Matty - Episode 1

With Casefile on a short break, we thought this would be a great time to shine a light on some of the shows that may have flown under the radar for many of you. These are shows we've put our hearts into and are really proud of. Today, we’re sharing another one of those shows - Matty. Matty was originally released in 2022 as a Spotify exclusive, meaning you could only listen to it on that specific platform. But now, for the first time, the entire Matty series is available everywhere, wherever you get your podcasts. Matty was the second podcast series we made in collaboration with Loren O’Keeffe from The Missed Foundation. Matty tells the story of Matthew Leveson, a 20-year-old who went missing in Sydney in 2007. His disappearance led to a decade-long fight by his parents, Mark and Faye Leveson, to bring their son home. The Levesons search uncovered many twists, countless hurdles, and years of stonewalling, along with moments of both good and bad investigative work. It’s a story filled with heartbreak, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of the truth. It’s a Casefile Presents production—created by the same team behind Casefile, with the same high standards you expect from us. I hope you enjoy the series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  From journalist Olivia LaVoix, the creator of the hidden investigative series The Bakersfield Three, comes the new Case File Presents series Ada. In 2011, the body of a woman was discovered in a California vineyard. For more than a decade, she was known only as Jane Doe. Then detectives finally discovered her name. But identifying her was only the beginning. Listen to Ada wherever you get your podcasts.

• 0:35Speaker 01

  At Lowe's, this Veterans Day and every day, military members, veterans, and their spouses get automatic MyLowe's Rewards Silver Status Benefits. Plus, 10% off eligible purchases with no annual limit. It's one way we honour and give back to those who have served and still do. Learn more and verify now at Lowe's.com/military. 10% discount can't be combined with another offer. Exclusions, terms, and conditions apply. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Details at Lowe's.com/terms. Subject to change.

• 1:04Speaker 02

  At Humana, our Medicare Advantage plans are easy to understand and easy on your wallet. Like offering more benefits than you'd get from original Medicare alone, and including dental, vision, and hearing coverage in every plan. And the best part is, every plan has a $0 or low monthly plan premium, which makes it easier to save, too. So this Medicare planning season, plan well with Humana. Learn more at GetHumana.com. Humana is a Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO organisation with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.

• 1:38Speaker 00

  Hi, it's Casey here. As you know, Case File will be back in 2026 for our 10th year with all new episodes. Earlier this year, you might have noticed that we released the first episodes of some of the Case File Presents shows we've produced in the Case File feed. The decision to do so came after I learnt something surprising while talking with people at our live events. Many Case File listeners had no idea that we produce other shows outside of Case File, and some had never even heard of Case File Presents. It dawned on me that if someone is a big enough supporter of our show to come to a live event but hasn't heard of our production company, then clearly we need to do a better

• 2:23Speaker 00

  job of highlighting the other stories we've put so much care and work into. For those who don't know, Casefile Presents is our broader production platform. While Casefile is our flagship show, we've also created a number of other podcasts under the Casefile Presents banner. Our level of involvement differs from project to project, but we've played a direct role in all of them. Today, we're sharing another one of those shows: Matty. Matty was originally released in 2022 as a Spotify exclusive, meaning you could only listen to it on that specific platform. But now, for the first time, the entire Matty series is available everywhere, wherever

• 3:08Speaker 00

  you get your podcasts. Matty was the second podcast series we made in collaboration with Lauren O'Keeffe from the MIST Foundation, previously known as the Missing Persons Advocacy Network, or MPAN. Lauren works tirelessly to support families of missing loved ones, and this series is a powerful example of what drives her work. Matty tells the story of Matthew Leveson, a 20-year-old who went missing in Sydney in 2007. His disappearance led to a decade-long fight by his parents, Mark and Fay Levison, to bring their son home.

• 3:48Speaker 00

  The Levison search uncovered many twists, countless hurdles, and years of stonewalling, along with moments of both good and bad investigative work. It's a story filled with heartbreak, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of the truth.

• 4:06Speaker 00

  In Matty, Lauren O'Keefe documents the Levisons' determination in the face of unimaginable loss, showing the strength of a family's love and their refusal to give up, no matter how long it takes. We're releasing the first episode here on the Casefile feed. You can find the full series by searching for Matty, that's M-A-T-T-Y, wherever you get your podcasts. Now, here's episode one.

• 4:36Speaker 03

  This podcast contains explicit language, sexual themes, and drug use.

• 4:44Speaker 03

  Have you ever had that terrifying experience at a crowded place where for just a few moments you've lost sight of your child? Your heart starts racing, adrenaline floods your body, and you are instantly and utterly desperate and vulnerable. Worried, sick.

• 5:06Speaker 03

  I want you to imagine if those few moments extended into an hour,

• 5:13Speaker 03

  a week, a year,

• 5:18Speaker 03

  or a lifetime.

• 5:21Speaker 03

  As you hear these words, hundreds of people will disappear: mothers, brothers, daughters, husbands.

• 5:33Speaker 03

  No one's ever prepared to have a loved one go missing. It's a scenario usually confined to fictional storylines, but it happens to all sorts of people all around the world for all kinds of reasons. It's a frantic situation, and time is of the essence. Media opportunities are coveted, but those precious seconds of screen time or words on a page are usually limited to a few vital statistics. Your loved one is so much more than their height, date of birth, or what they were wearing when they were last seen.

• 6:13Speaker 03

  My name is Lauren O'Keefe. When my brother Dan disappeared in 2011, he was 24 years old, and because the circumstances weren't deemed suspicious, none of the police resources we'd been led to expect from TV shows were available to our family.

