Peter Falconio conspiracy theories from ‘faked death’ to girlfriend wrongly accused

Australian Police are still searching for the remains of British backpacker Peter Falconio who went missing while on holiday with his girlfriend in the outback in 2001

Peter Falconio and his girlfriend Joanne Lees were on the adventure of a lifetime when their trip across Australia’s remote outback turned into a nightmare.

On July 14, 2001, Peter, 28, was murdered after a roadside encounter on the Stuart Highway between Alice Springs and Darwin. His killer, Bradley John Murdoch, flagged down the couple’s camper van under the pretext of mechanical trouble.

Within moments, Peter was shot dead and Joanne was bound with cable ties. In a daring escape, she fled into the scrub, later flagging down a passing truck driver for help. Though Murdoch was convicted of murder in 2005, Peter’s body has never been found.

READ MORE: Chilling moment man drags woman into truck as police issue urgent warning

Police in Australia have revealed they’ve received detailed tip-offs on the whereabouts of the remains of the murdered British backpacker after Murdoch died of throat cancer this week.

The mystery surrounding his disappearance has spawned countless documentaries, podcasts, and an enduring web of conspiracy theories as Murdoch consistently denied his involvement up until his death.

False girlfriend claims

In the chaotic weeks following the attack, Joanne Lees faced intense media scrutiny and suspicion. Some wrongly questioned whether she could have played a part in Peter’s disappearance.

The misplaced doubts stemmed from what critics claimed were “inconsistencies” in her initial statements and her restrained public demeanour. As one of the few witnesses in a case without a body, police and commentators began to ask tough, unfounded questions.

However, DNA evidence found on Joanne’s t-shirt and camper van gear stick linked Murdoch to the crime, and eyewitness testimony confirmed his involvement. Investigators cleared Joanne of suspicion, but some conspiracy theorists still unfairly question her to this day.

Peter Falconio ‘faked his own death’

Another wild theory suggests Peter may have staged his own death and disappeared into the vast Australian wilderness to start a new life.

Sleuths point to the absence of a body and claim he could have planned his escape before the trip.

But there is no credible evidence supporting this idea. The presence of Peter’s blood at the crime scene, combined with Joanne’s harrowing account and the swift actions of police, cancels out this possibility.

Was Peter’s body hidden forever?

In 2017, an anonymous letter sent to a Darwin newspaper claimed that Murdoch had cut up Peter’s body, placed it in bin bags, and instructed an associate to dissolve it in acid before disposing of it in a Perth river.

The letter alleged the associate ignored these instructions and instead buried the remains in remote Western Australia.

Police investigated the claim but found no trace of Peter. Others speculate that Murdoch may have deliberately withheld the location – or even forgotten it entirely.

Repeated searches of wells and cattle stations in the region have failed to locate any remains, leaving Peter’s family without closure.

Could Murdoch have an accomplice?

Some suggest Murdoch may not have acted alone and that an unknown accomplice helped cover up Peter’s murder.

Conspiracists say the Australian outback is too vast to hide a body without assistance, but no evidence has emerged of a second perpetrator.

Unsolved

Today, Joanne Lees is said to live a quiet life in Australia, reportedly working as a social worker. Now in her 50s, she remains unmarried and has rarely spoken publicly about the ordeal since publishing her memoir No Turning Back in 2006.

Peter’s family, who consider Joanne as “like a daughter,” continue to grieve without answers. His mother, Joan, has led repeated efforts to search for his body, most recently in 2019, but to no avail.