling the final efforts of investigators as they tried to convince Murdoch to reveal where he had dumped Falconio’s body. But their pleas invariably fell on deaf ears. NT Police commissioner Martin Dole branded Murdoch a “coward” for refusing to divulge the location of Falconio’s bones in a statement released alongside the fresh photographs.

“This was a traumatic and horrific event for Ms Lees and for Peter’s family, who have now gone such a long time without the answers they deserve,” Dole said.

“It is deeply regrettable that Murdoch died without, as far as we know, ever disclosing the location of Peter’s remains. His cowardly silence has denied [Falconio’s] family, friends and loved ones the closure they deserve.

“Twenty-five years is a significant milestone, and the Northern Territory Police Force remains committed to bringing this investigation to its fullest conclusion and will continue to pursue every avenue available.”

A reward of AUD$500,000 – which roughly equates to £260,000 – still stands for any information that directly leads to the discovery of Falconio’s remains. Dole added that anyone with information, no matter how small the detail may be, should come forward to speak to police.

“There may still be someone who knows something whether that be information they have never previously shared with police or something Murdoch said to them,” he said, adding: “No piece of information is too small; what may seem insignificant could prove critical in helping investigators finally resolve this case.”

Police believe Murdoch may have confessed to the crime at some point in the years that followed to friends and family, in spite of his public denial of any involvement with the brutal crime.

The new photo dump from NT Police come hours before the premiere of a new documentary on the Falconio mystery. Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder looks into the science behind the infamous cold case. World-renowned geoforensic specialist Dr Mark Harrison and former FBI behavioural profiler Kathy Canning-Mello join forces to wield the power of forensic science in an attempt to give the Falconio family the answers they deserve.

Battling the unforgiving terrain of the desolate Aussie Outback, the pair re-examine old evidence while trying to get inside the mind of a killer in an effort to pinpoint the most likely location of Peter’s body.

Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder is available to stream on Channel 4, or on Channel 9 and 9Now for Australian audiences.