• 6:31Speaker 03

  We didn't know where to begin, but we knew we needed help. So on day three, I created a Facebook page to implore the Australian public. The support was unprecedented and prompted families of other missing people to reach out and ask for advice. So in 2013, I founded the Missing Persons Advocacy Network, MPAN, to create awareness for missing people in a way that humanises them and engages the public, as well as providing practical and emotional support to their families and friends left behind. I first met Mark and Fay Levison at a support group morning tea in 2012. Even though their case was completely different to ours, their hope, tenacity and drive,

• 7:17Speaker 03

  in a room bursting with grief, brokenness and exhaustion, was the example I needed to see. That you could still function and maintain that determination long term.

• 7:33Speaker 03

  We stayed in touch over the following years, reaching out when we'd see each other's developments in the media. And when Matt was found on what would have been my brother's 30th birthday, I was struck with a deep and conflicting sense of relief and an overwhelming sadness.

• 7:51Speaker 03

  Their tireless, near-decade-long search was a remarkable but heart-wrenching testament of their unconditional love. Despite unimaginable hurdles, they accomplished exactly what they promised: to bring Maddie home.

• 8:11Speaker 03

  Missingness is an experience that stays with you, just below the surface, ready to be triggered by anything from a missed call from a private number to a poster on a Telegraph poll. Most families close the public store into their lives once the search is over. But Mark and Fay continue to share their son, their pain and their struggles. I wanted to understand why, as well as what that decade of their lives was really like, behind all the publicity embellishing their nightmare.

• 8:46Speaker 03

  I also wanted to give them an opportunity to talk about the things that were missing from the public conversation. A chance for them to have their say without the restrictions, pressure and scrutiny of the media spotlight.

• 9:01Speaker 03

  This podcast is dedicated to Maddie, his family and families like theirs.

• 9:17Speaker 03

  No one is ever prepared for a loved one to suddenly disappear. That's the thing about missingness. When someone you love vanishes into thin air, every family that experiences it has to figure it out for themselves. Where do you start? What do you do? Who can help?

• 9:38Speaker 03

  Mark and Fay Levison have endured untold hurdles in their search to find their son Matt and fight for justice.

• 9:46Speaker 03

  Over the past 15 years, the couple has done countless TV, print and radio interviews. But despite the extensive media coverage, the public only gets small clips.

• 9:59Speaker 03

  We only hear the buzzwords favoured by the media: distraught parents, grieving family, find our son.

• 10:09Speaker 03

  But how much does the world really know about the battles the Levisons tirelessly fought in their efforts to find Matt?

• 10:17Speaker 03

  There were so many other things happening in the background, things that no one would realise unless they were personally confronted by them. By allowing the Levisons to tell their full story, it's our hope to give the audience an insight into what families and friends of missing people go through.

• 10:35Speaker 03

  Financial challenges, administrative obstacles, the loss of friends, people trying to exploit your loss to their benefit. And perhaps the hardest thing of all: moving forward when you feel everything should be put on hold.

• 10:53Speaker 03

  Before getting into the story of when Matt went missing, I want to begin when the Levisons were still a regular family, with regular highs and lows. This way, we get to meet Mark and Fay away from the glare of cameras, before they had to face press conferences and stand side by side, trying to contain their emotions so they could get their message across. And when we hear who they were, we have a much better understanding of how they became warriors for their son.

• 11:24Speaker 04

  I grew up in Beverly Hills in Sydney and just to the normal, quiet little suburban street. My stepbrother was much older than me, so I basically was an only child growing up. I was schooled locally at Beverly Hills North Primary School and sadly, Nawi Boys High School, which is no longer there, it's now been closed. My friends refer to me as a nob, I'm a Nawi old boy, and we get together at least twice a year, a bunch of us. I went to uni after school, because I didn't want to have an office job. I wanted to be out in the outdoors and out in the open, and so I did surveying. I did a year of surveying and passed the first year, but after that first year, I just didn't like it. So I worked in an office again.

• 12:07Speaker 04

  Where I was working, they offered me the chance to do a degree and I became an accountant. I started to see a few clients privately as well, and my client base grew to the point where I left work and started my own accountancy practice.

• 12:22Speaker 03

  Fay's upbringing was strict. Her father was of the view that education for his daughter wasn't necessary or important. Her role, as he saw it, was to marry and have babies.

• 12:34Speaker 05

  I had a very strict upbringing. My sister and brother were 10 and 11 years older than me, so I was a completely different generation. Went to Catholic schools, went to fourth form. In fourth form, my dad thought that women should be barefoot and pregnant and education would be wasted on a female. So I left school and went to business college, and I only went halfway through it, left there and got myself a job as a Girl Friday in the city. And I didn't like travelling into the city by train, so I ended up getting another job in an accounts office.

• 13:15Speaker 03

  Ironically, Mark and Fay would start their lifelong love story at someone else's wedding. Hearing them recount their courtship is the stuff of romantic movies. Eyes locking across the table, dancing all night, kissing under the stars.

• 13:32Speaker 04

  In my street, I had a good mate across the road who's also a knob, and we still see him regularly. And he would often have his cousins over. As kids, the play, we'd play footy or cricket in the street. And I used to play with him and his cousins. And then, when his elder sister got married, I was asked to their wedding. They asked their cousin to the wedding as well. And that cousin you're sitting across from you right now is Fay.

• 13:58Speaker 05

  Oh my gosh, it was fate! It was fate and it was love at first sight. And all the way home, the car was in trouble from dad because Mark and I kissed. And we were the talk of the wedding and we took the limelight off the bride and groom. And it just went from there.

• 14:16Speaker 04

  Forty-three years this year.

• 14:17Speaker 05

  Yep, we've been married 43 years this year.

