Australian True Crime – “Father, Teacher, Child Killer”

Podcast: Australian True Crime
Date: February 8, 2026
Host: Meshel Laurie
Guest: Michael Madigan (journalist and author of Father, Teacher, Child Killer)

Episode Overview

This episode examines the chilling true story of Dieter Fenwick, a South Australian schoolteacher and father turned convicted child murderer. Host Meshel Laurie interviews journalist Michael Madigan, whose book Father, Teacher, Child Killer delves into Fenwick's crimes, their investigation, and the broader context of unsolved child abductions and murders in Australia. The conversation covers not just Fenwick’s crimes, but also a pattern of disappearances involving children in the 1970s–1980s, institutional failure, and the toll on victims’ families.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

South Australia’s Dark True Crime Legacy

• Under-recognized cases:
  • “Sometimes South Australian stories are a little bit forgotten, but look, there’s a whole heap of stories that if you, if you really look into it, they are almost... you can almost say that Dieter might have been involved with every one of them. I mean, how many serial killers of children are there in South Australia?” – Michael Madigan [01:23]
• Clustering of unsolved child abductions and murders around Adelaide over several decades

The Difficulty of Investigating Child Disappearances

• Lack of technology in the pre-digital era made child abductions incredibly hard to solve
• “If I went missing, police can contact my friends, family, workmates, but a child hasn’t got that history. So it is very, very difficult.” – Michael Madigan [04:52]

The Case of Eloise Worledge (Melbourne, 1976)

• 8-year-old Eloise disappeared from her bedroom; torn flyscreen suggested abduction
• Parents initially suspected but exonerated
• Later investigations revealed presence of multiple paedophile schoolteachers in her school at the time – exposure of a broader systemic issue in education about moving alleged offenders rather than reporting them
• “I was actually quite shocked myself that the government schools in Victoria were doing the same thing.” – Michael Madigan [10:01]

The Disappearance of Louise Bell (Adelaide, 1983)

• 10-year-old Louise vanished from her bedroom under remarkably similar circumstances to Eloise
• Connection sought between cases due to method (torn window screen, similar victim age)
• Notable developments:
  • A neighbor, Mrs. S, received disturbing calls from a man with a German accent, providing details only the perpetrator would know (including where to find Louise’s earrings) [15:19]
  • Perpetrator left Louise’s pajama top folded on the neighbor’s lawn [18:12], crucial forensic evidence later
  • Forensics linked the pajamas’ unique soil and algae to a local river, searching for a dump site but nothing was found

Miscarriage of Justice: Raymond Giesing

• Known sex offender living near Louise Bell; evidence circumstantial (debris comparison, hearsay)
• Convicted largely on the testimony of prison inmates, who later admitted to fabricating their stories [24:32]
• Conviction overturned, devastating the Bell family and police, returning the investigation to square one

The Michael Black Case (Murray Bridge, 1989)

• 10-year-old Michael Black failed to return from fishing alone; belongings found neatly stacked (out of character) on opposite riverbank
• Suspicions initially leaned toward accidental drowning, but sightings and “timeline” built by local police revealed the presence of a suspicious man in a van
• Similar M.O. to other unsolved abduction cases; deliberate, risky behavior
• “Michael would never disobey his instructions. And Michael’s a notorious untidy young boy like every 10 year old boys are and he would never leave his stuff neatly in a, in a little neatly pile.” – Michael Madigan [27:12]

The Surviving Victim – “Robert”

• In 1989, a 13-year-old boy (“Robert”) lured by a man (Fenwick) in a van under the pretense of needing help, abducted, tied up, sexually assaulted
• Remarkable survival: Robert observed house address, managed to escape while Fenwick was out buying cigarettes [38:49]
• “This little boy had courage and had a will to live. He knew that Fennec is not going to back off. And so he started to wriggle his little fingers in and out of the knots...” – Michael Madigan [39:34]

The Undoing of Fenwick

• Arrested after Robert’s escape, linked to Michael Black by similar methods and witness statements
• Forensics: Pajama top from the Louise Bell case preserved DNA that, decades later, implicated Fenwick
• “The prosecutor came out on day one, said it was a billion to one chance that it wasn’t Dieter Fennick. That’s how strong they believe the case was.” – Michael Madigan [51:55]
• Fenwick denied guilt, yet confided to inmates about his murders
• Despite conviction, he never revealed the locations of victims’ remains

