The Boy in the Water

The final witness to appear for this first phase of the inquest is the man who was in charge of the reinvestigation into Lachie’s death, Detective Inspector Stu Harvey.

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The police dog handler who found Lachie with his dog Gee gives his evidence in closed court.

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Bill Little, who’s been in the job for more than 30 years, sets the record straight about process, protocol and who is responsible for what. 

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The pathologist who conducted the post mortem on Lachie tells the inquest they didn’t even have the right equipment to do pediatric autopsies in Southland. 

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A former police officer who worked under Senior Sergeant Cynthia Fairley refutes her assertion that he was in charge of the investigation into Lachie’s death.

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The pressure is on to find out who was responsible, who was in charge, and who turned around the autopsy. 

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Senior Sergeant Cynthia Fairley, the police officer at the centre of the case, is in the witness box. 

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The first of the police officers scheduled to appear at the inquest takes to the witness stand, and we begin to hear about the confusion over who was in charge of the investigation into Lachie's death.

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The sighting of a mysterious shirtless man, what one of Lachie's preschool teachers remembers about him, and the two paramedics who worked on the little boy's lifeless body all feature in this collection of shorter witness testimonies.

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The police’s lawyer tackles Paul about making claims that Michelle and her sons had something to do with Lachie’s death.

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Paul is questioned about his relationship with Michelle and the events on the day and night leading up to Lachie’s death.

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You could have heard a pin drop in courtroom four when a new witness was asked why he thought something he saw could relate to the death of Lachie Jones.

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Kimberley Rogers, who says she was friends with Michelle Officer for 17 years, tells the inquest Michelle kept changing her story about Lachie running away. 

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The neighbours from the street who searched for Lachie, and the friends who were there that night, all take the stand. 

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The police hat, the yellow vest, who saw what, and what was accurate?

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Lachie's other brother tells the inquest about his family relationships, and his movements on January 29, 2019. You can also click here to see photos of the gate and fence to the sewage oxidation ponds on our Instagram.

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Hearing but not seeing Lachie, and the surprise on the 111 call.

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We hear from Lachie's brother for the first time as he is cross-examined about what happened that day and night.

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In this special bonus epsiode, Melanie Reid discusses the first days of the inquest with colleague Bonnie Sumner.

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Timings, layouts and lines of sight are all explored – and questions are raised about dope smoking.

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On day two of the inquest, Lachie’s mother goes head to head with Paul Jones’ lawyer as he puts it to her that she covered up her son’s death.

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The questioning of Lachie’s mother continues with a forensic examination of the day her son died.  

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Emotional scenes play out in the Invercargill courthouse on day one of the coronial inquest, when Lachie’s mother is cross examined by Paul Jones’ lawyer.

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From Melanie Reid Investigates comes the brand new season of The Boy in the Water. Listen as we follow the coronial inquest into the death of three-and-a-half year old Lachlan Jones, whose lifeless body was found face up in a sewage oxidation pond in the small town of Gore in January 2019.

We have been covering this case for more than four years now. In Season One we revealed multiple flaws in the police investigation and uncovered new evidence that cast serious doubt about the circumstances surrounding Lachie’s death. Then, in August 2023, the coroner announced he would be holding an inquest into Lachie’s death.

In Season Two, we take you directly inside the courtroom during the inquest to hear the voices and evidence of the key people involved in this gripping case.

Melanie and her team will be travelling to Invercargill at the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island to cover the three-week inquest in May 2024, followed by another two weeks in August. 

Season Two of The Boy In The Water is coming soon to newsroom.co.nz and wherever you get your podcasts.

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We reveal an important update from the coroner’s office, plus a radio interview with Melanie Reid on The Detail.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Watch the video version of The American Detective, read about the police review into the case, and listen to our award-winning podcast Peter Ellis, the Creche Case & Me.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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In the astonishing season finale, a ‘big gun’ US retired forensic detective is on the case - and she’s not going to stop until she finds the truth.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Lachie’s graveside birthday celebration, and an ex-police officer reveals the culture of bullying and burnout at the Gore police station.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Inside the small town Gore courtroom - the disappointment, the heartache and Paul Jones tells it like it is.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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The twists and turns continue when we hear the police statements of Lachie’s mother, brother and a teenager who lived on the street.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Mysterious and tragic circumstances surround the night Lachie’s body was found.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Volatile relationships and police call-outs - what was going on leading up to Lachie’s death?

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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The whole town gets drawn into the case as the local council is charged in relation to Lachie's death.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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The mystery surrounding the death of Lachie Jones deepens after our team sends lung tissue samples to an international forensic pathologist.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Officials jump to an early and dubious conclusion when a three-year-old boy's body is found floating in a town's sewage ponds.

Presented by award-winning Newsroom Investigates editor Melanie Reid. Discover more at Newsroom.co.nz.

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Newsroom’s electrifying new podcast takes you inside a small town harbouring a big mystery. After the lifeless body of three-year-old Lachie Jones is found floating in an oxidation pond in the Southland town of Gore, police rule his death a tragic accident. But nothing is what it seems. Newsroom’s investigations editor Melanie Reid has spent three years covering this case, revealing multiple flaws in the police investigation and uncovering new evidence that casts serious doubt about the circumstances surrounding Lachie’s death. In The Boy in the Water, Reid unravels the case – and the secrets – in an attempt to find out what really happened to little Lachie Jones. The Boy In The Water is coming soon to newsroom.co.nz and wherever you get your podcasts.

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