• 14:22Speaker 03

  Just two and a half months after meeting, Mark and Fay got engaged. They kept their engagement a secret because Fay was only 17. In those days, the man asked the woman's father for her hand in marriage.

• 14:37Speaker 03

  As her 18th birthday got closer, Mark approached Fay's dad to ask his permission to marry her. Mark learnt the hard way that it was best to wait till the father of the bride wasn't holding a weapon.

• 14:49Speaker 04

  Back in those days, we thought to do the right thing, you ask the lady's father for her hand in marriage. And I chose a bad time. He was cutting fish with a very large knife, and in the backyard. I asked him and he spun around this knife in his hand, I thought I've done the wrong thing, I'm sure.

• 15:08Speaker 05

  And he said no.

• 15:09Speaker 03

  But didn't he want you to be barefoot and pregnant?

• 15:12Speaker 05

  He did, but I wasn't, I wasn't eighteen yet, so.

• 15:15Speaker 03

  Right, okay.

• 15:16Speaker 05

  Mark couldn't give me the ring until I was eighteen years old and we weren't to tell anybody we were thinking about getting engaged till after my birthday. So, once I turned eighteen, we're engaged and then he said, you're not getting married for another three years. We railroaded him, we were married within twelve months.

• 15:34Speaker 03

  How did he take that?

• 15:35Speaker 05

  He went along with it, begrudgingly, I think, begrudgingly, but yeah.

• 15:41Speaker 03

  Mark and Fay wanted to have children, but despite the constant questions from those close to them, they weren't in any rush. They were both so young and wanted to enjoy life.

• 15:52Speaker 05

  It got to the stage where I was twenty-four when I fell pregnant with Peter. And we were sort of getting, you've been married nearly six years, when are you going to have children?

• 16:02Speaker 03

  Did you have a clear number in mind of how many kids you wanted to have? Was it sort of a plan? You're an accountant, so was it?

• 16:08Speaker 04

  The odd thing was, I think we had the discussion, I wanted two, Fay wanted four.

• 16:13Speaker 03

  In the end, Fay and Mark compromised with three. Their first born, Peter, middle child, Matthew, and Jason, the baby, were all born just a few years apart.

• 16:26Speaker 03

  During Fay's pregnancy with Matthew, she had a premature labour scare.

• 16:31Speaker 05

  All the boys all came early, Maddie and Peter, they were both due Christmas Day. And they were both induced, but with Maddie, I went into labour early. October long weekend, I went into heavy labour. And so Mark went from picnic point to the Sydney Adventist Hospital up at Runga in under half an hour.

• 16:54Speaker 04

  It was a crazy ride because we couldn't have Matt, we didn't know he was a boy at that stage, couldn't have Matt that early. And we just raced up there, we went through red lights, speeding up, up to a hundred and forty K up a major over a road. Not as busy as it was these days. If cops see me, say, look, shoot me, I should retire, we're not stopping. And we got it there, I didn't see any police at all. And we got there in an amazing time and the staff were there at the front with a wheelchair and a syringe and stopped labour straight away.

• 17:23Speaker 03

  The injections prevented Fay from giving birth prematurely. She carried Matt for two more months before being given a date to be induced, on the 11th of December 1986. The date was the same day her first son, Peter, was born. And Fay was worried that her two boys would have to share a birthday.

• 17:42Speaker 05

  So I'm in hospital, I'm keeping my legs frosty. As soon as it came, midnight, I said, "You can come any time now." And they induced me and, yeah, he was born the 12th of December. But I always said they were going to have separate birthdays, separate parties, separate cakes. So I kept to that promise.

• 17:59Speaker 03

  Three years later, in 1989, the Levisons' youngest son, Jason, was born, completing the young family. He was born prematurely and the boys were very protective of their tiny baby brother.

• 18:12Speaker 05

  Matt and Jason were so much alike, they always locked horns. But when Jason was born, he was so prem, I had to stop going out with him because I was very protective of him. Why are they looking at him and they tell people to stay away from him? They go to touch him or, "Oh, isn't he cute? How prem was he?" And they say, "Stay away." But as they got older, they liked typical boys, love-hate relationships. They'd lock horns and Jason always accused Matthew were trying to drown him in the pool, but it doesn't tell you that he goaded him. And, you know, so he... But when it came to the crunch, if one of them was in trouble, they were always there. They were always there for one another.

• 18:53Speaker 04

  The odd thing was, there'd be times when, often actually, when the one of the boys would go and play at Fels's house, a friend's place. And I'd get home and I'd say, "What's happened to the kids? It's so quiet." And if ever one wasn't there, it didn't matter which one, it broke the cycle. Oh. It was really, really odd. And if there were three there, it's on. Two there, it's really quiet.

• 19:14Speaker 03

  As Matt grew older, he reminded Fay of herself, with his stubborn personality and occasional quick temper. He adored animals and dreamed of becoming a vet one day. He loved chocolate, playing the piano and listening to Celine Dion. The Levisons raised their sons in the Sydney suburbs of Picnic Point and then Bonnet Bay. With three energetic boys on the go, their household was a noisy but loving one. Matt and his brothers fought often, but they loved each other fiercely.

• 19:50Speaker 03

  Did they all go to the same primary and high school together?

• 19:54Speaker 05

  Well, they all went to the same primary school. Peter was in year six, Matt was in year four and Jason was in year two.

• 20:06Speaker 04

  One.

