The Missing 49 Million

About The Missing 49 Million

Witness is the home of investigative podcasts for news.com.au (https://www.news.com.au) Witness Season 4: Perfect Alibi Three police investigations and two coronial inquests have failed to find out what happened to Leslie Ball, who vanished more than 30 years ago. Investigative reporters Jo Townsend and Callum Denness have spent two years trying to unravel what happened to the war veteran and grandfather as part of news.com.au (http://news.com.au/)'s six-part true crime podcast series Perfect Alibi. They’ve tracked down family members and former police investigators, uncovered evidence of fraud, and found links to the Melbourne underworld. They have also uncovered proof they say identifies who killed Mr Ball. The podcast launches on August 10, with new episodes dropping every Monday and Wednesday. Witness Season 3: Sex, Lies and Streaming OnlyFans promised to change the game and give power back to creators. The reality? Most earn less than $100 a month, while a select few make millions. When news.com.au (http://news.com.au/) journalist James Weir set out to interview Bonnie Blue - the controversial British creator who claimed to have slept with over 1,000 men in 12 hours - he expected a straightforward story about viral fame. Instead, he uncovered an industry built on carefully constructed fantasies, bitter feuds, and inequality that mirrors the broader gig economy. From private jets and designer shopping sprees to creators struggling to pay rent, Sex, Lies and Streaming exposes the stark reality behind the glossiest success stories. Through unprecedented access to performers, agents, publicists and industry insiders, Weir follows the money trail from Australia to the neon-soaked halls of a Vegas porn convention and finds out who is really winning in the cutthroat world of subscription porn. What starts as a hunt for one missing internet celebrity becomes an investigation into the true cost of the creator subscription model - where viral stunts generate headlines, public feuds fuel fortunes, and the line between performance and reality becomes increasingly blurred. This series contains mature themes and adult content. Read more and watch exclusive video content here (http://news.com.au/)Follow us on socials: Instagram: @newscomauhq (https://www.instagram.com/newscomauhq/) Facebook: News.com.au (https://www.facebook.com/news.com.au) TikTok: @news.com.au (https://www.tiktok.com/@news.com.au?lang=en) Witness Season 2: William Tyrrell It’s 10.56am. A family home in Kendall, on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Three-year-old William Tyrrell is reported missing. Last seen wearing his favourite Spider-Man suit. Ten years after his disappearance on 12 September 2014, there is still no sign of William. The police believe his foster mother knows something. She denies it. Only one of them can be telling the truth. Witness: William Tyrrell is the new, landmark investigation from news.com.au. Read more and watch exclusive video content here (http://news.com.au/)Follow us on socials: Instagram: @newscomauhq (https://www.instagram.com/newscomauhq/) Facebook: News.com.au (https://www.facebook.com/news.com.au) TikTok: @news.com.au (https://www.tiktok.com/@news.com.au?lang=en) Subscribe to Crime X+ (https://apple.co/4cGJZI0) and listen to this podcast ad-free If you know anything about what happened to William, please call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000 Contact us confidentially at witness@news.com.au (mailto:witness@news.com.au) Witness season 1: The Missing 49 Million The story of one Aussie man, the secret code he claimed to find buried in the Bible and 49 million dollars of investors' money that's gone missing. Gold Coast businessman Alan Metcalfe said his tech company had found the secret to artificial intelligence. He convinced hundreds of people to part with their life-savings but when Alan died, no one knew what had happened to their money. Join Alex Turner-Cohen as she tries to find the missing millions, uncovering the wild story behind the company Alan promised would one day be “bigger than Google”.

Publisher

news.com.au

Category

society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

28 Jun 2024

Latest episode

16 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

46 of 46 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   16 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Follow the Money | 3

   Investigative journalist hosts interview Irish cold-case detective, uncovering a complex financial motive behind Les Ball's final days.

2. 

   11 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Body of Evidence | 2

   This episode investigates the decades-old disappearance of Les Ball, examining a forged train ticket and suspicious financial behavior to uncover the truth.

3. 

   9 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   I Know Who Killed My Father | 1

   Investigative reporters Jo Townsend and Callum Denness launch a deep dive into the 33-year mystery of Leslie Ball's disappearance, uncovering clues in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

Follow the Money | 3

Published 16 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] The reason Les didn't have the money was simple. He'd loaned tens of thousands of dollars to David and Leanne. But unpicking the exact amount was difficult because the story kept changing. In Leanne's first police statement, she didn't mention money at all. A week later, she admitted to a $10,000 loan. In fact, the total was closer to $31,000. Leanne told police that Les was transferring the money to her and David to help Les out. The version that she provided was that he was trying to sort of minimise the amount of money in his account so it wouldn't affect his veteran affairs payments. Leanne told police she was withdrawing the cash for Les so that he could keep the money in his account to a minimum and avoid affecting his pension payments. […]

Who has been a guest on The Missing 49 Million

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• James Weir
• Bonnie Blue
• Molly Manning
• Charlie Forde
• Seka Black

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.5 / 5

92 ratings

Spotify

4.3 / 5

414 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

54

Social presence

97

YouTube

0

Engagement

90

Questions about The Missing 49 Million