August 12, 2025 • 27 mins
How you can help on the ground and from afar
JACK'S ARMY search in the Ficks Crossing area, Murgon QLD, organised for September 6th
I share what to look for if you are joining the search, from understanding the terrain to spotting subtle signs others might miss.
If you can't be there in person, you will also hear practical ways you can still contribute, from sharing key information to helping coordinate resources. Every set of eyes and every bit of awareness brings us closer to answers for Jack and his family.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:17):
Welcome to Exhuming the Truth, the podcast where we delve into
the mysterious worlds of cold cases, missing persons, true
crime, and the fascinating science that is forensics.
I'm forensic scientist and criminologist Asha Wolfer, and I
am so thrilled to have you with me on this journey as we dance
in the shadows of the world of crime, shining a light on
(00:37):
scientific discovery while becoming another voice for those
who need it most. So grab a drink and get
comfortable while we jump into this episode together.
This podcast is recommended for persons over the age of 18 and
contains explicit content not suitable for minors.
We will be covering sensitive content that ranges from sexual
assault, physical, mental, social and emotional abuse,
(01:02):
suicide, homicide, murder, attempted murder, and other
violent crimes including crimes involving weapons and drugs.
This often extends to drug misuse and other harmful and
illegal activity. If you find any content to be
distressing, I have listed a number of resources that may be
able to help you. In the podcast notes, I'd like
to also remind our listeners that all victims and all
(01:23):
perpetrators are someone's loved1.
So ask that in any discussions in our group or on our social
accounts that you remain respectful of that at all times.
And by listening today, you acknowledge that all persons of
interest remain innocent until proven otherwise.
Happy Tuesday everybody. I have exciting news and I think
(01:44):
I shared it in the last podcast,but I am so obsessed with my new
puppy. If I didn't already share, I
actually can't remember I got a puppy for my birthday.
Yes, we have a lot of dogs, a lot of pets actually in this
family. But yeah, she is so cute.
Her name is Shadow and I've actually just put her to bed.
(02:04):
She's learning how to sleep in her crate like a big girl and
she's only 9 weeks old. But she's so cute.
But I am trying to be as responsible as possible and keep
give her a little bit of independence rather.
And so I can have a bit of independence and continue
working because I tend to want to smother her all day long
(02:27):
because she's so cute. And what's my next exciting
news? I did have something else that's
right. How could I forget?
She'll be so offended. My best friend flies in from
Melbourne tomorrow. She's here for I think 5 days.
So I'm so excited. She basically has flown over
here like once a year for like the last three years I reckon.
(02:50):
So she's a very good friend, obviously my best friend, but
she's she is a great human and she's always travelling over
here to hang out. Last time she was super sick the
entire time she was here thanks to some nasty Chinese that we
had. So hopefully that doesn't happen
again. But that's basically all I have
to report to you guys. I've got a lot of updates on
(03:14):
some cases that we've covered. We of course have Aaron clears
coronial inquest coming up in September.
I'm going to do another episode for Aaron and his family in the
lead up to that. Maybe next week would be a good
time. There's some new bits and pieces
in the mushroom murder trial conviction of Erin Patterson
(03:36):
that I want to talk about, some evidence that even the jury
didn't hear. So I want to go over that.
There's some updates in the Tamika Chessa case, who
allegedly beheaded her partner Julian Story.
We've got a new case, actually, we've got several new cases out
of Melbourne of alleged murders.There was an alleged double
(03:57):
murder overnight in Mount Waverley where the woman there
was, there were two victims actually.
Double murder, obviously, duh. What am I talking about?
The female victim, she was five months pregnant and it was
believed to be her partner who was also murdered and his head
was actually decapitated and puton a stick.
(04:17):
So it's very gruesome murder. I think we're going to follow
that along anyway, but we will cover that.
And I'm putting together two series of two cases that are
local to me. And it's kind of a bit of a call
out to any friends or family or even people who like remember
(04:37):
hearing about these cases and are happy to have a chat or help
me shape these stories because Iwant to be.
I want them to be told with accuracy.
I want them to be told with empathy and it the the more the
merrier. And if you want to be part of
the creative process as well, you can text me, call me.
(04:58):
My work number is on everything basically, I think, but you can
find it on Facebook. That's probably the easiest spot
to find it. You can e-mail us at
assumingthetruth@gmail.com. You can DM me on anything if
you'd like to be involved. The first case is Gerard Ross
who went missing in Rockingham. He's remains were found, he was
(05:19):
found to be murdered, but there has been no prosecution there.
So we're going to do, like I said, a bit of a series on that
is also going to be in video format as well as podcast.
And obviously the video is goingto be a bit more of an extended
version and the podcast will be a bit more of a refined version.
And then a similar situation with Ivetta Mitchell who went
(05:42):
missing from Mears Ave. in Kwinana, which is actually about
5 minutes away from me. We're going to cover that as
well. I have been chatting with a
family member of hers, which is very nice of them.