• 20:07Speaker 05

  And the school they were going to at the time wasn't too good and it was sort of like thugs rule. So, once Peter left the school, we took them out and put them into a small school up the road. Where Maddie blossomed, because Maddie was very introvert then. As a child, he was introverted, he wanted to do craft and that he wasn't into contact sports. He played tennis, but he didn't want any like football or anything like that. So he was a bit, kids would pick on him. We took them out there and they blossomed, they both blossomed. And then when they went to high school, they went to the same high school. It's funny because Peter and Jason didn't really like the high school, but Matt loved it. And his friends, they were fantastic, they had a good group of friends.

• 20:53Speaker 03

  Matt's first girlfriend was a girl named Rachel. They were close friends, first and foremost. And when their teen relationship didn't last, they remained really close. When he was seventeen, Matt came out to Rachel before he told anyone else. She kept his confidence as he figured out how to tell everyone.

• 21:14Speaker 03

  On the whole, people were supportive.

• 21:17Speaker 05

  So, when Matt did come out at school, they were supportive of him, which was great.

• 21:24Speaker 03

  What about with your friends? Was there any issues with Matt coming out?

• 21:28Speaker 04

  I think none. I think none, our friends. It's not like it was, it's...

• 21:33Speaker 05

  There was just one, but we sort of drifted away from them. By that stage, he was out of our lives, which I was grateful for. And there was one other that used to talk about them, then once he found out that Matt was gay, that changed his whole perspective of things. And when Matt went missing, there wasn't much media on it because we weren't allowed to go to the media. But there was a small thing in one of the papers and it said, "Young gay boy goes missing." My mother read it and she said, "You didn't tell me Matt was gay."

• 22:05Speaker 04

  That's your first question? Your grandson's missing and you're asking, you didn't say he was gay?

• 22:10Speaker 03

  I was going to ask at that point, did your, did your mother know? What about your parents, Mark?

• 22:16Speaker 04

  At that stage, they'd both gone.

• 22:18Speaker 05

  And they would have been, they would have been very accepting.

• 22:20Speaker 04

  It wouldn't bother them at all.

• 22:20Speaker 03

  Okay, okay.

• 22:21Speaker 05

  The boys were their world, they wouldn't care.

• 22:25Speaker 03

  In the end, Matt chose to tell his mum and dad by letter. He felt that if he got it off his chest, he could focus all his attention on his upcoming high school certificate, HSE exams. You can imagine the heart in the throat moment when they got a text from Matt saying he had left a letter for them to read.

• 22:45Speaker 00

  The holidays are always such a busy time of year and between work, socialising and everything else going on, the last thing I want to be thinking about is what I'm going to make for dinner every night. With fresh ingredients delivered straight to your door and easy recipes to follow, Home Chef takes the stress out of dinner. There are more than 30 meals to choose from each week with options for different tastes and dietary needs, including calorie conscious and GLP one friendly meals. And there's something for every schedule, whether you want a 30 minute meal, an oven ready tray, or a quick microwave lunch, Home Chef has you covered. Olivia LaVoix from the Case File Presents series The Bakersfield Three says Home Chef

• 23:28Speaker 00

  is one of her go-to options when life gets busy. She loves that it's convenient, uses quality ingredients and lets her try new meals without spending hours planning. So this holiday season, give yourself one less thing to think about. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off and free shipping for your first box, plus free dessert for life. Go to homechef.com/casfile. That's homechef.com/casfile for 50% off your first box and free dessert for life. Homechef.com/casfile. Must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert.

• 24:17Speaker 01

  At Lowe's, this Veterans Day and every day, military members, veterans and their spouses get automatic MyLowe's Rewards Silver Status benefits. Plus, 10% off eligible purchases with no annual limit. It's one way we honour and give back to those who have served and still do. Learn more and verify now at lowe's.com/military. 10% discount can't be combined with another offer. Exclusions, terms and conditions apply. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Details at lowe's.com/terms. Subject to change.

• 24:46Speaker 02

  Network freedom and flexibility, that's what you want in a healthcare plan. With a Humana Medicare Advantage PPO plan, you can see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, including specialists. No referrals, no kidding. Learn more at gethumana.com. See any doctor who accepts Medicare and is willing to bill Humana. Humana PPOs may not be available in all areas. Benefits and costs share may vary. Humana is a Medicare Advantage PPO organisation with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.

• 25:19Speaker 05

  Just before his HSC, actually the night before the HSC started.

• 25:23Speaker 03

  Oh, what a stressful time.

• 25:25Speaker 05

  We thought he was going well in the HSC. There didn't seem to be any struggles or problems. He was doing the best he could. And he went out. He was going to his partner's place at that stage, his first boyfriend. And he sends us a text saying, "I've left a letter on the desk. My heart sank." So I go in there and his room was perfect. And here's this letter, this envelope. And I felt so sick in the stomach, I opened it up.

• 25:56Speaker 03

  The letter read,

• 25:59Speaker 03

  "To dear Mum and Dad, I know this is not the most appropriate way of telling you what I'm about to say, but I cannot think of another way to do it. And I want to clear it up before the HSC, so it doesn't worry me. I do not know what the outcome of this letter will be, but I hope you will love me and accept me for who I am. The rumours that you have probably been hearing and vibes you have picked up about me are true. I am gay."

• 26:27Speaker 03

  Please don't hate me, as this is just who I am, and it is the decision I have made. Nothing can change it, as this is who I am. I love you so much, and I will forever love you. I am writing to you in the hope that you can understand my life's choices, and so I can try to be more open to you and not live my life as a lie. I want to be honest with you about me and my life. As you are reading this, please take into mind that this is very difficult for me to say, and that's why I found it easy writing to you. As you've probably guessed by now, Daniel is my boyfriend, and I do deeply love him. And he is my partner to the formal. Please do not worry about what my friends will say,

• 27:12Speaker 03

  as they do know about me and Daniel, and they have been so supportive over the last couple of months. I do have such great friends, and I thank you for this, because I would not have them without you letting me go to Inner Borough School. I am so grateful for what you have given me in my life, and my life yet to come. I will forever love you as my parents, and I hope you will love me back. Love always, Matthew John. Kiss, hug, kiss, hug, kiss, hug.

