Casefile True Crime – “Searching For Sarah MacDiarmid” Episode 1

Date: December 27, 2025
Host: Casefile Presents
Featured: Vikki Petraitis (True Crime Author), Sheila & Peter McDermott (Sarah’s parents), Friends, Acquaintances, Witnesses

Episode Overview

The first episode of “Searching for Sarah MacDiarmid” introduces the heartbreaking cold case of 23-year-old Sarah MacDiarmid, who disappeared from Kananook Railway Station, Melbourne, on July 11, 1990. Blending family recollections, witness testimony, and meticulous research, the episode foregrounds the story with warmth, compassion, and dogged pursuit of the truth. Through the lens of Sarah’s life, listeners experience the entirety of the person behind the headlines, while the context of local crime history and other women’s experiences set the stage for the investigation to come.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Disappearance and Its Context

• Case Introduction:
  Host Casey shares the reasoning behind highlighting other “Casefile Presents” shows (03:29). The story of Sarah’s disappearance is introduced, including the chilling discoveries: blood near her car, eyewitness accounts of screams, her body never found.
• Setting and Serial Crime Backdrop:
  The area surrounding Frankston had a violent history even before the 1993 Frankston Serial Killer, Paul Denyer. The show draws parallels between Sarah’s case and other unsolved disappearances and murders in Melbourne’s south-east (04:08).

2. Who Was Sarah MacDiarmid?

• Early Life and Resilience:
  Sarah was a “fighter from the start,” surviving a difficult birth with Pierre Robin syndrome and a cleft palate (11:09). Her family describes her as warm, funny, generous, and “voraciously” fond of food—a family joke (15:00).
• Family Memories:
  Touching tales recount the family’s move from Scotland to Australia, Sarah’s loving relationship with her younger brother Alistair, and anecdotes of her determined spirit (16:15, 18:36).
• Musical Talent and Friendships:
  Sarah’s musicality, small yet strong presence, and direct personality shine in teacher and friends’ reminiscences (21:35, 22:31). Lifelong friendships, especially with “Noni” from Townsville, are highlighted for their depth and longevity (23:00).

3. Moves, Transitions, and Growing Up

• Recurring Relocation:
  The McDermott family’s moves—first to Australia (Townsville), then back to the UK, then again to Australia (Melbourne/Frankston)—fostered a unique sibling bond and helped shape Sarah’s resilience (26:44).
• Social Life and Work:
  Letters and stories from friends (e.g., Maria, Caroline) portray Sarah’s yearning for belonging, her humor, self-doubt, and gradual adjustment into adult life in a new country, including her excitement for future adventures (31:08, 36:38).

4. Sarah’s Life in Melbourne Before the Disappearance

• Forming a New Life:
  Sarah gradually integrates into Melbourne life, making friends, becoming close with her brother, and getting her first “grown-up” job, despite her jokey dislike for math (39:17, 40:03).
• Workplace Friendships:
  The special way she became friends with Anna Tarantino is recounted—their bond beginning from the job interview, and resulting in a constant friendship up until Sarah’s disappearance (40:47).
• Loneliness and Melancholy:
  Despite a strong family, Sarah sometimes struggled with homesickness and loneliness, as captured in moving letters home:
  • “I've got two best friends in this world, you and Noni, and unfortunately you are 12,000 miles away and she's 2,000 miles away. Oh, well, say la…” (47:00)

5. Community, Routine, and the Railway Station

• Moving to Frankston:
  Sarah’s excitement over her new car, the family’s settling in a new suburb, and advice to use Kananook (not Frankston) station due to safety concerns (54:18).
• The Train Station as a Liminal Space:
  Sarah regularly used Kananook Station, as did many local women—an important detail as the investigation roots itself in the geography and routine of women’s commutes at the time.

6. Chilling Parallels and Witness Testimony

• A Near-Miss Story:
  Carolyn McAllister recounts (at length) a harrowing experience in the same location a month before Sarah’s disappearance—being followed by a man at night, escaping to safety via a service station payphone (59:00).