I know that for a lot of families it it's just not what
they want to do. And a lot of families also just
don't want to rehash things. And I completely understand that
(06:06):
and empathize with that. And that's why I like to do a
bit of a call out first to make sure I'm reading the room and
doing everything the right way. So those are two that we're
going to do a series on. So if you want to be involved
and you have some kind of connection, please yell out.
But as of today, we're doing an episode.
(06:27):
We are going to do a follow up episode on Jack McLennan.
Not today though. Today we are doing a bit of a
search brief for an upcoming search that has been organised
for Jack McLennan who of course,as you know went missing in
October 2024 in the fixed crossing area around Morgan in
Queensland. So we have a beautiful,
(06:49):
wonderful lady by the name of Miranda who is organising this
fantastic search. It will be held on the 6th of
September I believe. I that could be subject to
change. You can keep updated however via
Jack's mum's Facebook page whichshe has since made public.
(07:10):
Her name is Kelly Moody. I'll make a post about it so
it's easy for you to access. So jumping into today's episode,
this is exactly what we're talking about.
I have put together a search brief and evidence protocol,
which basically is what had likewhat happens to the human body
after this amount of time. So again, we're we're going back
(07:31):
to October 2024. It is of course August 2025 and
quite some time has passed. There's been a lot of weather
changes. So October it you know, spring,
summer and then getting hot, thebody decomposes a lot more
rapidly. If this is again, obviously
assuming if there are remains tobe found and then coming into
(07:55):
the colder months, how things preserve and then obviously we
have vegetation, we have scavenging and things like that.
So I put together a bit of a brief to let you guys know if
you want to be involved in the search.
This is the sort of thing that you should be keeping an eye out
for. I want to highlight that you do
not have to be there for this search to be able to help.
(08:16):
Now there still is a Go Fund Me for Kelly Moody and the family.
And all of these funds are goinginto things like helping with
days like this and organising searches to helping Kelly have
time away from work to help support the family, to help
them, you know, pay for other services that they need
(08:38):
assistance with because, you know, obviously they're not
getting super far with QPS. So those funds are very helpful.
Even I like to say, because I, Ireally have always been one to
feel immense guilt when asking for monetary donations.
But I like to say if we could all have it, of course, if it's
(08:59):
within our means, if we can all donate the cost of a coffee,
then that's fantastic. I think that's really awesome.
If you do not have the means to do that and you have a social
media account, you can share hisname, you can share the search
details. All of these things add up and
they're really important and younever know whose eyes and ears
(09:21):
you know you're talking and yourposts are going to reach.
And it could very well reach theright person and fall into the
right hands. So there's many ways that you
can help. So now going over again, the
September the 6th is the day that they are planning for.
Now. This is the day before Jacks
birthday and they have organizedthis search to be called Jacks
(09:44):
Army, which is just lovely. I've put together a brief, like
I said, which is what to look for after this length of time.
Some science and likely environmental and vegetation
signs, some bones and bone fragments and what they look
like after this amount of time. And you know, the potential
damage to them if from the environment and from surrounding
(10:05):
animals and things like that. What to do if any searches find
anything, reporting steps, if anyone comes across human
remains, what could be human bones and things like that.
So going back, the last time Jack was seen just to refresh
your memory was October the 4th in the evening, 2024 in the area
(10:27):
of fixed crossing. I will pop some immediate
contacts. If you are doing the search that
you can save to your devices like Police Link, which is
131444 that will connect you to QPS and then Crime Stoppers
IS1800333000. And you can always call Crime
Stoppers anonymously, which is fantastic.
(10:48):
I want to start first and foremost in safety and it's
always great to work in teams and have a team leader and then
just have that like that person who is the leader essentially
have the contact of other group leaders because your safety is
paramount and you need to be able to contact each other
(11:09):
should you know difficulty arise.
So that will help you with checkinsurance and things like that.
It's important to have a plannedroute, a planned time and and a
planned time to meet back at thebase with everybody else.
If you can maybe grab one of those like tissue box like boxes
you can get from Woolworths and Coles and they will have the
(11:30):
plastic disposable gloves. They're fantastic.
I recommend wearing those. Eye protection, even just
Sonny's, that's fantastic. It's important to know if you do
find anything that you think is potential evidence, just don't
touch it. The the best thing that you can
do is stop mark the spot clearly.
So you can mark a spot clearly by carrying ribbon or tape along
(11:52):
with you, coloured tape like electrical tape.
It's fantastic because you can wrap around a tree branch or
something like that to mark a spot of interest.
You can take a photo from a distance and not super close,
but close enough to see what it is.
You can note your bearings. You can do that via GPS or just
open up maps on your phone and just drop a pin.
(12:14):
You can note the time and you can call and wait for
assistance. Police is obviously best and do
not allow others to walk over oralter that area.
That's very, very important. So when we get into what to look
for, these are very broad categories and I'll tell you why
they matter. And we could go into great,
(12:35):
great, great detail, but I thinkfor today we're just going to be
quite broad so you don't get tooconfused.
