A Fugitive Being Hunted, QOTD, Is It Legal To Hire A Private Investigator?, Missing Persons Case Update, The Disappearance Of Angie Fuller

In this episode we cover topics such as:-

1- A Dive Into Hunted Australia;

2- Question Of The Day;

3- Is It Illegal To Hire A Private Investigator?;

4- Rudy Farias Update;

5- What Happened To Angie Fuller?;

Got a question for our podcast or do you need to contact Simon and the Down Under Investigations team? Simply email info@downunderinvestigations.com or call 1300849007 or check out www.downunderinvestigations.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to season three and another episode of Down Under Investigations, the Truth You Are About to Hear From Simon, our host who has well over 20 years experience in the private investigation industry. Simon leads the team at down under investigations who are committed to professionalism, integrity, and their ability to get results for their clients. Our podcast will open up the truth about the world of private investigation, discussing real life case studies, the latest news, cutting edge surveillance, and skip tracing techniques, plus legal issues and support. So stay with us as we join Simon now.

Speaker 2: 0:36

Hi there. Thanks for joining us on another podcast. We trust that you've had a great month and , uh, look forward to what we've got to share with you today. It's gonna be an exciting podcast. Stay tuned. There's been a great show on Channel 10 that's just wrapped up. Its second season, it's called Hunted Australia. It's based on the UK version of the show and uh, it's absolutely brilliant. We've loved watching both seasons of it. Um, basically it's 20 individual contestants who work in pairs and they're called fugitives. The aim of these fugitives is to survive 21 days in Victoria. They've based both the first two seasons in Victoria. Basically what happens is they're dropped at a random location in Victoria and they're collected from a different random location 21 days later, which is set by the producers of the show. The fugitives are allowed to take an overnight bag, sunglasses and a map of Victoria to begin with. Each pair is also given $500, which is made up of $200 in cash and $300 on an A T M card. Fugitives are encouraged to pack a black cap, disguises, running shoes, dress books and food. They're not allowed a phone, nor can they leave Victoria at all while they're on the run. The couple of rules for the fugitives, fugitives could not stay in the same place for more than 48 hours and had to move at least eight kilometers so they can't just pitch up in a friend's basement and sit in there playing computer games for 21 days. They actually have to move. That's part of the rules. That's, I guess that makes it a little fairer on , uh, the hunters. Due to the need to create a TV show from the experience, one fugitive from each team is required to wear a small GoPro style camera at all times. They're also followed by a cameraman everywhere they go. So simply for proj production value. And to create this into a watchable series, there is actually a cameraman that does run around with them, follows them, films, different things, films, them getting in and out of vehicles in, in and out of apartments units, wherever they're staying, tents, swags, all sorts of things that people are staying in fugitives are not allowed to be helped by the same person more than once. So if they meet up with a friend or family member early on in the piece, they're not allowed to meet up with them again 10 days later, for example , uh, to get further help. So they can only use a contact or a individual or person once during the show. Let's talk about the hunters. So the hunters, they have a headquarters which appears to be in the middle of the C B D of Melbourne and five pairs of ground crew. Hunters are in vehicles and they roam the state. So in hq, the Hunter's team is led by their chief, whose name is Dr. David Craig. Dr. Craig has an extensive experience in both Australia and worldwide investigations. He was superintendent of the Australian federal police and he's been deployed to many capitals around the world, many countries leading teams and investigations into a large number of HO trial file cases, as well as protection for prime ministers and other government and world leaders. The hunters at HQ come from a mix of top ranking , police, defense force, cyber experts, special ops and investigation backgrounds, both Australia and worldwide. As far as the hunters are concerned, they to act as close as possible to law enforcement as far as the way they gather intelligence and information, they're able to use g p s tracking cell phone tower location called triangulation and sniffer dogs, drones, surveillance cameras, all sorts of things in order to track down these fugitives. Surveillance footage from cameras that a fugitive appears on could only be accessed once the hunters had identified an actual location of each camera. This meant the hunters couldn't access surveillance footage in real time , but only minutes, hours, and sometimes days after the footage were taken. Hunters also had access to all the devices that a fugitive owned. They could hack into phones and laptops to obtain diary information, contact details, social media accounts, any information they could find on a device they had the access to if they could hack into that device. The hunters, however, could not just demand footage from anywhere at any time. For example, from the cameramen following the fugitives, they had to justify what they're after and why with specific information. Dr. Craig made it quite clear that he only wanted to access information and his team only wanted to get data that they could, as if this was a legitimate law enforcement exercise. The hunters are not actors, they're professionals who are dedicated to their industries. Many have publicly stated that they would not be involved if it was simply a TV show without boundaries and rules to follow in order to ensure the integrity of the investigations. Hunters were allowed to offer money to contacts for information, but the amount and limit was not disclosed. So in that 21 days, it's up to the hunters to track down all these fugitives that are working in pairs and sometimes separate for purposes of , uh, remaining hidden and not being found. What we observed from watching was a couple of things. The best fugitives, one, they moved location often, meaning it took more resource to track down their current location. Number