• 27:42Speaker 05

  He was telling us that he was gay, and thanked us for sending him to the school he was going to. His friends knew, they were very supportive, but he had to get it off his chest before starting his HSC. So we're just, get your butt home. It didn't matter.

• 27:59Speaker 04

  It changes nothing, so just get home. Get home and keep studying.

• 28:06Speaker 03

  Of course, Matt's coming out wasn't a complete surprise to his family. They had seen the signs for years, since he was a small child, in fact. But after he came out officially, Matt seemed lighter somehow. He could focus on his studies, have a boyfriend, and release the stress of keeping his sexuality a secret. He could live his best, authentic life.

• 28:30Speaker 05

  We knew, so it didn't really bother us at all. And he liked to be well dressed. It was good once he came out because, you know, it was on the table and it didn't matter. And he used to tell me, "No, don't wear that, Mum." You know, he was my fashion.

• 28:44Speaker 06

  Stylist.

• 28:45Speaker 05

  Stylist, but yeah.

• 28:48Speaker 03

  After the HSE was over, Matt left school and began a course in pathology. He was enthusiastic about his studies and wanted to continue them. However, as Fay explains, he had a few things stacked against him.

• 29:01Speaker 05

  He was doing that and he was really enjoying it. But unfortunately, Matt wasn't a terrific speller. So that came against him in one of the exams and he had to sit the unit again because of the spelling. So after sitting for it again and did that unit again and he was one mark of passing, they took it off him for the spelling.

• 29:25Speaker 03

  In the end, it proved too difficult and Matt decided to drop the pathology course. He'd been working for a while at a discount department store, Big W, and then got a job at a call centre for an RMA insurance.

• 29:38Speaker 05

  And he loved it, absolutely loved it. He loved the people there, they loved him. And yeah, but he always had a plan to get out of there and get into the computer side of things. Because he was always at the computers. He set up all our computers down at work. He got the Microsoft book and read up on it, how to connect a server. And he put a server in at work and linked it all up, got our computers up and running. He had all our sound systems running here at home through the TV and that.

• 30:09Speaker 04

  Well, he was the guaranteed person for the teachers. When they were getting new gear at school, I'd say, "Here's the new camera, Matt, here's the manual. Learn it and then teach us."

• 30:17Speaker 03

  Matt also loved travelling and always tried to get the best travel deals with his boyfriend, Daniel.

• 30:23Speaker 05

  He and Daniel loved to travel. I didn't know there was such a thing. They'd have their laptop side by side and they'd get on Happy Hour. I think it was Virgin or Jetstar. One of them have Happy Hour at certain nights. And they get flights $29 down to Tasmania. They got a flight over to New Zealand for, I think it was under $100.

• 30:41Speaker 04

  At midnight, they'd do it when the special came online. They'd go whack, whack and press the inter button. They'd get seats on the same plane.

• 30:46Speaker 05

  And, and Daniel was, at the time, he was going to be a pilot. So he was training out of Bankstown. And he didn't, Matt wasn't telling me that he was going up in the small plane with him when he was allowed to take passengers. And this particular day, he shows me his photos. Look mum, there's our house. I said, were you up in the plane with him? Yeah.

• 31:05Speaker 04

  Here's a house from 5,000 feet.

• 31:07Speaker 03

  With a trainee pilot.

• 31:08Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 31:11Speaker 05

  Oh my gosh.

• 31:13Speaker 03

  Despite their adventures together, Matt and Daniel broke up. By then, another man had come on to the scene. A much older man.

• 31:23Speaker 03

  And right from the time he appeared, the Levisons could see he was not a good influence on their young son.

• 31:29Speaker 05

  We knew things were a bit rocky. He went to Thailand with Daniel and when they came back, they separated. And I think at this time that Atkins was on the scene.

• 31:44Speaker 03

  And from the moment Atkins came on the scene, there was trouble. When Matt's relationship with Daniel ended, Matt was working as a supervisor at a Big W store in Menai, a suburb near the Levisons' home in Bonnet Bay.

• 32:00Speaker 03

  Matt was a reliable employee, so when he didn't show up for a shift on the 13th of August 2006, his manager phoned Mark and Fay.

• 32:10Speaker 04

  He was working part-time at Big W. He loved that job as well. And he had some good colleagues there. And the manager called, I think it was Fay, one day, said, where's Matthew? And we said, well, we don't know, he's not home. And he hadn't turned up for work and they're expecting him. And that's, yeah, again, he loved it, so it wasn't like him to not be there.

• 32:28Speaker 03

  The Levisons were concerned. They tried calling Matt, but he wasn't answering his phone. They reached out to all Matt's friends to see if they knew where he was. One of them said that Matt had gone out the night before to meet a guy called Mike, but no one was able to shed any further light on who Mike was. Matt's parents were at a loss. It was so out of character for him to just disappear. Eventually, they were worried enough to call the police.

• 32:56Speaker 04

  So we were concerned, so we rang the police. And reported him missing, and they came out here and went through his room and looked for what they could see. And they were able to get from friends that Matt was with, uh, do you recall who was with Fay?

• 33:10Speaker 05

  He went to the art nightclub. Like, we knew he was going to some nightclubs with school friends and other mates. And one of his schoolmates said, "Oh, he was, um, he was meeting a Michael there, a Mike." And we didn't know who this was, so we told the police that.

