Pod Insights True Crime Conversations UPDATE: The New Search For The Australia's Missing Family Cult About this episode WA Police have acknowledged that earlier searches in the investigation into the Nannup Four were conducted in the wrong location. Retired detective Barry McIntosh, who has long pushed for answers in the case, believes the corrected coordinates point to a more accurate search area near Northcliffe, where clothing and the reported smell of human remains were allegedly detected after the group disappeared.
Today, we check in with ABC investigative journalist Dominique Bayens about the latest developments in the case.
LINKS
Find out more about Barry's search for The Nannup Four. There's a GoFundMe page here https://www.gofundme.com/f/helpfindthenannupfour.
Watch Expanse: The Nannup Four here https://iview.abc.net.au/show/expanse-the-nannup-four.
If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
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CREDITS
Guest: Dominique Bayens
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533976/Host: Gemma Bath https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmabath/?originalSubdomain=au
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahli-blackman-205a891b7/?originalSubdomain=au
Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy
Video Editor: Julian Rosario
Audio Engineer: Tegan Sadler
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Transcript 0:00 Speaker 00 A warning before we start, this episode does contain mentions of suicide. I'm Gemma Bath and this is True Crime Conversations. A few weeks ago, we brought you the case of the missing Nannup Four. We're dropping back into your ears with an important and shocking update on the case. First, some context. As you heard in our episode, the Australian family cult that vanished overnight, Chantel McDougall, Simon Cadwell, their daughter Leela, and friend and housemate Tony vanished from Nannup, a small WA town, in 2007. Simon was known as somewhat of a cult leader who believed in a doomsday and moving to a higher plane once you die.
0:41 Speaker 00 He had followers online, but those under his roof were most under his control. When the four disappeared, they left a note on their front door saying they'd moved to Brazil. However, no trace of that happening was found. Their passports weren't used to leave the country. In 2018, an inquest heard about a family suicide pact Simon had been discussing online, suggesting another dark answer as to potentially what could have happened to the group. Medical records from before they disappeared showed that Chantel, Tony, and Simon obtained strong sedatives and anti-anxiety medications. Simon was also prescribed an antipsychotic and opioids, which can be fatal when combined
1:26 Speaker 00 with sedatives. The inquest also revealed that Simon was living under a false identity. He grew up in the UK and his real name was Gary Felton. Ultimately, the coroner ruled that he couldn't find beyond reasonable doubt that any of the Nannup Four were dead or alive. In 2026, ABC journalist Dominique Bayens has been reinvestigating this case. And last time we had her on, she hinted that she was sitting on some pretty huge news in this case. She's ready to tell us about it. Here's Dom with an update on the missing Nannup Four. Dom, thanks for joining us back on True Crime Conversations.
2:07 Speaker 00 I want to pick up our chat with two very dogged police officers, retired detectives. Tell me about Barry and Peter and how they intersect with this story.
2:21 Speaker 01 Well, they've really been part of it since the very beginning. So to introduce them, Barry McIntosh, he is a retired Victorian detective. He had over 35 years' experience in the Victorian Police Force. He's also the uncle of Chantelle McDougall, one of the, I guess we call them the Nannup Four, one of the people who disappeared from Nannup in 2007. And Peter Greaves is his friend and also a close family friend of the McDougall family. He's also a retired detective. So between them, they have this absolute wealth of knowledge of policing.
3:05 Speaker 01 And they both worked in all different areas, homicide, drugs, you know, just an absolute wealth of policing experience. But very early on, they were connected to the case, of course, because Barry is Chantelle's uncle. And very early on, when Chantelle's parents were really concerned, they hadn't heard from her. She'd told them they were moving to Brazil, but they hadn't, you know, she hadn't got in touch to let them know that they'd arrived safely. I believe that it was Barry that recommended Chantelle's parents to go to Peter Greaves and report Chantelle missing and get his help with that.
3:48 Speaker 01 So very early on, in the weeks and months after the disappearance, Peter Greaves was helping Chantelle's parents and also doing his own, I guess, early investigation. He was able to look into Chantelle's bank account and very quickly learnt that Chantelle hadn't touched her bank account since the time that they said they were leaving for Brazil. Um, he also discovered that no one had travelled on her passport or Leila's passport. And um, yeah, so I guess those two elements very quickly raised alarm bells for Peter.