  • “I was running because I thought if I get to Clow street, there’s lights all along there, there’s cars going along there… That was my aim—to get to the servo." (60:21)
  • This adds a layer of local fear and the reality of threat for women, even when ‘nothing happened’.

• Reflecting on the Pattern:
  The case draws comparisons with later crimes by Paul Denyer, the recurrence of violence against women in this area, and testimony that may encourage others to come forward (63:57, 64:51).

7. In the Days Before the Disappearance

• Sarah's Last Days:
  Family memories build an atmosphere of normality, love, and the everyday concerns of young adulthood. Sarah’s final musical moment with her mother is particularly poignant:

  • “Elton John’s...Sacrifice...when I hear that now, you know…” (69:11)

• Hints of Foreboding:

  • Anna, her close friend, describes a night when Sarah seemed preoccupied or emotionally unsettled shortly before vanishing (67:12).
    • “She was... seemed a bit, not sad, but she had something on her mind...maybe there was something on her mind and she wanted to tell me." (67:15)

8. Discovery and Aftermath (Preview for Episode 2)

• Initial Discovery:
  • Peter McDermott describes following a trail of blood at the scene—an emotional account foreshadowing the episode to come.
    • “I followed the trail of blood drips to a nearby bush area… and I could see it was still...there were drag marks…” (70:57)
  • Sheila McDermott shares the devastating realization that something horrific had happened to her daughter:
    • “The blood changes your whole perspective about what’s happening...” (71:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On not knowing:

  • “For her family left behind, there is nothing worse than not knowing. There is no relief from the constant wondering, where is she? What happened to her? Did she suffer?”
    – Vikki Petraitis (08:18)

• Sarah’s childhood resilience:

  • “She was born at 2 o’clock in the morning...They had discovered she had what they called a Pierre Robin syndrome...”
    – Sheila McDermott (11:09)

• The family dynamic:

  • “All that would be left would be a pair of boots.”
    – Peter McDermott on Sarah’s eating as a child (15:23)

• Raw emotion from her brother:

  • “We were close anyway, but I think that added to the closeness…not in the form of hugging each other, it was just hanging out together.”
    – Alistair (26:44)

• The universal fear:

  • “For many, you are the fear that quickens their steps as they walk home.”
    – Quoted from the judge at Paul Denyer’s sentencing (61:16)

• A mother’s pain:

  • “She just looked at me and she just burst into tears and she said, you don’t know how unhappy I am…”
    – Sheila McDermott (45:40)

Important Timestamps

• 03:29: Sheila McDermott on the night Sarah went missing
• 08:18: Vikki Petraitis introduces herself and the podcast’s purpose
• 11:09: Sheila details Sarah’s birth and medical challenges
• 15:23: Family jokes about Sarah’s appetite; reveals family warmth
• 21:35: Teachers and friends reflect on Sarah’s school years
• 26:44: Brother Alistair on their close sibling relationship
• 36:38: Sarah’s struggles with homesickness and her plan to return to Scotland
• 47:00: Letter excerpt—Sarah’s loneliness and stoicism
• 54:18: Advice to use Kananook rather than Frankston railway station for safety
• 59:00: Carolyn McAllister’s account of being followed (near-miss)
• 67:12: Sarah’s mysterious melancholy before her disappearance
• 70:57: Peter McDermott describes the discovery of blood and drag marks
• 71:28: Sheila’s perspective on the evidence found at the scene

Summary Tone and Style

The podcast maintains a gentle, respectful, and honest tone—balancing the need for factual clarity with empathy for Sarah and her family. The host and guests candidly share memories, sometimes with humor and warmth, but always aware of the underlying tragedy. There’s a strong sense of community and a desire, even decades later, for answers and justice.

For Listeners

Even if you come to this story without prior knowledge, Episode 1 of "Searching for Sarah MacDiarmid" offers a moving and detailed portrait of Sarah’s life, her family, and the ripple effects of her disappearance. It also sets the scene with the geography, social context, and evidence that will drive the investigation in coming episodes.

“Searching for Sarah MacDiarmid” reminds us that victims are far more than their final moments; they were daughters, sisters, friends, and vibrant members of a loving community. This episode honors those memories while ushering listeners into a deep and unresolved mystery still in need of answers.