Nellie's Baby

Kirsty Johnston follows Sarah as she hunts for her biological mother, who turns out to have been an institutionalised mental health patient in Porirua Hospital. And that's only the start of the story.

Episodes

Trailer: Nellie's Baby

March 1, 2024 • 2 mins

Mark as Played

E1: Email from a stranger

March 15, 2024 • 36 mins

Out of the blue, Kirsty receives an email from a stranger titled "Investigating the possible murder of my mother". The author is Sarah, a young woman who was born to Nellie Wilson in a psychiatric hospital in the mid-1980s in Wellington and secretly adopted out.

Mark as Played

E2: Women and Girls

March 15, 2024 • 38 mins

Kirsty and Sarah start investigating from opposite sides of the world. We learn what it was like to live at Porirua, and fight through red tape to get Sarah's adoption records, which reveal more about Nellie's background.

Mark as Played

E3: I found him!

March 15, 2024 • 35 mins

Sarah and Kirsty call in the big guns: DNA. A strong match comes up: a woman who shares 28% of Sarah's DNA. Is it Nellie's first child? Eventually, Fran, the genealogist, suggests the match could be an aunt, and Sarah works up the courage to send a message to this mystery relative.

Mark as Played

E4: A trip to the asylum

March 18, 2024 • 34 mins

The mystery relative turns out to be Sharon, her father's sister. She decides to fly to Australia to meet her newly-discovered niece. Sharon tells us how her family was extremely poor and her mother, Thelma had all her children taken from her. Gordon, Sarah's dad, was one of those kids.

Mark as Played

E5: My daughter, Sarah

March 19, 2024 • 38 mins

Sarah goes to meet Gordon. We learn that he can remember Nellie, and remembers being caught with her in the bushes. Gordon tells us about his time at the asylum, and Sarah takes him on an outing where they spend time together.

Mark as Played

E6: Annemarie

March 20, 2024 • 41 mins

Kirsty and Sarah go to see Mavis, Nellie's sister, who tells them that she thinks Nellie was raped, which led to her breakdown and incarcertation. Mavis tells Sarah about the day she was born, and how the family wanted to keep her but couldn't.

Mark as Played

E7: What happened to Nellie?

March 21, 2024 • 47 mins

Nellie's coronial file reveals more about her death - and her life. There are badly healed broken bones, a skin graft, evidence of a fall three days before she died in which she broke her nose. Was her death malicious? Or was it just neglect?

Mark as Played

E8: I'd like to find a sister

March 22, 2024 • 37 mins

Kirsty tries to find out if Nellie did have another baby, and where that baby might be, but gets stuck in a kafkaesque nightmare of bureaucracy. Sarah reflects on her journey to find Nellie. We talk to a disability expert about what Nellie's story really means, and if things are better now.

Mark as Played

Black Sheep Bonus Episode: The story of New Zealand's Mental Institutions

April 1, 2024 • 40 mins

The last of the so-called ‘lunatic asylums’ closed only 20 years ago. They were founded on ideas of paternalism and social progress and survived on the basis they offered safety. In this special crossover with the Black Sheep podcast, William Ray and Kirsty Johnston look into their origins.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

The Nikki Glaser Podcast

Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.

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.

Crime Junkie

If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

Start Here

A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.

Advertise With Us

Nellie's Baby

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Trailer: Nellie's Baby

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}E1: Email from a stranger

E2: Women and Girls

E3: I found him!

E4: A trip to the asylum

E5: My daughter, Sarah

E6: Annemarie

E7: What happened to Nellie?

E8: I'd like to find a sister

Black Sheep Bonus Episode: The story of New Zealand's Mental Institutions

Popular Podcasts

Trailer: Nellie's Baby

E1: Email from a stranger