OK, So number one thing is obviously aside from human
remains, because again, you you have to factor in there are so
many biological changes in the human body and the environment
and the weather and everything like that plays such a huge part
(12:58):
in the decomposition process. And it's always really important
to remember too, that we are human beings and our bodies are
designed to feed the Earth. So once our time is over, we are
basically given back to the Earth.
You know, in the decomposition process, everything breaks down
(13:18):
accordingly so that we can sort of leave no trace.
And and that is just evolution. It's just human life that that's
how the human body, what would you say not decomposes, but like
disintegrates in a way. So it's important to know that
like we are in one way or another designed to go back into
(13:41):
the earth. So being able to tell, you know,
in such a great bushland area after quite some time will be
difficult. So if we are taking away the
human remains, the most important thing and the most
durable thing, so it'll be the easiest evidence to find out of
all evidence would be personal items.
(14:02):
And this extends to clothing. So we know that Jack's hat was
found, his shoes were found, andhis wallet was found.
What we also know is Jack was not found and Jack was wearing
clothes. Jack's mobile phone was not
found. Was Jack wearing any jewellery,
things like this? So we can look into socks,
clothing, watches, phone, phone cases, jewellery, any torn
(14:26):
fabrics. Fabric is quite durable.
So items may be separated from the person.
Yes, but it can be separated in a number of ways and that can be
via the water, via animals. And this is often, you know, if
we factor in the weather, again,rain moves things.
So the waters moving things, winds move things, animals move
(14:48):
things. So a lot of the time belongings
such as clothing items and things like personal items will
be left hooked in like a Creek bank, a riverbed, in reeds,
underbrush and along fences. So those are really important
areas to keep in mind. We also need to look for
disturbed ground and soil clues.And you might be thinking, well,
(15:11):
you know, if he was, you know, in this spot and it was this
long ago, how on earth are we going to be able to tell?
Well, I'll tell you. You can tell in a number of ways
with the soil. Sometimes it might have, you
know, obviously the sooner afterit would be softer soil, but
after quite some time the soil actually goes darker if it has
(15:33):
been disturbed and it will be darker in patches.
So there could be depressions because there has not been as
much dirt or soil put back into where it has been removed and
it's created a little bit of a sink in the dirt or the ground.
So also that would include areaswith spoils which are like loose
earth and that would indicate previous or shallow burial.
(15:58):
And then on the contrast to that, instead of looking for
like a concave or a bit of a sink, you can look for soil
mounds. So this seems a bit out there
but that would show different soil colours or textures.
And again, this is the opposite,where someone may not have put
enough soil and it would create a sink overtime, especially
(16:20):
after holding some water from the rain, they may have put too
much and it has now created quite a fair amount in that
area. So it's very simple, but it's
very important. Another important thing is the
soil odor decomposition actuallyproduces like incredible odors.
(16:40):
They're very detectable. Obviously, the fresher the
remains, the more detectable theodor.
However, over time, that strong pungent smell will turn into a
bit of a sweet smell, and that'ssomething really important to
note. And also, again, of course,
obviously don't attempt to excavate.
(17:01):
If you do think something is there, again, mark it.
You can use the tape as I suggested, or ribbon.
So some vegetation and plant indicators.
We like to call this the cadaverdecomposition island effect.
So around a body that has been decomposing outdoors, nitrogen
(17:21):
is released from the body and that can cause localized changes
in plant growth. And this is also to do with
different species and their composition.
So think in, you know, the most,oh, how do we put it the most
humane or kind way possible? Think fertilizer, ultimate
(17:42):
fertilizer. And that is essentially the
human body. We have the power to make plants
greener. We make plants lush.
You will see extreme growth patches in a dry area.
So you might have loose sand because that's a dry area.
And then all of a sudden have this like really nice green
plant amongst, you know, some unhealthy dehydrated plants and
(18:06):
sand. That is a telltale sign.
If you are noticing different herbs or different weed species
that stand out in an area, just spotlight, you are basically
looking for the odd one out. You know, there could be a sea
of, you know, gross dying weeds and then this beautiful green
(18:27):
plant growing that was that would be where you would pop
your tape or your ribbon. You could also see the opposite
these, you know, beautiful, discoloured.
Well that's not beautiful, is it?
Beautifully green Bush that is maybe a couple of metres in
length. That's another indicator we
could mark out. So also sudden clusters of
(18:52):
insects as well, even after all this time.
Yes, the insects will cluster, particularly winged insects.
So if there's any areas of increased bug activity, we would
mark those as well. So fixed crossing, there's
there's a lot of water. So we want to search water
lines, We want to search Creek banks.
(19:13):
Clothing and personal items often collect in shallows, like
I said, So behind logs in Reed beds, tangled in roots or
snagged on branches. You you will need again to be
able to do a in depth search. Checking banks under overhanging
vegetation is important but obviously dangerous, so I would
(19:35):
prefer not to recommend that. But if we are looking near the
water it is best to like refer to local fishermen for tips on
these areas. Where are you fishing?
