Episode notes
More than two decades have passed since the coronial inquest into Mark Haines' death. The family have been forgotten about — until news reporter Allan Clarke arrives in Tamworth on a routine story and becomes convinced this is a major injustice. Allan's reporting unearths fresh information. A mother comes forward with a story about her son's involvement. Police aren't quick to follow up. But, after a flurry of protests and phone calls … the case finally starts to gain traction. Blood on the Tracks is the first ever series we made for Unravel, back in 2018. But we're re-releasing it now with…
Podcast
Unravel
ABC Australia · True Crime · English
Lies in Lismore - the latest season of Unravel, the ABC’s award-winning investigative true crime podcast series. German backpacker Simone Strobel was on a dream trip to Australia in 2005 when she disappeared from a caravan park in Lismore. Six days later her body was found covered by palm fronds.
More from Unravel All episodes →
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S8 · E1 · 25 May 2026 · 35 min
01 What Became of Jack? | Vanished
When Jack's mate turns around, he's just… gone. Vanished. His mate says that's how fit 27-year-old Jack McLennan disappeared from a bush picnic spot 3 hours from Brisbane. But when searchers discover a trail of baffling clues, suspicions begin to deepen among friends and family. They start questioning what this is — it doesn't seem like the average missing person's case to them. Could it be murder? Is it someone who's just gone missing? ABC journalist Rob Burgin picks up the case, determined to find out what became of Jack.
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S8 · 11 May 2026 · 2 min
INTRODUCING — What Became of Jack?
When a fit young man disappears from a picnic spot, leaving a trail of strange clues behind him, a community begins to suspect the worst. The belongings he leaves behind are discarded in a way that seems nonsensical, and to some, even sinister. Is he missing, has he left town or has there been a crime? Concern turns to suspicion and online speculation as weeks turn into months, with no sign of Jack. Now, ABC journalist Rob Burgin investigates what became of Jack, tracing the fragments of that night through a web of small Queensland towns, where everyone knows everyone, everyone knows…
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S7 · E8 · 22 Oct 2025 · 58 min
08 Blood On The Tracks | Finally, a new inquest
It's 2025, and the NSW Deputy Coroner is holding a fresh inquest into the death of Gomeroi teenager Mark Haines, who was found dead on the train tracks back in 1988. As the inquest hearings spiral over a year a half, new witnesses appear with explosive allegations and police make surprising admissions. Allan heads to Tamworth and dives back into a story that's gripped him for over a decade. Will he finally find the answers to this mystery he's been looking for? Blood on the Tracks is the first ever series we made for Unravel, back in 2018. It is intended to be listened to as a whole, so we…
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S7 · E7 · 22 Oct 2025 · 32 min
07 Blood On The Tracks | Face To Face
Years of investigation have led to this moment … a major breakthrough in the case, a potential answer to thirty years of mystery and pain for the Haines family. An alleged confession has revealed who might have placed Mark's body on the train tracks on that summer night in 1988. Now it's time to put the question to him — did he have anything to do with Mark's death? Will Allan Clarke finally have some answers for Uncle Duck? Blood on the Tracks is the first ever series we made for Unravel, back in 2018. But we're re-releasing it now with a new episode because the NSW Deputy State Coroner is…
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S7 · E6 · 22 Oct 2025 · 24 min
06 Blood On The Tracks | Revelation
Allan and the team shift their focus to Tamworth and the truth starts to emerge from a fog of rumours. As Allan builds on the case, he discovers the police aren't far behind. An eyewitness comes forward. Key witnesses are confronted for the first time. An alleged confession emerges which takes the investigation in a completely new direction. If it turns out to be true, this new lead could help finally solve the 30-year-old mystery. Blood on the Tracks is the first ever series we made for Unravel, back in 2018. But we're re-releasing it now with a new episode because the NSW Deputy State…
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S7 · E4 · 22 Oct 2025 · 32 min
04 Blood On The Tracks | Whitewash
Nine months after Mark's death, an inquest is held. The family are hopeful it will give them answers, but the police won't budge from their theory that he put himself on the tracks. As the hearing unfolds, the family find out just how mediocre the initial investigation was. One person is in the family's corner though. The railway worker who found Mark on the tracks is adamant the police and the forensic pathologist have it wrong. He's remained silent for the last thirty years but finally comes forward to set the record straight. Blood on the Tracks is the first ever series we made for…
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S7 · E3 · 22 Oct 2025 · 28 min
03 Blood On The Tracks | The Boxer
On the surface, Tamworth in 1988 is a typical Aussie town with rodeos, farmers and an active Country Women's Association. But beneath the friendly veneer, there's a thriving criminal underbelly. Large marijuana crops grow on the outskirts of town and there are reports of bikie gangs with links to corrupt cops on the take. The police investigation into Mark's death has stalled, allowing gossip and innuendo to take hold. The family know Mark occasionally smoked marijuana, but now they're hearing whispers that he might've got on the wrong side of some serious criminals. The family decide to…
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S7 · E2 · 22 Oct 2025 · 30 min
02 Blood On The Tracks | Foul Play
When Mark Haines dies, news of the teenager's death spreads quickly through Tamworth and beyond. His family are on summer holidays in different parts of the state and rush home to be together in grief. While the family mourns and Mark's body is in the morgue, their town is in full party mode. The Tamworth Country Music Festival is on and Australia is celebrating 200 years of colonisation. For Mark's uncles, it feels like the death of a young Aboriginal boy is the last thing on anyone's mind. The police come up with a theory that Mark might've killed himself … but the family aren't buying it.…
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S7 · E1 · 22 Oct 2025 · 29 min
01 Blood On The Tracks | Blood On The Tracks
Just outside Australia's country music capital, a young man's body is found on the train tracks, surrounded by shattered Christmas presents and discarded wrapping paper. For decades, the mystery has haunted Tamworth. After Unravel's first season Blood on the Tracks brought national attention to the case and won a Walkley award, a new inquest was launched. Now, Muruwari and Gomeroi journalist Allan Clarke returns to where it all began for Unravel, revisiting Tamworth and uncovering what's happened since, as the long-awaited final chapter of the story unfolds, and major new revelations are…
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S7 · 22 Oct 2025 · 4 min
REINTRODUCING: Blood On The Tracks (reprise)
Back in 2018, our first season Blood on the Tracks investigated the suspicious death of 17-year-old Mark Haines, whose body was found on the railway line outside Tamworth in January 1988. Since Allan Clarke first reported this story, there's been a fresh inquest, with new witnesses and explosive allegations. Dive back into Blood on the Tracks. We're republishing the original series plus a brand new episode, where we delve into the latest from the new inquest.
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