4:29 Speaker 01 And, you know, he felt that this was actually quite serious. Um, from there, he, you know, I guess, went up the chain of the Victorian Police Force to report the missing um, to the Western Australian Police Force and who then took on the investigation from there. So I guess that that's a bit of their really early involvement. And the case was then passed on to WA Police, who took that on, um, conducted early missing persons investigations and eventually a homicide investigation that led to the the coronial inquest. Um, and at the time, the inquest found that the coroner couldn't find,
5:14 Speaker 01 um, you know, I couldn't make a decision on whether the four were alive or dead. Um, so, you know, I guess that didn't provide much closure for the McDougall family. So after that, Barry McIntosh and Peter Greaves came back in. And Barry McIntosh um, requested a copy of the the police investigation. And actually, at the very start of the COVID pandemic, he had the time and space to really go over the investigation and look for things that he felt had been missed. And and he did find a a pretty, um, I guess, a glaring thing that I can I get into
5:58 Speaker 01 that he felt police had missed or or got wrong. And um, that that brings us up to our uh, the current day and where we're at now.
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6:43 Speaker 00 Let's set the scene a bit before we get to this big revelation. I want to talk about a key bit of evidence that kind of places us in the area that is searched. So obviously the four go missing from Nannup, which is where they'd been living. But there is a bus ticket or bus ticket evidence that kind of places them in Northcliffe, where Barry's evidence unfolds. Tell us about that evidence and how we can place the Nannup four potentially in Northcliffe area.
7:14 Speaker 01 Yeah, so this area, this town or area of bushland near Northcliffe, which for people who aren't familiar with the southwest of WA, Northcliffe is a town about an hour's drive south of Nannup, southeast of Nannup. And much like Nannup, probably even more so, it's very isolated, very remote kind of area. But there are a number of reasons why Barry McIntosh believes that that Northcliffe area is significant. The first being that in the lead up to the disappearance, Simon Cadwell, who we now know as Gary Felton, was operating an online cult. And in the months before their disappearance,
7:59 Speaker 01 he was speaking to one of his online followers of plans for a family suicide pact. And in his words, he said, the plan was for the four of them to wander into a remote area and take their own lives and for the bodies to be buried. It's, I find, even saying it out loud, I find it quite, you know, difficult to talk about. But that is what is recorded, is what he said.
8:32 Speaker 01 I I do need to mention that that that follower, you know, challenged him on that and said, you know, if you do that, that is tantamount to murdering Leela, his daughter. And at that point, he became more closed off with that follower and said, actually, he'd changed his mind and um. They would just move somewhere where people couldn't find him, but that that is what he had told them his plan was. So that is the first reason why um Barry believes this area area is significant. Um. The second reason is because in the days around the disappearance, there were two bus tickets booked connected to the fore.
9:11 Speaker 01 These bus tickets were both booked under the same fake name, Jay Roberts, which also happens to be the name of the road that they lived on at the time. Um. Now, one of these uh bus tickets to Northcliffe was not used. But the one that was booked the next day, the day after, that first ticket was used. So one of the group, it is believed, um, we don't know exactly which one, but someone connected to the group, one of the group. Um, took a a bus to Northcliffe. So that is the the second reason why that Northcliffe area is significant.
9:52 Speaker 01 And then finally, in the days, um, sorry, in the months after the disappearance. There was a group of prisoners from a nearby prison conducting track clearing in the area. Uh, in an area of bushland near Northcliffe. And while they were conducting that clearing. They reported finding items of clothing and a smell of death in the area. Now, they told the prison officer who was supervising them of that, and he reported that. Um, to police at the time, to local police, who then went to the the bushland and um.
10:33 Speaker 01 They, I guess, conducted their own search, but they said they found a T-shirt, but it looked like it had been there for years rather than months and they couldn't smell a thing. Many years later, when the, the case was reviewed again, police did another search of that North Cliff bushland. Um, that search was based off the memory of, um, one of those original officers that went to that area to, um, to check it out when it was reported by those prisoners. Um, so there were two searches conducted of bushland in the North Cliff area, um, relating to this case, which brings us to Barry McIntosh and when he went over the files.
11:18 Speaker 01 When he got his hands on, on the police file, he immediately went to look at that, uh, the, the notes, I guess, around that North Cliff search. And pretty quickly, he established that he believed that police had actually been in the wrong area all along when they went to check out that area.
11:40 Speaker 00 They didn't search the area that the prisoners were looking at?
