<p>Introducing...The Lab Detective</p><br><p>Kathleen Folbigg experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective turned up at her door, and arrested Kathleen on suspicion of murder. </p><br><p>She was labelled ‘Australia's worst female serial killer’, convicted, and was destined to spend most of the rest of her life in jail. </p><br><p>Until a different type of detective entered her life. A scientist working in a lab who uncovered the truth behind the deaths. </p><br><p>This is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, but as journalist Rachel Sylvester starts to investigate how this happened, she learns that Kathleen is not alone – other mothers have endured the same fate, and may also be in prison. </p><br><p>The Lab Detective is a story about the power of science, and the determination of those searching for the truth.</p><br><p>The full series is available to listen now. </p><br><p>Our thanks to <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-04-28_science-uncovered-the-truth-of-why-my-children-died-and-set-me-free" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Francis Crick Institute</a> for sharing recordings and insights. </p><p>You can watch a <a href="http://www.crick.ac.uk/genomics-video" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">short documentary</a> on the genomics team behind Kathleen Folbigg's case filmed at the Crick.</p><br><p>Reporters: Rachel Sylvester </p><p>Producer: Gary Marshall</p><p>Executive editor: Basia Cummings </p><p>Music supervisor: Karla Patella </p><p>Sound design: Rowan Bishop </p><p>Artwork: Lola Williams </p><p>Fact checking: Ada Barume and Madeline Parr</p><br><p>To find out more about The Observer:</p><br><p>Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content</p><p>Head to our website <a href="http://observer.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">observer.co.uk</a> </p><p>Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists</p><p>If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact <a href="mailto:hello@tortoisemedia.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hello@tortoisemedia.com</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
| Title | Date published | ||
| Myths and monsters | The Lab Detective Ep4 | 2025-08-05 | ||
| Science versus the law | The Lab Detective Ep3 | 2025-07-29 | ||
| The eureka moment | The Lab Detective Ep2 | 2025-07-22 | ||
| Three is murder | The Lab Detective Ep1 | 2025-07-22 | ||
| Introducing...The Lab Detective | 2025-07-15 | ||
| An update on the story | Lucky Boy | 2025-06-06 | ||
| Lucky Boys | Lucky Boy Ep4 | 2025-03-10 | ||
| The school | Lucky Boy Ep3 | 2025-03-04 | ||
| The relationship | Lucky Boy Ep2 | 2025-02-25 | ||
| Gareth | Lucky Boy Ep1 | 2025-02-25 | ||
| Introducing...Lucky Boy | 2025-02-25 | ||
| A star is born | Elon's Spies Ep4 | 2024-11-12 | ||
| Amber | Elon's Spies Ep3 | 2024-10-22 | ||
| Horrible human being | Elon's Spies Ep2 | 2024-10-15 | ||
| Pedo guy | Elon's Spies Ep1 | 2024-10-08 | ||
| Introducing...Elon's Spies | 2024-10-01 | ||
| The lawsuit | Master Ep 7 | 2024-09-14 | ||
| The phone calls | Master Ep 6 | 2024-09-12 | ||
| The NDAs | Master Ep 5 | 2024-09-12 | ||
| The fan | Master Ep 4 | 2024-09-12 |