Peter Falconio's final resting place? Investigators retrace steps of Outback killer who murdered British backpacker and identify possible location for his grave

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 15:23, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 15:24, 8 July 2026 Two of the world's top investigative specialists believe they could have found where British backpacker Peter Falconio's murderer took his body. Bradley John Murdoch killed Mr Falconio, 28, and assaulted his girlfriend Joanne Lees at gunpoint on a remote stretch of road in Australia 25 years ago. The couple were travelling in a camper van when Murdoch ambushed them on the Stuart Highway, an isolated route running through the centre of the country. Murdoch was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for at least 28 years following the attack near Barrow Creek in the Northern Territory in July 2001. The killer was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019 and moved to palliative care from Alice Springs Correctional Centre before dying in July last year. Murdoch is thought to have disposed of Mr Falconio's body somewhere in the remote desert between Alice Springs and Broome, covering more than 1,200 miles. But despite repeated searches of the area, Mr Falconio's body has never been found - and may never be after Murdoch took the secret of where it was buried to his grave. Now, a new documentary airing on U&W has re-examined the case with two leading investigators - Kathy Canning-Mello, a former FBI criminal profiler; and Dr Mark Harrison, a geoforensic search specialist and expert in no-body homicides. British murder victim Peter Falconio, 28, from Huddersfield, with his girlfriend Joanne Lees A remote building in Australia's Northern Territory which is identified as a location for his body Bradley John Murdoch was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for at least 28 years The site is an abandoned racecourse about five miles away from the scene of the murder Kathy Canning-Mello, a former FBI criminal profiler, investigates the location in the programme The investigaors say Murdoch would have considered the building as a good body disposal site Ms Canning-Mello is joined in the programme by geoforensic search specialist Mark Harrison They looked back at Murdoch's life, offending, criminal profile and behaviours, working with new technology and the latest forensic techniques to uncover new insights into his motives and try to determine where Mr Falconio is buried. In an exclusive clip shared with the Daily Mail ahead of 'Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder' airing on U&W next Monday, the investigative duo are seen visiting a remote building and looking around for clues as to whether it could be the location. Ms Canning-Mello says: 'He's going to consider this a potentially good body disposal site for Peter. He knows it's been disused for a couple of years, there's not going to be anyone that's going to be interfering with his plan. 'He knows 'I can make sure that this body is not found'. He surmises that the police are probably going to be covering this area. So he's going to be pretty careful about the location that he chooses. 'The thing is that even though he was in haste and he's impulsive, the way that he disposed of Peter's body, it was effective and it was efficient. No one's found Peter's body for 25 years so whatever decision he chose, it worked for him.' The site identified by the investigators is an abandoned racecourse about five miles away and less than ten minutes' drive from the scene of the murder. Mr Falconio and Ms Lees, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, had been driving near the tiny settlement of Barrow Creek, around 188 miles north of Alice Springs, when Murdoch pulled up beside them claiming to have seen sparks coming from their van. He shot Mr Falconio in the head as he inspected the vehicle, before forcing Ms Lees into his vehicle and binding her wrists with cable ties. She managed to escape, hiding in the Outback for hours before flagging down a passing truck. Mr Falconio's parents Joan and Luciano Falconio said last year that they felt relief following Murdoch's death but they had hoped he would reveal where the body was before he died and 'still hold out hope that his remains will be found'. Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees were driving in a camper van when Murdoch ambushed them The Stuart Highway (pictured) is an isolated route running through the centre of Australia Murdoch was driving a pick-up truck (pictured) and pulled up beside the couple Murdoch was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019 and died in July last year They added: 'The awful thing is our family's future with Peter was cruelly taken away. Today we instead focus on the three children we have left and our grandchildren.' Mrs Falconio, who turns 80 this year, gave a further interview to The Australian Women's Weekly last month, in which she said: 'We haven't found Peter's body, so there is no moving on. 'There can never be closure unless we find him. We live life as best we can in the circumstances.' She also said her other three sons – Mark, Nicholas and Paul – were 'doing alright', adding: 'That's where our focus lies. With them and our grandchildren.'  After Murdoch died last year, the Northern Territory Police Force confirmed he did not provide any fresh information about the location of Mr Falconio's body prior to his death. The force described this as a 'deeply regrettable' silence which 'denied the Falconio family the closure they have so long deserved' – but said officers remained 'committed to resolving this final piece of the investigation'. In Murdoch's final months, Mr and Mrs Falconio made one final appeal by recording a 20-minute video for the killer, asking him to tell them where their son was. But Murdoch was reported to have refused even to watch the message, allegedly shouting at officers to 'get out' of his hospital room. Ms Lees, who returned to the UK, told Australian current affairs programme 60 Minutes in 2017 that she still wanted to 'bring him home'. Peter Falconio's parents Joan and Luciano at the Northern Territory Supreme Court in 2005 The camper van belonging to Joanne Lees and Peter Falconio was impounded as evidence  Joanne Lees arrives at the Northern Territory Supreme Court in Darwin in November 2005  'Pete lost his life on that night, but I lost mine too,' she said at the time. 'I'll never be fully at peace if Pete's not found, but I accept that that is a possibility.' Murdoch lodged several unsuccessful appeals over the years, with Australia's highest court refusing to hear his case in 2007. In June last year, police announced a new AUD$500,000 (£260,000) reward for information leading to the discovery of Mr Falconio's remains.  The new documentary 'Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder', which will also air on Channel Nine in Australia, will explore the events surrounding Mr Falconio's disappearance and the investigation that followed. The series also takes a fresh look at Ms Lees, whose actions and behaviour following the attack became the focus of intense police interrogation after her account of what happened was met with doubt. It considers whether Ms Lees was unfairly judged and considers how attitudes towards women victims in high-profile cases have changed since the case. UKTV commissioning executive Tracy-Jean said: 'As an Australian living in the UK, I remember the years that this was front page news, so needed the right reason to resurface such a tragic situation.' She added that the documentary offers a 'new perspective on Murdoch's mindset and an attempt to bring some comfort to those who are still missing Peter'. 'Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder' will be broadcast in the UK on U&W at 9pm on Monday, July 13 and will also be available to stream on U from that date.  In Australia, it will be broadcast on Channel Nine on Tuesday, July 14 at 8.30pm