Because they will know sort of where the rocks are and the good
places for items to snag. And then when we get into animal
and scavenger disturbance, so scavengers can move small bones
(19:57):
and clothing. So if you're looking for signs
of that, you would be looking for trails of feather and fur.
And yes, even after all this time, because they do not care
how long the bones have been there for, they will still
scatter small bones and so will birds.
So if there are areas with unusual bird activity, that's
(20:18):
another area you can flag. Surface bones may be partially
gnawed or disarticulated or scattered.
So just keep that in mind. But in terms of how they appear
in the field, human, human bonesand human remains in the fresh
to early decomposition, so I'm talking weeks to months after,
well in the decomposition process, there would still be
(20:41):
soft tissue present a strong odour, you know, extreme
bloating. And that bloating would
obviously sort of go away after a couple of months unless the
body is preserved for whatever reason.
But we are past that stage. So that's not something at the
forefront of our minds. We would move into the months
(21:06):
down the track, which would be advanced decomp.
And this would mean that a lot of the soft tissues gone there
would be a lot of a waxy. How can I put it in the most
layman term, like a waxy, like cream cheese, OK.
Particularly if there are remains that are near a sink
(21:26):
where rainwater is falling and the water is likely to pull or
near a riverbed or something like that.
But at this point in time, we are looking in the 3rd and final
phase, which is skeletonized. So this is talking months plus.
So a lot of the time, unless there has been a specific
burial, bones are exposed at this point in time.
(21:49):
OK, so the bones, again, you're not going to be walking along
and go, oh, look, that's an arm.You know, I see that I can
identify that it's a white bone.No, a lot of the time if there
are human remains in the form ofa bone, they're going to be
brown. And this is a lot to do with sun
bleaching and soil bleaching. And as I said earlier, these
(22:13):
bones are going to be disarticulated.
They could be fractured or nod. It is just the natural process
of animals and scavengers in thearea.
So bones like ribs and phalanges, which are your
fingers, they can be scattered. But the one thing I want to
point out is that something that's very durable and, and
will come up in the skeletonization phase, a teeth,
(22:35):
they're very durable and they'reoften the, you know, first thing
and longest thing to survive these types of conditions.
So I know how small teeth are inthe scheme of things, but that
is a big one. What else have I got for you
guys? I just want to say there are a
(22:58):
couple of creaks and water courses in that area, so I think
maybe next time I could go into some alternative search areas
that might be useful. I don't want to overload
everybody. And I do want to thank Miranda
for putting this together and putting so much time and effort
(23:20):
into helping Kelly and coordinating Jack's army.
I would love nothing more than to be there, but I hope that
everybody who goes and helps outin the search knows how
appreciated they are and this isthe way forward for us, you
guys. Sadly, we can't always rely on
(23:44):
authorities and higher sources. A lot of the time we do have to
lean on each other as a community.
It's really important and it is the thing that keeps people
going a lot of the time. So this is what my business is
all about. Yes, it's about forensics and
cream and, you know, going over autopsies or trying to plot out
(24:08):
a cold case. But the other half of the time I
like to run my business with empathy, and the world needs
more of that, I think. And again, like I said, you can
help in so many ways just from your bed.
If you can be in bed and you canshare, you know, an article
(24:29):
about Jack, you can jump on to Kelly Moody's Facebook page and
have a read of one of her posts and share it.
You can call up a friend and have a chat about Jack McLennan.
Like this is not OK, that Jack is still missing and nothing is
being done. This is a really lovely young
man that comes from a really lovely family and we just need
(24:51):
to do what we can to help them. And like I said earlier, you
just never know when the information that we share or the
conversations that we have fall in the right hands and that
could mean the difference for this family.
And wouldn't you love to be a part of that?
So like I said, if you're able and in the area and you're
(25:12):
physically able to help on this search day, the 6th of September
as it stands, as I said, could be subject to change, but if you
are able, please do. If you are not physically able,
you are more than welcome to head down and help out at the
base of the search. You don't have to physically
(25:32):
search. If there's any other way that
you feel you could volunteer some assistance, please suggest
so. And again, thank you for being
here. Thank you for listening and
sharing Jack's story. I get so many messages,
particularly about Jack McLennanand people wanting updates.
(25:54):
So we'll certainly do a bit of aPart 2 with a bit of our chat
with Kelly. And we're going to continue to
keep his name out there and help, but a lot of people
willing to help. So we all appreciate you very,
very much and thank you for joining us today.
(26:17):
I hope you have enjoyed it here.If you have, you can subscribe
to stay up to date on new episodes, or you can find us on
Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, andYouTube.
You can help us out by subscribing to our paid episodes
on Spotify only or making a donation to allow us to help
more families. You can also join in on the case
(26:40):
discussions and make a case request there.
