On October 19, 1997, Sally Leydon called her brother Owen to ask if their mum, Marion Barter—who was on a year-long trip overseas—had phoned for his birthday. When Owen said no, Sally felt uneasy. Marion never missed birthdays.
She’d last heard from her mum in August, calling from the UK. But it was the '90s—no constant contact, no photo trail. Marion had vanished.
Someone suggested checking her bank account. A bank employee paused when Sally mentioned Marion was overseas, saying that they were seeing large withdrawals from her account.
That moment sparked Sally’s decades-long search for answers. A missing mother, a hidden identity, and a trail of secrets would become the focus of one of Australia's most gripping podcasts: The Lady Vanishes.
Find out more about The Missing Matter podcast here.
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CREDITS
Guest: Sally Leydon
Host: Claire Murphy
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
