Australian True Crime – Shortcut: What happened to 3-year-old Lachie Jones?

Podcast Host: Bravecasting
Guests: Melanie Reed (Investigative Journalist), Bonnie Sumner (Investigative Journalist), Paul Jones (Lachie’s father)
Date: January 21, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode examines the mysterious 2019 death of 3-year-old New Zealand boy Lachie Jones, who was found face up in an oxygenation pond about a kilometre from his house. Although police quickly ruled it an accidental drowning, Lachie’s father, Paul Jones, believed there was more to the story and sought the help of journalists Melanie Reed and Bonnie Sumner, hosts of the true crime podcast Delve: The Boy in the Water. The Australian True Crime team brings them on for an in-depth discussion of the case, media investigation, and the complexities that have fueled ongoing speculation and controversy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Basic Facts and Early Police Response

• Discovery of Lachie's Body ([01:02]):
  • Melanie Reed describes the official story: police said Lachie left home alone and made his way over 1.2 km (later disputed as possibly 800–900 meters) to the pond, where he allegedly drowned.
  • Melanie voices early skepticism: “He was found face up, which is highly unusual. No water in his lungs, highly unusual. The police dog found no scent… just none of that sort of stacked up.” ([01:02])
• Father’s Relentless Pursuit ([01:55]):
  • Paul Jones was unsatisfied by the police investigation and persistently contacted journalists to get the story examined.
  • Melanie Reed recounts her first in-person encounter: “It was one of those situations where I kind of turned up and he took me on this walk. It was this incredibly gray, cold day. I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life... it was just like, wow, this doesn't stack.” ([02:43])

Contentious Family Dynamics and Alibis

• Parents' Relationship Status ([04:04]):

  • Paul Jones and Michelle Officer (Lachie’s mother) had a fraught history, including allegations of abuse and legal restrictions. By the time of Lachie’s death, those restrictions had been lifted, and Paul had stayed at the house, with apparent attempts at reconciliation.
  • Melanie Reed: “Text between each other were kind of bordering on, kind of a bit flirtatious… at the time… it wasn’t a hostile situation.” ([05:17])
  • The host notes Michelle denies any attempt at reconciliation, asserting at minimum they were “talking.” ([05:08])

• Mother's Account of the Night ([05:35]):

  • Bonnie Sumner recounts Michelle Officer’s police statement detailing how Lachie, in a soiled nappy, ran off twice that night. After an initial search, police were called at 9:36 pm. Lachie was found after 11 pm, approximately two hours after going missing.
  • Key detail: Lachie was found floating face up, with a replica police hat nearby.

Disputed Evidence and Unlikely Sequence of Events

• Improbable Circumstances ([07:46], [08:30]):

  • Reed lists improbable elements: a 3-year-old walking barefoot over a kilometer at night with no marks on his feet, full nappy, no water in lungs, and no scent trail for the police dog.
  • “They’re all possible, but when you pile them up… collectively, it’s pretty interesting when you stack them all up.” ([08:30])

• Police and Coroner Analysis ([09:12]):

  • The coroner considered Michelle Officer’s evidence “unreliable,” citing likely shame and embarrassment about her parenting, casting further doubt on the mother's timeline.
  • The host: “[He] felt as though she was ashamed of elements of her parenting, embarrassed, and so gave answers that were inaccurate because she thought it was what you were meant to do.” ([09:12])

Rumors, Allegations, and Theories

• Extreme Rumors and Social Theories ([03:16], [10:59]):

  • The host notes wild local rumors—claims that Lachie’s body was cold as if kept in a freezer, and even speculation about deliberate killing earlier in the day.
  • Accusations against Michelle Officer and her sons were put to them, including storing the body in a freezer and fabricating alibis.

• Coroner’s Findings ([11:31], [14:16]):

  • Coroner concluded Michelle Officer “had nothing to do with his death.”
  • Memorable quote (Legal Commentator): “I accept that a morally moribund mother who accidentally killed her child in a moment… might well panic and try to cover it up. But I do not think a natural reaction would be for her to pick up the phone and order a pizza with extra aioli.” ([11:36])
  • Melanie Reed outlines the journalists’ motivation: “Police really made such a rash conclusion that he had drowned… it was almost immediate… our job as journalists is really to ensure that we are putting these checks and balances in for the police…” ([13:30])

The State of the Investigation and Ongoing Questions

• Coroner’s Critique of Police Work ([14:16]):
  • The coroner’s strong criticism: “I do not accept that the police investigations correctly outline what occurred that evening. Indeed, I have found in many instances that the evidence does not support the propositions which the police presented as complicated, included fact.” ([14:16])
  • The case was subsequently referred to oversight agencies for further investigation (Independent Police Conduct Authority, the Medical Council, and a third police investigation).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Melanie Reed on the investigation’s oddities:
  “He was found face up, which is highly unusual. No water in his lungs, highly unusual. The police dog found no scent…” ([01:02])
• Paul Jones’s unwavering conviction:
  “I know my son didn’t walk out there on his own… not running out of a House at 9 o’ clock at night and jumping over some fence and jumped in a bloody pond was not what he was capable of.” ([04:10])
• Host on the string of unlikely events:
  “It creates this Swiss cheese effect that you’re talking about, that would have to work out perfectly for the Crown’s case to make sense…” ([09:12])
• Legal Commentator, on the unlikelihood of a planned cover-up:
  “But I do not think a natural reaction would be for her to pick up the phone and order a pizza with extra aioli.” ([11:36])
• Investigative team’s mission:
  “Our job as journalists is really to ensure that we are putting these checks and balances in for the police and for the establishment… the police case was very substandard and that’s really where we came in.” ([13:30])
• Coroner’s damning summary of police work:
  “I do not accept that the police investigations correctly outline what occurred that evening…” ([14:16])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:05-01:02 – Case intro and discovery of Lachie’s body
• 01:02-03:01 – Melanie Reed questions plausibility of official story
• 03:16-05:08 – Family dynamics and rumors about the night
• 05:35-06:56 – Michelle’s timeline, search, and police involvement
• 07:46-09:12 – Dissecting improbable elements and the coroner’s views
• 10:17-11:31 – Cross-examination of Michelle Officer and her sons
• 11:36-12:59 – Legal analysis and the mother’s account
• 13:30-14:16 – Journalists’ motivations and criticism of police
• 14:16-15:00 – Coroner’s statements and the path ahead

Conclusion

The Lachie Jones case is steeped in both heartbreak and uncertainty, marked by initial police conclusions, a father’s doubts, inconsistent testimonies, improbable facts, and the dogged pursuit of truth by investigative journalists. Multiple inquiries and persistent public interest indicate that, despite the coroner’s findings, the case remains unresolved for many, keeping speculation and debate alive.