I'm so sorry it has been a long day, but I do hope that you can
find the link to our Facebook group in our podcast notes to
make a case request, and you canalso take a look at our current
cases on our website. But as always, stay curious,
(27:01):
stay informed, and until next time, trust your instincts and
keep seeking the truth.
Welcome to Exhuming the Truth, the podcast where we delve into
the mysterious worlds of cold cases, missing persons, true
crime, and the fascinating science that is forensics.
I'm forensic scientist and criminologist Asha Wolfer, and I
am so thrilled to have you with me on this journey as we dance
in the shadows of the world of crime, shining a light on
(00:37):
scientific discovery while becoming another voice for those
who need it most. So grab a drink and get
comfortable while we jump into this episode together.
This podcast is recommended for persons over the age of 18 and
contains explicit content not suitable for minors.
We will be covering sensitive content that ranges from sexual
assault, physical, mental, social and emotional abuse,
(01:02):
suicide, homicide, murder, attempted murder, and other
violent crimes including crimes involving weapons and drugs.
This often extends to drug misuse and other harmful and
illegal activity. If you find any content to be
distressing, I have listed a number of resources that may be
able to help you. In the podcast notes, I'd like
to also remind our listeners that all victims and all
(01:23):
perpetrators are someone's loved1.
So ask that in any discussions in our group or on our social
accounts that you remain respectful of that at all times.
And by listening today, you acknowledge that all persons of
interest remain innocent until proven otherwise.
Happy Tuesday everybody. I have exciting news and I think
(01:44):
I shared it in the last podcast,but I am so obsessed with my new
puppy. If I didn't already share, I
actually can't remember I got a puppy for my birthday.
Yes, we have a lot of dogs, a lot of pets actually in this
family. But yeah, she is so cute.
Her name is Shadow and I've actually just put her to bed.
(02:04):
She's learning how to sleep in her crate like a big girl and
she's only 9 weeks old. But she's so cute.
But I am trying to be as responsible as possible and keep
give her a little bit of independence rather.
And so I can have a bit of independence and continue
working because I tend to want to smother her all day long
(02:27):
because she's so cute. And what's my next exciting
news? I did have something else that's
right. How could I forget?
She'll be so offended. My best friend flies in from
Melbourne tomorrow. She's here for I think 5 days.
So I'm so excited. She basically has flown over
here like once a year for like the last three years I reckon.
(02:50):
So she's a very good friend, obviously my best friend, but
she's she is a great human and she's always travelling over
here to hang out. Last time she was super sick the
entire time she was here thanks to some nasty Chinese that we
had. So hopefully that doesn't happen
again. But that's basically all I have
to report to you guys. I've got a lot of updates on
(03:14):
some cases that we've covered. We of course have Aaron clears
coronial inquest coming up in September.
I'm going to do another episode for Aaron and his family in the
lead up to that. Maybe next week would be a good
time. There's some new bits and pieces
in the mushroom murder trial conviction of Erin Patterson
(03:36):
that I want to talk about, some evidence that even the jury
didn't hear. So I want to go over that.
There's some updates in the Tamika Chessa case, who
allegedly beheaded her partner Julian Story.
We've got a new case, actually, we've got several new cases out
of Melbourne of alleged murders.There was an alleged double
(03:57):
murder overnight in Mount Waverley where the woman there
was, there were two victims actually.
Double murder, obviously, duh. What am I talking about?
The female victim, she was five months pregnant and it was
believed to be her partner who was also murdered and his head
was actually decapitated and puton a stick.
(04:17):
So it's very gruesome murder. I think we're going to follow
that along anyway, but we will cover that.
And I'm putting together two series of two cases that are
local to me. And it's kind of a bit of a call
out to any friends or family or even people who like remember
(04:37):
hearing about these cases and are happy to have a chat or help
me shape these stories because Iwant to be.
I want them to be told with accuracy.
I want them to be told with empathy and it the the more the
merrier. And if you want to be part of
the creative process as well, you can text me, call me.
(04:58):
My work number is on everything basically, I think, but you can
find it on Facebook. That's probably the easiest spot
to find it. You can e-mail us at
assumingthetruth@gmail.com. You can DM me on anything if
you'd like to be involved. The first case is Gerard Ross
who went missing in Rockingham. He's remains were found, he was
(05:19):
found to be murdered, but there has been no prosecution there.
So we're going to do, like I said, a bit of a series on that
is also going to be in video format as well as podcast.
And obviously the video is goingto be a bit more of an extended
version and the podcast will be a bit more of a refined version.
And then a similar situation with Ivetta Mitchell who went
(05:42):
missing from Mears Ave. in Kwinana, which is actually about
5 minutes away from me. We're going to cover that as
well. I have been chatting with a
family member of hers, which is very nice of them.
I know that for a lot of families it it's just not what
they want to do. And a lot of families also just
don't want to rehash things. And I completely understand that
(06:06):
and empathize with that. And that's why I like to do a
bit of a call out first to make sure I'm reading the room and
doing everything the right way. So those are two that we're
going to do a series on. So if you want to be involved
and you have some kind of connection, please yell out.
