THE mum of murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio fears his killer, who is close to death with throat cancer, will never reveal where her son’s body lies.
The 28-year-old tourist who was shot dead by motor mechanic Bradley John Murdoch nearly 24 years ago and has never been found.
He was murdered by Bradley John Murdoch – who is now close to death with cancer[/caption]
Joan Falconio spoke out today amid reports that Murdoch, now receiving end of life care after been transferred from prison, was set to make an “explosive” deathbed confession.
There was confusion over whether he would take his secret with him or had “forgotten” where he dumped the traveller’s remains.
She said of the wheelchair-bound murderer: “We think he’ll take that with him to the grave.”
“We just want to bring our son home after all these years but we’re not sure we ever will. We don’t think that will every happen.”
Asked how she felt about the notorious Outback killer, 67, being given palliative care, she said: “I don’t have any feelings about him after taking Peter’s life. I don’t like to think about him.”
She revealed the family was not initially informed by either the British or Australian authorities that Murdoch was dying in hospital.
They were contacted following major media attention across the globe.
Speaking from her home near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where she lives with husband Luciano, 80, Joan said: “As a family we are doing alright, life just has to go on.”
Joan, 77, who has three other sons, said they haven’t travelled to Australia since a memorial was placed for 28-year-old Peter at a random spot in the Outback in 2016, which she described as “most fitting.”
She said: “We’ve not been out there, it is a long way, and we are not in the best of health.”
Murdoch was convicted in 2005 of shooting dead Peter and ambushing his Brit girlfriend Joanne Lees before she made a harrowing escape on the night of July 14, 2001.
The backpacker’s body has never been found.
Joan said: “We think he’ll take that to the grave in his final act.”
He had tricked the couple as they drove on a remote highway between Alice Springs and Darwin in their VW Kombi camper van on a dream trip.
The ruthless drug runner and murderer is now wheelchair-bound and “just about dead”, a source has told the Northern Territory News.
Joan has previously said: “My son’s life stopped on a lonely road – shot dead by cowardly Murdoch, who will not reveal where or what he did with him.
Murdoch has been transferred to palliative care to live out his final days[/caption]
A toolbox containing cable ties and tape was presented as evidence to the jury[/caption]
“Our pain is always with us. We want to bring Peter home where he belongs, near his family.”
The lead investigator into the death of the tragic traveller has this week revealed that his killer will likely die before helping to locate his body.
News of his terminal cancer battle prompted Northern Territory police to double their reward for information that led to the location to $500,000.
Former NT police officer Colleen Gwynne has suggested the killer may not know where the body is body, reportedly saying: “There is potential that, with the stress that (Murdoch) was under, the fact that Joanne escaped and he had a victim that was now at large, that he may have forgotten exactly where he disposed of the body.”
However, true crime author Robin Bowles claims that the killer, jailed for life, will make an “explosive” deathbed statement to him but not share with detectives.
Peter Falconio case timeline
by Harvey Geh
PETER Falconio was shot dead in the Australian outback while travelling with girlfriend Joanne Lees in July 2001.
He was 28 years old when he was tragically shot by a man who flagged down the van he was driving.
The man was 43-year-old drug smuggler Bradley John Murdoch.
Murdoch shot Falconio in the head before bundling Lees into his car and binding her with cable ties.
She managed to escape and hide in bushes for five hours, before she ran into the road and waved down a passing truck.
Lees soon became a prime suspect in her boyfriend’s murder after claims she appeared “emotionless” after the incident.
But it was later revealed she had taken the sedative Valium to help her handle her horror ordeal.
Police were never able to locate Falconio’s remains.
Reports in February 2023 detailed that police had found some bones near Alice Springs that were being tested to see if they were the remains of Peter Falconio.
The reports were later rubbished with authorities stating: “No human remains have been located by Northern Territory Police, and a search is not currently being conducted.”
Murdoch has launched several appeals against his conviction, but he remains in prison in the Northern Territory.
He will be 74 years old when he is eligible for parole in 2032.