The Perpetrator’s Double Life

• Fenwick portrayed as charming, intelligent, loved by colleagues and family for years
• “I’ve spoken to people who found him charming, good looking, got on well with women at school, he was a reasonable teacher. I spoke to his daughter Petra and she said he was a good dad. So they can disguise their hidden ugliness, evilness. They have two different lives.” – Michael Madigan [47:29]
• His daughter Petra testified against him, demonstrating courage and complexity in reconciling his parental kindness and monstrous crimes

Broader Implications & Speculation

• Madigan suggests possible involvement of Fenwick in other notorious cases:
  • Eloise Worledge (“When Fennec was talking to the neighbor, he mispronounced Louise. He said, eloise is in trouble. Whether that again is another decoy, we will never know.” [54:32])
  • Connection to the Adelaide Oval abductions: Fenwick taught at Kirsty Gordon’s school; lived near victims
  • No wild accusations, but a pattern of proximity, opportunity, and method

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On child homicide investigations:

  • “There’s so many conspirators out there. And some of the stories are just ridiculous. And I felt like the Bell family and the Black family deserved to get a factual account of what actually did happen.” – Michael Madigan [02:23]

• On Fenwick's manipulation:

  • “He was a master manipulator... He also said that Louise was happy with them, as in plural. He also said that Louise needed medical help... but I really believe it was all about publicity and Louise had already departed, had passed away.” – Michael Madigan [17:09]

• On systematic failures in institutions:

  • “I was actually quite shocked myself that the government schools in Victoria were doing the same thing [as churches],” – Michael Madigan [10:01]

• On the nature of such offenders:

  • “To take a step of killing is another beast in itself.” – Michael Madigan [46:43]
  • “He knew how to be a teacher, he knew how to be a father, but really what they want is they want to be evil.” – Michael Madigan [57:37]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:07] – Introduction to Fenwick case and Michael Madigan’s book
• [01:23] – Discussion of South Australia’s “forgotten” cases and potential serial offender
• [05:24] – Eloise Worledge’s disappearance, family background, and school context
• [11:58] – Louise Bell’s abduction, police comparisons to Eloise’s case
• [15:19] – The mysterious phone calls to the Bell’s neighbor
• [18:12] – The pajama top left on the neighbor’s lawn – key forensic evidence
• [22:32] – Raymond Giesing’s arrest, wrongful conviction, and exoneration
• [27:12] – Michael Black’s last day; evidence and initial theories
• [34:48] – “Robert” (1989 survivor) abduction; the ordeal and escape
• [39:34] – Details of Robert’s escape and its impact
• [43:13] – Fenwick places himself at the crimes through own statements
• [46:28] – Fenwick’s conviction for Michael Black’s murder
• [47:29] – Fenwick’s double life and family testimony
• [51:55] – Role of DNA evidence in Fenwick’s eventual Louise Bell conviction
• [54:32] – Speculation on links to Eloise Worledge and Adelaide Oval cases
• [57:37] – Final reflections on evil and compartmentalization
• [60:16] – Rationale for writing on such dark cases

Tone and Language

• Conversational, somber, and empathetic; sharply factual without sensationalism
• Deep respect shown for victims, families, and survivors
• Occasional attempts to make sense of the scale and horror without resorting to conspiracy or hyperbole

Conclusion

This episode weaves together a complex, devastating tapestry of Australian child murder cases, highlighting the difficulties in investigating such crimes, the trauma for families, and the chilling duality of perpetrators like Dieter Fenwick. The conversation is detailed, sensitive, and grounded, providing listeners with insight beyond headlines—into the failures, breakthroughs, and people at the heart of these tragic stories.

Further Reading:
Father, Teacher, Child Killer by Michael Madigan

Support for Listeners:
If you need support after listening, contact Lifeline (13 11 14), 1800 Respect (1800 737 732), or 13 YARN (13 92 76 for Indigenous Australians)