But as of today, we're doing an episode.
(06:27):
We are going to do a follow up episode on Jack McLennan.
Not today though. Today we are doing a bit of a
search brief for an upcoming search that has been organised
for Jack McLennan who of course,as you know went missing in
October 2024 in the fixed crossing area around Morgan in
Queensland. So we have a beautiful,
(06:49):
wonderful lady by the name of Miranda who is organising this
fantastic search. It will be held on the 6th of
September I believe. I that could be subject to
change. You can keep updated however via
Jack's mum's Facebook page whichshe has since made public.
(07:10):
Her name is Kelly Moody. I'll make a post about it so
it's easy for you to access. So jumping into today's episode,
this is exactly what we're talking about.
I have put together a search brief and evidence protocol,
which basically is what had likewhat happens to the human body
after this amount of time. So again, we're we're going back
(07:31):
to October 2024. It is of course August 2025 and
quite some time has passed. There's been a lot of weather
changes. So October it you know, spring,
summer and then getting hot, thebody decomposes a lot more
rapidly. If this is again, obviously
assuming if there are remains tobe found and then coming into
(07:55):
the colder months, how things preserve and then obviously we
have vegetation, we have scavenging and things like that.
So I put together a bit of a brief to let you guys know if
you want to be involved in the search.
This is the sort of thing that you should be keeping an eye out
for. I want to highlight that you do
not have to be there for this search to be able to help.
(08:16):
Now there still is a Go Fund Me for Kelly Moody and the family.
And all of these funds are goinginto things like helping with
days like this and organising searches to helping Kelly have
time away from work to help support the family, to help
them, you know, pay for other services that they need
(08:38):
assistance with because, you know, obviously they're not
getting super far with QPS. So those funds are very helpful.
Even I like to say, because I, Ireally have always been one to
feel immense guilt when asking for monetary donations.
But I like to say if we could all have it, of course, if it's
(08:59):
within our means, if we can all donate the cost of a coffee,
then that's fantastic. I think that's really awesome.
If you do not have the means to do that and you have a social
media account, you can share hisname, you can share the search
details. All of these things add up and
they're really important and younever know whose eyes and ears
(09:21):
you know you're talking and yourposts are going to reach.
And it could very well reach theright person and fall into the
right hands. So there's many ways that you
can help. So now going over again, the
September the 6th is the day that they are planning for.
Now. This is the day before Jacks
birthday and they have organizedthis search to be called Jacks
(09:44):
Army, which is just lovely. I've put together a brief, like
I said, which is what to look for after this length of time.
Some science and likely environmental and vegetation
signs, some bones and bone fragments and what they look
like after this amount of time. And you know, the potential
damage to them if from the environment and from surrounding
(10:05):
animals and things like that. What to do if any searches find
anything, reporting steps, if anyone comes across human
remains, what could be human bones and things like that.
So going back, the last time Jack was seen just to refresh
your memory was October the 4th in the evening, 2024 in the area
(10:27):
of fixed crossing. I will pop some immediate
contacts. If you are doing the search that
you can save to your devices like Police Link, which is
131444 that will connect you to QPS and then Crime Stoppers
IS1800333000. And you can always call Crime
Stoppers anonymously, which is fantastic.
(10:48):
I want to start first and foremost in safety and it's
always great to work in teams and have a team leader and then
just have that like that person who is the leader essentially
have the contact of other group leaders because your safety is
paramount and you need to be able to contact each other
(11:09):
should you know difficulty arise.
So that will help you with checkinsurance and things like that.
It's important to have a plannedroute, a planned time and and a
planned time to meet back at thebase with everybody else.
If you can maybe grab one of those like tissue box like boxes
you can get from Woolworths and Coles and they will have the
(11:30):
plastic disposable gloves. They're fantastic.
I recommend wearing those. Eye protection, even just
Sonny's, that's fantastic. It's important to know if you do
find anything that you think is potential evidence, just don't
touch it. The the best thing that you can
do is stop mark the spot clearly.
So you can mark a spot clearly by carrying ribbon or tape along
(11:52):
with you, coloured tape like electrical tape.
It's fantastic because you can wrap around a tree branch or
something like that to mark a spot of interest.
You can take a photo from a distance and not super close,
but close enough to see what it is.
You can note your bearings. You can do that via GPS or just
open up maps on your phone and just drop a pin.
(12:14):
You can note the time and you can call and wait for
assistance. Police is obviously best and do
not allow others to walk over oralter that area.
That's very, very important. So when we get into what to look
for, these are very broad categories and I'll tell you why
they matter. And we could go into great,
(12:35):
great, great detail, but I thinkfor today we're just going to be
quite broad so you don't get tooconfused.