11:43 Speaker 01 Yeah, that's what Barry believed very early on in the piece. He thought actually, um, looking at this, I think they've, they've searched the wrong area. He actually tracked down, um, the, the prison officer who was supervising those prisoners on that day to work out the exact coordinates. And it wasn't until I was able to sit down with WA Police recently that they confirmed that, yeah, actually that the 2015 search that they conducted of the bushland, that was in the wrong area. That search was based off, um, the memory of an officer who searched in 2007.
12:25 Speaker 01 But they can't confirm the exact location of tho- that early search because the coordinates of that search weren't recorded. But if the memory of that officer is correct, it means that neither of those searches were in the right place. The reason that they couldn't smell anything was because they were nowhere near the spot where those prisoners were conducting that clearing that day.
12:50 Speaker 00 How did you react to this news? Because that's a pretty baffling mistake.
12:54 Speaker 01 It is really hard to go, you know, think of the what ifs and think, ah, if, if that is right and they were in the wrong place, um, you know, they were about a kilometre or so out from where those prisoners were, were carrying out track clearing. And, you know, there's a, a chance that it was nothing at all, or, you know, it might not have been them there. We don't know. Um, but it, it's disappointing, I guess. It's disappointing for the family to feel that there is, I guess, this, this lead that could have been investigated
13:37 Speaker 01 and now it turns out it, it wasn't. And, you know, that, that's really disappointing.
13:42 Speaker 00 And it would have only been within a few months as well, like three months after the disappearance. So the chances of finding intact bodies that soon, there was a chance, whereas, you know, the later search or the searches that have been done recently, i- it gets a lot harder. Can you tell us about the search that Barry and Peter conducted themselves? Because they went out there in 2024.
14:09 Speaker 01 Yeah. So when Barry, um, had a look over the police investigation file and, and, you know, found that error, um, he immediately wanted to go there himself and, and search that area. So him and Peter Greaves, um, who we remember from early on in the piece, who helped with that, that early investigation from Victoria, they Traveled to Western Australia, to Northcliffe together. They hired drone technology. They brought with them a team of volunteer cadaver dogs, which are dogs which can smell out human remains.
14:48 Speaker 01 And over about the course of a week, they conducted their own search of that area of bushland. And they really methodically, you know, the way they described it to me, it was like they were conducting a professional investigation. They were methodically going over areas of bushland and I guess crossing them off as they went along. But on one of the final days of the search, one of the dogs picked up a scent. And it was interesting, I actually spoke with one of the members of that cadaver dog team. And the way that he described it, it was quite vivid. He said that one of the dogs picked up a scent at the bottom of this big hill.
15:33 Speaker 01 And it was kind of this puddle of water and there's sort of water coursing down the hill. And he said, the way that they've trained their dogs to indicate a scent is for the dogs to lay flat when they detect something. So he said, one of the dogs laid down and that indicated a scent in the area. So then they brought another dog into that area from a different direction. And he said, that dog also laid down on the ground, indicating a scent. And then they brought in another dog from a different direction. Because I guess they, the way he explained it, they don't want the dogs to, I guess for them, it provides more accuracy if they're bringing them in from different directions.
16:18 Speaker 01 So they brought in another dog from a different direction and that dog also laid down and so on and so forth. Peter Greaves and Barry McIntosh, they dug around that area. And unfortunately, were not able to find anything. And because the terrain that they're working with, it's really hard to describe unless you've seen it yourself. But it's such thick bushland and it was the middle of winter. And they're at the bottom of this hill, which the dogs weren't able to get up because the bushland is so dense. I guess that what they believe has happened is because there is this water traveling down the hill, I guess there's this like erosion channel, as they described it to me, coming down this hill.
17:03 Speaker 01 They believe that the scent could have been carried um over perhaps a couple of hundred metres. So they weren't able to get up this hill and do a thorough search of that area. Um. But now, I guess, in light of what the police have confirmed that they were in the wrong spot when they carried out that 2015 search, they're now trying to raise money so they can come back to Western Australia and do another really thorough search of that bushland.
17:34 Speaker 00 Hearing that uh dog evidence was really chilling, that all of them laid down. So that's got to mean something. Did Peter, did Peter and Barry pass this on to WA Police? Have they done any extra searches? Was it kind of enough evidence for them?
17:51 Speaker 01 Yeah, so not long after that search, Barry McIntosh wrote to WA Police and requested another search of that bushland. Initially, police did reply to him and say that um another search was proposed by police, but they needed time and um I guess to to work out the exact area and that sort of thing. But unfortunately, a few months later, they changed their mind. And and the reason they gave to me was because Barry and Peter had searched that area in 2024, and that was, in fact, the correct coordinates that the prison officer gave.
