What Happened To…

In 2019, we told the story of Zac Barnes an 18-year-old from the Hunter Valley who vanished in November 2016 after getting out of a friend’s car on the way to Thornton train station and running into nearby bushland.
At the time, Zac’s family were still searching for answers. His body had never been found. The questions around what happened that day and what may have happened afterwards remained unresolved.
Now, almost a decade after Zac disappeared, a NSW coronial inquest has found that Zac is most likely deceased and that he died in suspicious circumstances. The coroner was unable to determine the exact manner, cause, or place of his death, but recommended the NSW unsolved homicide team take over the investigation.
This new release revisits the story we first told in What Happened to Zac?, with the benefit of the coroner’s findings and the painful clarity they bring. It is a story about a young man who never came home, a family who refused to stop fighting for him, and a case that still demands answers.
Zac’s mum said he “deserves justice and to be found” and that his family deserves answers.
What Happened to Zac? is the story of a disappearance, a delayed search, years of uncertainty, and a family’s ongoing fight to find out what really happened to Zac Barnes.
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Welcome to a new podcast in this feed. It's called What Happened To...
Each week we will share new stories of long-term missing Australian people. The idea is to bring awareness to these cases. To kick off, we are republishing some of the previous shows we have produced in support of the missing.
In 2019, we told the story of Zac Barnes, an 18-year-old from the Hunter Valley who vanished in November 2016 after getting out of a friend’s car on the way to Thornton train station and running into nearby bushland.
At the time, Zac’s family was still searching for answers. His body had never been found. The questions around what happened that day and what may have happened afterwards remained unresolved.
Now, almost a decade after Zac disappeared, a NSW coronial inquest has found that Zac is most likely deceased and that he died in suspicious circumstances. The coroner was unable to determine the exact manner, cause, or place of his death but recommended the NSW unsolved homicide team take over the investigation.
This re-release revisits the story we first told in What Happened to Zac? with the benefit of the coroner’s findings and the painful clarity they bring. It is a story about a young man who never came home, a family who refused to stop fighting for him, and a case that still demands answers.
Zac’s mum said he “deserves justice and to be found" and that his family deserves answers.
What Happened to Zac? It is the story of a disappearance, a delayed search, years of uncertainty, and a family’s ongoing fight to find out what really happened to Zac Barnes.
Episode 1 launches this Wednesday, May 20th.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this final episode, Sally reflects on the emotional announcement that the reward for information into her mum Marion Barter’s disappearance has been increased to $1 million.
After nearly three decades of searching, Sally travels to Sydney for the announcement at NSW Police Headquarters, speaks with Ben Fordham, and shares what this moment means for her family. She talks about the impact of Marion’s disappearance, the loss of her brother, the coronial findings, and the ongoing questions around the man identified as a person of significant interest.
Sally also opens up about new information still being passed to police, her trip to Japan with Joni to search for records, the importance of correcting errors in missing persons profiles, and why families should be contacted with compassion when possible evidence is found.
As the series comes to an end, Sally looks back on the journey, thanks those who have supported her, and explains why the search for Marion does not stop here. This is an episode about hope, grief, persistence, and the belief that someone, somewhere, still knows something.
With one million reasons to come forward, Sally makes one thing clear: Marion matters, and so do all the missing.
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To close out the season, Sally and Joni come together for one final conversation about Marion's case, what’s been happening in the background, what new information has come to light, and where the investigation may go next.
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A psychic reading sends Sally to Mullumbimby looking for answers about her mum, Marian Barter — but this episode goes further. Sally also shares moving updates on Joanne’s decades-long grief for Andrew Inglish, Jason’s ongoing search for his father Nicola, and the growing momentum behind the Green Seat Project.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.