OK, So number one thing is obviously aside from human
remains, because again, you you have to factor in there are so
many biological changes in the human body and the environment
and the weather and everything like that plays such a huge part
(12:58):
in the decomposition process. And it's always really important
to remember too, that we are human beings and our bodies are
designed to feed the Earth. So once our time is over, we are
basically given back to the Earth.
You know, in the decomposition process, everything breaks down
(13:18):
accordingly so that we can sort of leave no trace.
And and that is just evolution. It's just human life that that's
how the human body, what would you say not decomposes, but like
disintegrates in a way. So it's important to know that
like we are in one way or another designed to go back into
(13:41):
the earth. So being able to tell, you know,
in such a great bushland area after quite some time will be
difficult. So if we are taking away the
human remains, the most important thing and the most
durable thing, so it'll be the easiest evidence to find out of
all evidence would be personal items.
(14:02):
And this extends to clothing. So we know that Jack's hat was
found, his shoes were found, andhis wallet was found.
What we also know is Jack was not found and Jack was wearing
clothes. Jack's mobile phone was not
found. Was Jack wearing any jewellery,
things like this? So we can look into socks,
clothing, watches, phone, phone cases, jewellery, any torn
(14:26):
fabrics. Fabric is quite durable.
So items may be separated from the person.
Yes, but it can be separated in a number of ways and that can be
via the water, via animals. And this is often, you know, if
we factor in the weather, again,rain moves things.
So the waters moving things, winds move things, animals move
(14:48):
things. So a lot of the time belongings
such as clothing items and things like personal items will
be left hooked in like a Creek bank, a riverbed, in reeds,
underbrush and along fences. So those are really important
areas to keep in mind. We also need to look for
disturbed ground and soil clues.And you might be thinking, well,
(15:11):
you know, if he was, you know, in this spot and it was this
long ago, how on earth are we going to be able to tell?
Well, I'll tell you. You can tell in a number of ways
with the soil. Sometimes it might have, you
know, obviously the sooner afterit would be softer soil, but
after quite some time the soil actually goes darker if it has
(15:33):
been disturbed and it will be darker in patches.
So there could be depressions because there has not been as
much dirt or soil put back into where it has been removed and
it's created a little bit of a sink in the dirt or the ground.
So also that would include areaswith spoils which are like loose
earth and that would indicate previous or shallow burial.
(15:58):
And then on the contrast to that, instead of looking for
like a concave or a bit of a sink, you can look for soil
mounds. So this seems a bit out there
but that would show different soil colours or textures.
And again, this is the opposite,where someone may not have put
enough soil and it would create a sink overtime, especially
(16:20):
after holding some water from the rain, they may have put too
much and it has now created quite a fair amount in that
area. So it's very simple, but it's
very important. Another important thing is the
soil odor decomposition actuallyproduces like incredible odors.
(16:40):
They're very detectable. Obviously, the fresher the
remains, the more detectable theodor.
However, over time, that strong pungent smell will turn into a
bit of a sweet smell, and that'ssomething really important to
note. And also, again, of course,
obviously don't attempt to excavate.
(17:01):
If you do think something is there, again, mark it.
You can use the tape as I suggested, or ribbon.
So some vegetation and plant indicators.
We like to call this the cadaverdecomposition island effect.
So around a body that has been decomposing outdoors, nitrogen
(17:21):
is released from the body and that can cause localized changes
in plant growth. And this is also to do with
different species and their composition.
So think in, you know, the most,oh, how do we put it the most
humane or kind way possible? Think fertilizer, ultimate
(17:42):
fertilizer. And that is essentially the
human body. We have the power to make plants
greener. We make plants lush.
You will see extreme growth patches in a dry area.
So you might have loose sand because that's a dry area.
And then all of a sudden have this like really nice green
plant amongst, you know, some unhealthy dehydrated plants and
(18:06):
sand. That is a telltale sign.
If you are noticing different herbs or different weed species
that stand out in an area, just spotlight, you are basically
looking for the odd one out. You know, there could be a sea
of, you know, gross dying weeds and then this beautiful green
(18:27):
plant growing that was that would be where you would pop
your tape or your ribbon. You could also see the opposite
these, you know, beautiful, discoloured.
Well that's not beautiful, is it?
Beautifully green Bush that is maybe a couple of metres in
length. That's another indicator we
could mark out. So also sudden clusters of
(18:52):
insects as well, even after all this time.
Yes, the insects will cluster, particularly winged insects.
So if there's any areas of increased bug activity, we would
mark those as well. So fixed crossing, there's
there's a lot of water. So we want to search water
lines, We want to search Creek banks.
(19:13):
Clothing and personal items often collect in shallows, like
I said, So behind logs in Reed beds, tangled in roots or
snagged on branches. You you will need again to be
able to do a in depth search. Checking banks under overhanging
vegetation is important but obviously dangerous, so I would
(19:35):
prefer not to recommend that. But if we are looking near the
water it is best to like refer to local fishermen for tips on
these areas. Where are you fishing?