18:31 Speaker 01 Um. That that area has been searched, and so there's no point in in police doing another search. Um. So unfortunately, they've declined that request from Barry, but he's not giving up, and he's now trying to crowdfund money so that he can bring that team of cadaver dogs and and bring the drone technology back to Northcliffe and and conduct a new search of the area.
18:57 Speaker 00 When he says he wants to do a new search, is he pretty certain of the exact area that he needs to go next? Like, how big of a kind of area are we looking at?
19:06 Speaker 01 My understanding from how it's been described to me is that the search would take maximum two to three days. It's not a a big area of bushland. Um. They've I guess been able to with that scent from the um the cadaver dogs and and going back to the prison officer and having more conversations, they've really been able to kind of pinpoint a pretty small area of bushland. So it it wouldn't take much. Um yeah, like I said, a a couple of days, three days at most, as I understand it. But because Barry and Peter are
19:46 Speaker 01 in Victoria, it's not, you know, it it takes time and it takes money and you've got to organise a team of cadaver dogs, you've got to organise the drone technology, accommodation, all that sort of thing. So it's more of a logistical challenge, I guess, of of actually organising it rather than the search itself, if that makes sense.
20:09 Speaker 00 Well, I can see on the GoFundMe that Barry's trying to raise nine thousand dollars. So he's basically just waiting for the funds to then be able to do this final search to hopefully then get answers. Is that where we're at?
20:20 Speaker 01 Yeah, so now where it stands today is Barry's put together the the um the online fundraiser, the GoFundMe, and he's trying to raise, I think, yeah, he's put nine thousand dollars there. And that will allow him to pay for travel, um to pay for travel for um the cadaver dogs, that sort of thing. So yeah, if he's able to raise those funds, he plans to um get back to WA later this year and hopefully cross off that area. Because you know, it's a lead, but I I'm also aware that um, you know, it it might not be them. But as you know, I was
21:02 Speaker 01 having a chat with the um cadaver dog trainer and he said, you know, I stand by my dogs a hundred percent. I'm really confident in their abilities. But at the same time, it might not be them. It could be somebody else. But he said, it's important that we go back to that area and do another search so that we can find out and at least, at the very least, cross it off the list.
21:25 Speaker 00 How do Chantel's parents feel about this? So many years later, having such a breakthrough, such a kind of glimmer of hope? How are they coping with it?
21:34 Speaker 01 Honestly, I think this is something that they've dealt with before. This has been their life for nearly 20 years. And so I'm really aware when we're talking about this as a hope on the horizon or potentially answers on the horizon. They have been through this before of having hope and potentially having answers and then feeling let down and, you know, just having more questions. I guess, you know, I can liken it to when they found out that Simon Cadwell's true identity was Gary Felton. At the time, I imagine that would have been such a huge breakthrough. And like, surely this is leading to answers.
22:16 Speaker 01 Surely something is going to come of this and then nothing. So I'm, I'm really aware that it, it could be the same again, but it also might not be. And that's a really difficult place to be in. And I know that they do want that area searched, but I'm, I'm sure without putting words in their mouth, I'm sure that it's, it's something that you have to balance, that, that hope and just, um, remaining realistic and knowing that this has been something that you've dealt with for nearly two decades.
22:48 Speaker 00 You've been working on this case for quite a while now. Where does this put you? Are you also waiting or, or what's next for you with this story?
22:58 Speaker 01 Absolutely. As you can imagine, um, it's hard not to spend so much time with these people and with their story and not feel incredibly invested in it. And it would be wonderful if doing this podcast has in some way pushed the, the case forward. I will certainly be staying with it. And, you know, it's even though, um, the, the podcast has come out, as you know, with podcasts, you can always make another episode. So where it stands is, um, you know, the, the podcast is out, but it's, I have not stopped looking into the, the circumstances around the disappearance.
23:38 Speaker 01 And I will be absolutely bringing listeners an update on any significant developments that we have from, from now on, which, you know, would be wonderful to be able to do. But yeah, it's certainly not the end of the road for me, that's for sure.
23:54 Speaker 00 Thanks to Dom for sharing this update with us. You can listen to the podcast Expanse the Nun Up For at the link in our show notes. We've also linked to the GoFundMe page to raise money for a final search if you'd like to donate. This episode did discuss suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.
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