90 year old cold-case murder re-examined in new podcast and book

3 min readJan 2, 2019

A new true crime podcast, Murder Archives, and accompanying book sheds new light on this Australian murder thanks to forensic investigation and modern expertise.

In 1929 Norma Rhys McLeod died at the hands of someone still unknown.

Dr Emma Curtin, a historical researcher from Melbourne, has spent over three years investigating her murder.

Available for interview — email emma@murderarchives.com.au

Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and all other podcast apps.

Book available Amazon, book stores and website.

Hear a snippet from Episode 3: The Prime Suspect. The police focus on their prime suspect — Norma’s mother, Edith McLeod.

Who killed Norma Rhys McLeod?

In September 1929, 29 year old Norma, the only daughter of a respectable Toorak (Melbourne, Australia) family, was found on her bed.

She’d suffered severe head injuries, and a pair of men’s underpants lay across her forehead.

She died a few hours later.

Her killer has never been found.

New findings, old records

Emma has unearthed old police and coroner’s files and interviewed many experts and family members, but there are still leads for the audience to follow.

An envelope from the mysterious letter writer calling themselves “Asmodeus”

Primary documents are available for listeners to analyse have been published on the Murder Archives website.

The podcast features contributions from family members and respected and experienced experts in many fields;

Ex Homicide Detective Charlie Bezzina (“Tough Times Never Last”)
Consultant Forensic Pathologist Byron Collins (“Phoebe’s Fall” podcast)
Psychologist Karen Scally, and Graphologist Andre Scarfe.

Through a detailed forensic analysis of the archived material she has unearthed in this case, most untouched for 90 years, Dr Curtin has been able to shed new light on the murder;

“The more I dug into the case, the more intrigued I became. We’ve developed a number of theories about who might have carried out this attack on a young woman with so much potential. We have all seen the power that podcasts have to engage members of the public and help solve these cold-cases. Maybe somebody out there can help with that final piece of the puzzle in this Norma McLeod case.”

Location of the murder

The McLeod house still stands in Melbourne, you can see it on Google Maps.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

To listen and/or read

The 8 episode podcast Murder Archives has just been lunched.

Fractured Silence: The death of Norma Rhys McLeod the first in the series, in partnership with production company Nearly.

Listen to it wherever you find your podcasts, or via the Murder Archives website.

The book, “Fractured Silence: The death of Norma Rhys McLeod”, available as a paperback or ebook via Amazon, Apple iBooks and other leading online bookstores.