• 33:28Speaker 03

  Police soon discovered that Mike's full name was Michael Atkins, and he worked as a security guard for the Sutherland United Services Club. While hunting down the contact details for Atkins, one of Matt's friends phoned the Levisons to say he'd spotted Matt's car on Alison Crescent in Menai, which was near the shopping centre where Matt worked. The Levisons hurried down to the spot. The car was locked, but Fay had a spare key. The police inspected the vehicle's interior. They found nothing of note, and the Levisons were permitted to take the car back home. Police visited Atkins at his workplace to ask if he knew where Matt was.

• 34:08Speaker 05

  And they finally got the name Michael Atkins. So when they phoned him, he said, "Oh, no, I didn't see him." And then, "Oh, yeah, I did see him. I just said hello, short conversation, then we went our own way."

• 34:21Speaker 03

  At this stage, officers were simply making inquiries to find out where Matt was, to ensure he was okay. No crimes had been committed, and nobody was in trouble. Yet Atkins was lying to the police when he said that he and Matt only had a brief conversation.

• 34:36Speaker 05

  In actual fact, Matty went back to Atkins' place. And we didn't know that at this stage. And so Matt rang us the next morning, very angry, saying he was at a friend's place, at Emma's place, I think he said.

• 34:52Speaker 03

  Matt's angry phone call at around 1 o'clock in the morning did nothing to calm his parents. He said he was at Emma's house and his phone battery had died. He said he just needed some time and space to himself due to his recent breakup with Daniel. Fay didn't believe him and asked her son to visit the police station so he could update them as to his whereabouts. But Matt hung up on her. Fay's instincts were right. Matt wasn't staying with Emma. He was at the unit of Michael Atkins in Cronulla, more than a 20 minutes drive away, and had decided that he would be staying there indefinitely. He had no intention of returning home.

• 35:35Speaker 03

  It's worth pausing here to examine who was Michael Atkins, the man who seemed to steal the Levison son right out from under them.

• 35:45Speaker 03

  Michael Atkins was raised in a strict Catholic family. His boyhood included an all-boys Catholic school where he was bullied. In his mid-teens, Atkins dropped out of school and began an apprenticeship as an electrician. Several years later, he began training in ninjutsu, and by the time he was 29, he was a third-degree ninjutsu sensei. For the layperson, this is three steps past a black belt.

• 36:15Speaker 03

  Around this same time, Atkins was still living with his mother near Cronulla. He was also in a relationship with his first long-term girlfriend. Eventually, the relationship ended, as Atkins didn't want to get married or have children.

• 36:31Speaker 03

  As well as working as an electrician, Atkins found a part-time job as a mobile DJ. But he still wanted to make more cash, so he purchased a basketball gaming machine. This machine was installed at Sutherland Basketball Stadium, next to Waratah Oval in Sutherland. Remember that location. The Waratah Oval will come up again later in the podcast.

• 36:56Speaker 03

  In 2003, Atkins developed a strong friendship with a 17-year-old boy. It began online, but soon progressed to meeting in person. While the boy identified as gay, Atkins did not. It would take another two years for Atkins to accept his own sexuality. And once Atkins was out, he was really out. He quickly gained a reputation as a player, and he spent time online talking to other young gay men. Matt was one of them. He too was 17 when he began chatting to Atkins, who by then was 41. It would take a couple of years for the two to meet in person,

• 37:38Speaker 03

  but once they did, things moved very quickly between Matt and Atkins. And in August 2006, Matt began living with Atkins in his Tonkin Street, Cronulla apartment. Eventually, Matt confessed to his parents that he hadn't been staying with Emma, but rather, he was now living with Michael Atkins. As a result of the anxiety he had caused his family by disappearing and not telling them of his move to Cronulla, Matt promised Mark and Fay that he would never go missing again. When things had settled down and it was time for Mark and Fay to meet Matt's new boyfriend, they were troubled. He looked like an old man. His taste in music matched their own,

• 38:21Speaker 03

  and they suspected he was closer to their age. Michael Atkins claimed to be 34 years old, but he was actually 43 by that time, 23 years older than Matt. But despite what Mark and Fay could clearly see, they faced the dilemma common to parents. Saying something against the partner often has the opposite effect. Matt was strong-willed. If they voiced their concerns, it might cause a rift between them and their son.

• 38:54Speaker 04

  We went, had dinner one night down at Cronulla, wasn't it, I think? Where we met Matt and his new partner. And this old man turns up, and, which we'll call it that because his taste in music was Faye's and my taste in music. And yeah, Matt was of the belief he was about 10 years older than Matt, he was 20, but he was actually 43 at that stage. And telling all the young boys that he was much younger than he was, he'd hide his wallets, they couldn't see his, his real age, black hair dye, botox, buffed from the gym.

• 39:26Speaker 03

  So when you see this old man rock up with your son at this restaurant in Cronulla, what's your, like, were you able to control your facial expression?

• 39:36Speaker 04

  We had to for Matt, because we thought if, if Matt's so strong willed, and he was, if we said to Matt, "Mate, you can't see this guy, he's too old for you", Matt would just said, "Get nicked" or something stronger, and, and we'd lose touch with Matt. So we accepted him for, for Matt's sake.

• 39:48Speaker 03

  What was your impression? What were the discussions that you two were having between yourselves, coming back from that initial meeting?