Because they will know sort of where the rocks are and the good
places for items to snag. And then when we get into animal
and scavenger disturbance, so scavengers can move small bones
(19:57):
and clothing. So if you're looking for signs
of that, you would be looking for trails of feather and fur.
And yes, even after all this time, because they do not care
how long the bones have been there for, they will still
scatter small bones and so will birds.
So if there are areas with unusual bird activity, that's
(20:18):
another area you can flag. Surface bones may be partially
gnawed or disarticulated or scattered.
So just keep that in mind. But in terms of how they appear
in the field, human, human bonesand human remains in the fresh
to early decomposition, so I'm talking weeks to months after,
well in the decomposition process, there would still be
(20:41):
soft tissue present a strong odour, you know, extreme
bloating. And that bloating would
obviously sort of go away after a couple of months unless the
body is preserved for whatever reason.
But we are past that stage. So that's not something at the
forefront of our minds. We would move into the months
(21:06):
down the track, which would be advanced decomp.
And this would mean that a lot of the soft tissues gone there
would be a lot of a waxy. How can I put it in the most
layman term, like a waxy, like cream cheese, OK.
Particularly if there are remains that are near a sink
(21:26):
where rainwater is falling and the water is likely to pull or
near a riverbed or something like that.
But at this point in time, we are looking in the 3rd and final
phase, which is skeletonized. So this is talking months plus.
So a lot of the time, unless there has been a specific
burial, bones are exposed at this point in time.
(21:49):
OK, so the bones, again, you're not going to be walking along
and go, oh, look, that's an arm.You know, I see that I can
identify that it's a white bone.No, a lot of the time if there
are human remains in the form ofa bone, they're going to be
brown. And this is a lot to do with sun
bleaching and soil bleaching. And as I said earlier, these
(22:13):
bones are going to be disarticulated.
They could be fractured or nod. It is just the natural process
of animals and scavengers in thearea.
So bones like ribs and phalanges, which are your
fingers, they can be scattered. But the one thing I want to
point out is that something that's very durable and, and
will come up in the skeletonization phase, a teeth,
(22:35):
they're very durable and they'reoften the, you know, first thing
and longest thing to survive these types of conditions.
So I know how small teeth are inthe scheme of things, but that
is a big one. What else have I got for you
guys? I just want to say there are a
(22:58):
couple of creaks and water courses in that area, so I think
maybe next time I could go into some alternative search areas
that might be useful. I don't want to overload
everybody. And I do want to thank Miranda
for putting this together and putting so much time and effort
(23:20):
into helping Kelly and coordinating Jack's army.
I would love nothing more than to be there, but I hope that
everybody who goes and helps outin the search knows how
appreciated they are and this isthe way forward for us, you
guys. Sadly, we can't always rely on
(23:44):
authorities and higher sources. A lot of the time we do have to
lean on each other as a community.
It's really important and it is the thing that keeps people
going a lot of the time. So this is what my business is
all about. Yes, it's about forensics and
cream and, you know, going over autopsies or trying to plot out
(24:08):
a cold case. But the other half of the time I
like to run my business with empathy, and the world needs
more of that, I think. And again, like I said, you can
help in so many ways just from your bed.
If you can be in bed and you canshare, you know, an article
(24:29):
about Jack, you can jump on to Kelly Moody's Facebook page and
have a read of one of her posts and share it.
You can call up a friend and have a chat about Jack McLennan.
Like this is not OK, that Jack is still missing and nothing is
being done. This is a really lovely young
man that comes from a really lovely family and we just need
(24:51):
to do what we can to help them. And like I said earlier, you
just never know when the information that we share or the
conversations that we have fall in the right hands and that
could mean the difference for this family.
And wouldn't you love to be a part of that?
So like I said, if you're able and in the area and you're
(25:12):
physically able to help on this search day, the 6th of September
as it stands, as I said, could be subject to change, but if you
are able, please do. If you are not physically able,
you are more than welcome to head down and help out at the
base of the search. You don't have to physically
(25:32):
search. If there's any other way that
you feel you could volunteer some assistance, please suggest
so. And again, thank you for being
here. Thank you for listening and
sharing Jack's story. I get so many messages,
particularly about Jack McLennanand people wanting updates.
(25:54):
So we'll certainly do a bit of aPart 2 with a bit of our chat
with Kelly. And we're going to continue to
keep his name out there and help, but a lot of people
willing to help. So we all appreciate you very,
very much and thank you for joining us today.
(26:17):
I hope you have enjoyed it here.If you have, you can subscribe
to stay up to date on new episodes, or you can find us on
Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, andYouTube.
You can help us out by subscribing to our paid episodes
on Spotify only or making a donation to allow us to help
more families. You can also join in on the case
(26:40):
discussions and make a case request there.
I'm so sorry it has been a long day, but I do hope that you can
find the link to our Facebook group in our podcast notes to
make a case request, and you canalso take a look at our current
cases on our website. But as always, stay curious,
(27:01):
stay informed, and until next time, trust your instincts and
keep seeking the truth.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.