two, they changed vehicles and appearance regularly using masks, using different types of transport wigs, all sorts of things which made identifying them much more difficult for the hunters. The fugitives number three made plans and changed while on the run, making unpredictable moves that the hunters could not anticipate. The ones that got caught were the ones where they diarized different things like, oh , on the 10th day we're gonna go to this address and on the 15th day we wanna meet up with this person. It just, once the hunters got in information like that, and once they got access to that information, it was so easy for them to track down the fugitives. Fourth, they used the assistance of random people that they met. They didn't rely on solely friends and family. Again, making it harder for hunters to gather intelligence. So it was a great show and it's just wrapped up and we're so , uh, pumped by the series. If you take away the facts that it is a TV show and obviously there is things that they need to rerecord and re video and edit and that sort of thing, it's actually a really exciting show to watch and it's just wrapped up. So do you think you have what it takes to be a fugitive to last 21 days being sought by the best law enforcement and investigators out there? You could potentially win a hundred thousand dollars. You have to jump on the Channel 10 website. They've advertised that if you jump on their website, there's applications there. Just look for a hundred Australia and uh , put in your application. We'd love to have some of our listeners on the show and , um, let us know if you ever do make it on the show. We'd love to have you on the podcast and if you haven't been watching the show, it's highly informative, it's highly entertaining, and it's a great show to sit down and watch. It's , uh, good for the kids as well. They can , uh, get a lot out of it and enjoy it. And also for the adults. So it's uh , it's a good family show and it's available if you wanna re-watch it on a 10 play , which , uh, there's an app or a website, just check out 10 play and you'll find Hunter Australia. Just wanna talk for a moment about a case that we covered in a previous episode, which was the Rudy Farris case. He was reported missing in 2015 and police kept searching until they were determined. He'd been living at his mom's house all along now 25. He's alleged that he was brainwashed into staying put at his mom's house. He went on out to walk his two dogs on March 6th, 2015, and though the pups returned one a few hours later and the other the next morning both off leash, he never came home. He was 17 at the time and his mother told Houston police that his disappearance was the latest blow for the family that already had setbacks and deaths in the family and they had just assumed that he'd just done a runner and gone missing. A prior investigator said that , uh, you know, he'd gone through so much , uh, more than anyone his age ever could at the age of 17, and his brother was his best friend in the world at the time. Police department did not suspect foul play and they were looking into all the leads and tracking him down. Um, and it was classed as a missing person's case because it took so long , uh, before there could be a result. The trial drew cold and investigators were never able to get a read on what actually happened to him until this year. On the 29th of June, he turned up at a church about eight miles away from his house and according to police, he'd been living with his mum at her house the entire time. Farris said in subsequent TV interviews that he was shocked by all the attention and was trying to stay positive. His mother confused and manipulated him. He alleged, and she told him he'd be arrested if he got so much as a speeding ticket. He said he'd been pulled over twice in the time while he was missing and he always gave the fake name like she told him to. He said that she never handcuffed him or locked him up, but mentally he felt locked up. He said he rarely left the house other than to accompany his mom to her job as an overnight security guard, and he wasn't allowed to see family members who came to the house during those eight years. His father was an ex Houston police officer who took his own life. In 2014, his older half brother , who he really looked up to, was also killed in a motorbike accident in 2011. He said that his mother locked him up in the house, not physically, but mentally. She was his only parent. She was the only person he had in the world besides his brother. So when he lost his brother, he felt like he had no one to teach him how to live, and he lacked confidence and trust in himself. So in the last eight years or so that he's been reported as missing, he's been locked up in the house, but he's been studying online to understand how the world works, understand cultures, different religions, everything like that. He says, he said that his mom didn't force herself on him or anything like that, but he said that, and I'm editing part of what he said out because I don't want to have to um, detail it, but , uh, he basically said that he felt uncomfortable with just her, her closeness to him and some of the restrictions she was putting on him. And so he decided that , um, it was time to get out of there and run away. So he gave an interview to TV afterwards after police had spoken to him and he now is staying outta the public eye. Um, he's staying away from his mother , um, and he's doing all he can to keep himself mentally straight and honest and true. He was asked in the interview if he felt like a victim in the case and he said yes, he heavily does. But then he reiterated that he just wanted to move on. He wants to have a family, he wants a job, he wants a car, he wants his own house. He just wants to be able to live his life. He just wants to be happy. So we wish him all the best. And I should also note that no charges have yet been laid in the case. Police are still investigating all the circumstances surrounding this. No charges being laid against him or his mother or anyone else , uh, to do with the family at this stage.

Speaker 1: 13:12

Do you have a question for Simon and the team? At Down Under Investigations, we are running a questions of the day competition. If your question gets answered by Simon on the podcast, we will send you a prize value at a hundred dollars . To send in your question, simply use the contact page on our website at www.downunderinvestigations.comoremailinfoatdownunderinvestigations.com.

