School teacher Jennifer Beard disappeared on New Zealand's West Coast while hitchhiking on New Year's Eve 1969. Nearly three weeks later her body was found under a bridge outside the tiny township of Haast. Now a Herald investigation has uncovered new evidence that could identify her killer. Subscribe to The 50 Year Secret on your favourite podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chasing Ghosts: Murder In The Sounds

A 50 Year Secret, Uncovered

School teacher Jennifer Beard disappeared on New Zealand's West Coast while hitchhiking on New Year's Eve 1969. Nearly three weeks later her body was found under a bridge outside the tiny township of Haast. Now a Herald investigation has uncovered new evidence that could identify her killer.Subscribe to The 50 Year Secret on your favourite podcast app.

The lives of the three families at the centre of the case remain intertwined. And a new bid to overturn Scott Watson's conviction is reviving memories for many. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 3: Ripple effect

Two decades on, two key questions continue to spark fierce debate: Was Scott Watson the mystery man? And were Ben and Olivia dropped at his boat, or a distinctive ketch almost twice the size? WARNING: Occasional use of mild language. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 2: The case against Scott Watson

What happened in the early hours of January 1, 1998? We revisit the scene of the crime on the boat where the prosecution successfully argued Scott Watson killed Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. WARNING: Occasional use of mild language. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1: 1/1/98

The lives of the three families at the centre of the case remain intertwined. And a new bid to overturn Scott Watson's conviction is reviving memories for many.

Two decades on, two key questions continue to spark fierce debate: Was Scott Watson the mystery man? And were Ben and Olivia dropped at his boat, or a distinctive ketch almost twice the size? WARNING: Occasional use of mild language.

What happened in the early hours of January 1, 1998? We revisit the scene of the crime on the boat where the prosecution successfully argued Scott Watson killed Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. WARNING: Occasional use of mild language.

In the second series of Chasing Ghosts true crime podcasts, the New Zealand Herald takes a fresh look at the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope at a New Year's Eve party 20 years ago and the ongoing debate over the killer's identity.

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Chasing Ghosts: Murder In The Sounds

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