• 39:54Speaker 05

  "God, what do we do?" And we sort of said, "Well, there's nothing, because if we tell him that he can't, he's got to come home, you can't see him anymore, he's just going to tell us to get nicked", but not in those words. But what we did later find out, and I beat myself up and I still reckon we should have gone down there and dragged him home, for the first couple of months, Matt was living out of the boot of his car. He wasn't in fact, had his clothes in Atkins' unit, he wouldn't let him in as such. He, Matt would have to wait outside the door for him to come home if somebody shut the main entrance. So Matt would have to wait on the front doorstep for him. And we didn't know this till afterwards, but for the first few months, Matt was actually

• 40:37Speaker 05

  living out of the boot of his car.

• 40:40Speaker 03

  When they found this out, courtesy of one of Matt's best friends, Mark and Faye were horrified that Atkins could treat their son like that. The treatment didn't bode well, especially at the start of a relationship. When Mark and Faye met Atkins again, he seemed cold-hearted. But more worrying than that, this much older man seemed to have control over their son. When the couple came over to visit, Atkins would cut the visits short. And another thing that bothered the Levisons was that Atkins rarely gave them opportunities to see their son alone.

• 41:14Speaker 04

  You couldn't engage me in any deep conversation. He'd discuss his work with you, never discuss his background or family. He was very shallow with what he would discuss or say.

• 41:25Speaker 05

  He was very cold, like, anybody comes through the front door, we always give him that hug. And he was very, there was like this cold thing, he was like hugging an ice cube. And you could tell he was very uncomfortable about it. But he didn't like being here. He wouldn't keep eye contact with you. As soon as they finished their lunch or their dinner, he's, "Come on, Matt, we've got to go, I've got to go to work." This one particular time, I said, "No, it's okay, you go, we'll take Matty home." "No, no, he's coming." I stood my ground, I said, "No, no, we'll..." And poor Matt didn't want to say anything. Matt would normally tell us, but when Atkins was around, he was very submissive. So eventually Atkins went, and Matty didn't want to go home. He sat here for hours.

• 42:08Speaker 05

  We took him home very late that night, and he said, "I'll have you and Dad over for a cup of coffee one day." Well, that day never came. Atkins didn't like Matty having friends in the unit, especially when he wasn't there. Rach went over there one day, and Atkins didn't like it. So he was sort of living like a double life. Matt, I don't know what kept him there.

• 42:37Speaker 03

  By mid 2007, Matt had left his job at Big W and was working at the call centre for an RMA insurance. He and Atkins had been together for a year. Matt worked from Tuesday to Saturday. He was well-regarded there and had developed friendships with his colleagues. Matt was looking forward to celebrating his 21st birthday in December. He hadn't settled on the exact plans for his party, but he had settled on a present. He wanted to redesign a ring that his grandmother had left him.

• 43:10Speaker 05

  Coming up to Matt's 21st, grandma had left him a ring. He had a picture in the, one of the newspapers, and I think it was a Cartier ring, that he wanted, that we were going to get, had the ring milled it down and made up like that. I think it was just one of those thick bands with the diamonds around. And we never got to see the photo. Because I kept saying to him, "Matt, it's getting closer. If you want this ring made up, I need the photo." "Yeah, I'll get it to your mum, I'll get it to your mum." And I said, "Okay." "I know, you've got friends and that. Do you want a combined party? Or do you want to go, are you going to go to Ark and have your party? And then we just have a small family thingy? What do you want to do?" And he couldn't make up his mind. We never, never got him to tell us exactly what, what he wanted to do.

• 43:55Speaker 05

  But one night, Atkins sat here when we were at, had them over for dinner. He goes, "Oh, we'll have a barbecue with a keg." Matt didn't drink beer. Matt would have wanted a themed party and... We had cocktail nights. He, he used to cook sushi here, have his friends over and have sushi. And he'd set the lounge room up like a little Japanese restaurant. And yeah, that's the sort of guy he was.

• 44:19Speaker 03

  In those final weeks, Fay realises now, Matt had become subdued in her company when Atkins was around. And when he was saying goodbye, Matt would hug her for longer than usual. And the last hug was a long one, too.

• 44:36Speaker 03

  Mark and Fay Levison saw Matt at a Friends 21st birthday party towards the middle of September. As Matt was leaving, he hugged his mum and told her he loved her. Matt's younger brother, Jason, last saw him about a week before he went missing. Matt had been to the gym and the two brothers talked for about 30 minutes.

• 44:58Speaker 03

  Matt told Jason that he had some photos from the recent Friends 21st, and they could meet up soon so he could give them to Jason.

• 45:06Speaker 03

  A few days later, Matt was gone.

• 45:09Speaker 05

  With family get togethers, like birthdays and Christmas, Matty loved it. So, and they'd always, we've since found out, they would fight because Matt wanted to go and Atkins didn't. And that last 21st, we saw Matty at. I rang them to find out if they'd left and he goes, "Oh no, the princess is doing his hair. He's running late." In actual fact, they were fighting. He didn't want to go down there. So they turned up late.

• 45:35Speaker 04

  She luckily did because at the last time we saw Matt alive.

• 45:38Speaker 05

  And there was a couple there that were giving him a hard time because he was gay. The birthday boy's friends. And then apparently Atkins and him had an altercation and Jason saw it. And Atkins pushed Matty and Matty pushed back and Atkins pushed him almost to the ground. Then they went outside and Matt had gone to work after that and told them outside, Atkins had pushed him against the brick wall. Was the brick wall or the bush out, out the front of the golf club? And we didn't know that. And so when it came time to go, when I said goodbye to Matt, he gave me the biggest bear hug and said, "I love you mum."

• 46:23Speaker 05

  And it was like he didn't want to, want to go. Because up in those few months before he died, I said to Matt, "There's something going on." Because he'd come, come to us and the, the saying goodbye

• 46:39Speaker 05

  got more huggier, tighter. And we tried to get him on his own one day down at work and it got to the state that Atkins wouldn't let him out of his sight. Everywhere Matty went, Atkins went. And we tried to get him on his own in the office and the receptionist at the time was trying to keep Atkins out there and I took Matty out to the, to the kitchen. And we were about to get into a conversation. We were going somewhere with it. And next minute Atkins appeared and he shut up.

• 47:09Speaker 03

  On Saturday the 22nd of September 2007, Matt arrived for his usual shift at an RMA insurance.

• 47:18Speaker 03

  During the morning, his mobile was ringing a lot, but he didn't answer it. He told a colleague that it was Atkins, but that they were fighting.

• 47:27Speaker 03

  Matt said he'd tell her about it at lunch. The next time the phone rang, Matt didn't answer it. Instead, he looked at the phone and said, "Fuck off, Mike."

• 47:40Speaker 03

  At lunch, Matt told his colleague that he was thinking of collecting his work bonuses and heading to London. He said, "I've had enough of Mike's bullshit. He's too jealous." When she asked what he meant, he said, "He thinks he's God's gift to man and he can do whatever he wants, but if another guy shows any interest in me, he gets the shits. He wants threesomes and I don't want it."

• 48:05Speaker 03

  Matt shared his suspicions that Atkins was cheating on him, and said he had decided to stand up to Atkins. As he drove off at the end of the day, the colleague heard the sound blaring out from Matt's car. In his usual fashion, Matt played his music loud, louder than usual after his brother had installed a subwoofer that took up most of the boot space.

• 48:28Speaker 03

  After work, Matt was looking forward to a night out clubbing with friends. As the night began, Matt, Atkins and Matt's brother Pete hung out for a little while at their mutual friend's house, Jack Smith and Sally White, in inner Sydney. Jack Smith and Sally White are pseudonyms.

• 48:46Speaker 03

  The group then arrived at Ark nightclub just before 11pm that night for their usual weekend of dancing and partying. Some of Matt's other friends were also there that night.

• 48:59Speaker 03

  Matt wore white cargo shorts with a brown tiger stripe pattern belt, white leather shoes, and a tight black singlet with the boxing and fitness brand logo Morgan in white letters across the chest.

• 49:13Speaker 03

  Matt and Atkins left the Ark nightclub at some point in the early hours of Sunday the 23rd of September.

• 49:20Speaker 03

  The last time someone had contact with Matt was around 3:30 AM. This was a text message exchange between Matt and a friend who has been given the pseudonym John Burns.

• 49:31Speaker 03

  Matt was angry, and that comes across in his messages, so there is a language warning. Here's the exchange.

• 49:39Speaker 03

  3:03 AM. John to Matt. Hey babe, where are you? 3:20 AM. Matt to John. Mike's having a fucking cry. He's taking me home and won't let me stay. Fucking cunt. 3:20 AM. John to Matt. Oh shit, that's not too good.

• 50:00Speaker 03

  3:31 AM. Matt to John. He needs to get over himself. 3:32 AM. John to Matt. Oh well, I'm sure you'll be alright.

• 50:13Speaker 03

  But Matt wasn't alright.

• 50:18Speaker 03

  It's ironic that when Matt first came out as being gay, his parents feared for him. At the time, gay hate crimes were prevalent, and their son was young and good-looking, and they worried he'd be a target.

• 50:31Speaker 03

  Knowing what they do now, they wonder whether the danger actually lay much closer to home.

• 50:38Speaker 05

  Because when he came out, I cried, oh I did, I cried for ages. And it wasn't because he was gay, it was because I was fearing for him personally, his life, and I used to say to him, "Matt, please be careful, I'm going to find you dead in the gutter somewhere." I always, always say that to him.

• 50:57Speaker 05

  Yeah, and those words now, I still, it still haunts me, it really still haunts me. Because, as I said, I think it was Jay said to me, "Mum, he's only gay." I said, "Yeah, I'm not crying because he's gay, I'm crying because I'm scared that something's gonna happen to him."

• 51:22Speaker 03

  On the next episode of Maddie. At 7am Tuesday the 25th of September, Atkins sent a text message to Matt. "Where are you, baby? I'm really worried now."

• 51:33Speaker 04

  We started ringing around Matt's friends, Atkins we'd rung, but we had no answer back at that stage.

• 51:38Speaker 03

  Atkins didn't seem to look at all concerned.

• 51:41Speaker 05

  And he's walking up and down like a caged lion and he's sweating and he's clammy.

• 51:45Speaker 03

  The receipt showed that two items had been purchased: duct tape and a Garden Master brand mattock.

• 51:50Speaker 04

  They told Fainai that the case had been transferred to homicide.

• 52:00Speaker 00

  Thanks for listening. If you'd like to hear the rest of Maddie, you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

• 52:16Speaker 01

  At Lowe's, this Veterans Day and every day, military members, veterans and their spouses get automatic MyLowe's Rewards Silver Status benefits. Plus, 10% off eligible purchases with no annual limit. It's one way we honour and give back to those who have served and still do. Learn more and verify now at lowe's.com/military. 10% discount can't be combined with another offer. Exclusions, terms and conditions apply. Loyalty programmes subject to terms and conditions. Details at lowe's.com/terms. Subject to change.

• 52:45Speaker 02

  Network freedom and flexibility, that's what you want in a healthcare plan. With a Humana Medicare Advantage PPO plan, you can see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, including specialists. No referrals, no kidding. Learn more at gethumana.com. See any doctor who accepts Medicare and is willing to bill Humana. Humana PPOs may not be available in all areas. Benefits and costs share may vary. Humana is a Medicare Advantage PPO organisation with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.