Speaker 2: 13:39

It's that time of the episode to do our question of the day. Your favorite part of our episodes. This question of the day comes from Bryce who's in butter and Queensland. Bryce asks us, is it legal to hire a private investigator in Australia? Short answer, yes, absolutely it is. Private investigators have been hired for decades throughout Australia, a private investigator must be licensed. However, if a private investigator is unlicensed and takes on this type of work, they face massive, massive fines and even some jail time. It is a criminal offense to operate without a license. Each state has their own legislation regarding how an individual becomes licensed. Usually it's through study and application through the state police force, lawyers and law firms. Businesses and individuals hire private investigators for many legitimate reasons. They include number one, to skip trace . This means to locate a person who is missing. People are located and wanted to be located for all types of reasons. One to be served with civil or family law documents, collected debt to be reunited with a long lost family member or friend, or to be advised that they're the beneficiary of a will or even a class action lawsuit payout. Second reason to conduct surveillance. This is when an individual or a location is observed and recorded. For example, a partner suspects an unfaithful spouse, an employer suspects theft at a workplace, or a parent might be concerned about the behavior of an ex-partner when they have custody of their children. A third reason someone might contact a prior investigator is to investigate a matter or conduct background checks. This can involve taking statements, conducting searches, and inquiries for information, investigating a scene or scenario to collect evidence and gathering information about a person, perhaps a potential partner, employee or business associate. And number four, to serve court documents. That's another reason why many contact a private investigator. The truth is most private investigators are experienced, professional, and knowledgeable about all types of legal process serving in all different jurisdictions because there can be different rules that apply in different states and territories and also depending on the type of documents that need to be served. We've discussed a lot of that on previous podcasts, so why don't you check them out? But that's another reason to serve court documents. So our heart and our aim is always to help people get results and to get justice in a situation. We actually hating justice . We hate seeing people get taken advantage of and ripped off. That's why we do what we do. So Bryce , thanks for your question. Yes, it is legal to hire a private investigator. It's a respected and valued service to the community. Thanks for your question. Your prizes on its way to you. Have you heard about the case of missing person in the Northern Territory? Her name Angie Fuller. Angie Fuller is a 30 year old woman and a mother of two children. You know, it's been over seven months since Angie went missing on a stretch of highway in the Northern Territory desert. After a two week search, the Northern Territory police declared her disappearance as a homicide. The major crime squad is still on the case. They're exploring several avenues of inquiry with police considering offering a reward for information that can help them solve the case. Angie's father, Tony told the media earlier this year that Angie had moved to Alice Springs and had started a new job with a drug and alcohol rehab service, drug and Alcohol Services Australia in Alice Springs confirmed that she was an employee there. She was driving from Darwin back to Alice Springs when she went missing. Police have described her as being of Asian appearance around 165 centimeters tall, with a medium build and long black hair with purple streaks. When she was last seen, she was wearing a black Nike singlet and a cream colored skirt. So what do we know about her disappearance? Well, initially police treated Angie Fuller's disappearance as non suspicious and were hopeful they would find her during their 14 day search of around 380 square kilometers of bushland North Valley Springs. But then a criminal investigation began running parallel to this search and before the search was called off, a homicide investigation took its place. So here's the timeline of what's happened. January 9th, 2023 was the last confirmed sighting of Ms . Fuller, Angie Fuller, which was at a truck stop north of Alice Springs at 6:40 PM two days later on January the 11th, Angie Fuller was reported missing to police and special operation begins around that area on Tami Road, January 13th. Another two days later, police make their first public plea for information. Around nine days later , uh, actually 11 days later, January 24th, the search operation was suspended and police declare they're treating it as a homicide. Police have said on February 17th that they've seized a number of items in relation to the investigation on May 26th, 2023, police release images of two vehicles that are believed to have been traveling in the area where Angie Fuller went missing. So there's a few things that remain unclear, including obviously where she's and the exact nature of her disappearance. There have been unconfirmed reports that she was last seen running into bushland and others of a vehicle incident. On the night of January 9th, detective Senior Sergeant Ashley Dodson said that the police had obtained a number of versions of the events of that night and they were continuing to investigate. Police are still appealing for anyone with information regarding her disappearance to come forward and they're still seeking informations on. The movements of the two cars believed to have been traveling in the Alice Springs area between January nine and January 12th, 2023. Those photos are available on the Crime Stoppers website and Senior Sergeant Dotson said the prospect of a reward for information is heavily being considered by Northern Territory Police and that's something that the government must approve. Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 1 3 1 Triple four or Crime Stoppers on one 800 Triple three triple oh . There's a reference number that you can quote when giving information of 1 0 2 2 8 1 4 3 or simply mention Angie Fuller, maybe Darwin , uh, Northern Territory. But if you mention her name or that code, that reference number, then the information will get to the right people. It's a sad case and you can understand that her family would be absolutely distraught and looking for answers. There is a suspect in the case, but there is no information available. They haven't found her, they haven't got enough information to charge anyone with her disappearance and I mean, fingers crossed. Her hopes and prayers are that she does turn up alive, safe, and well.

Speaker 3: 21:52

I'm 30 years old . I'm half half Australian and I was Thailand . I have two children. Um, I have a brother and a sister and a mom and dad. I grew up in Sydney, but I'm from Darwin and I live in Alice . Started using drugs and alcohol for childhood trauma and domestic violence.

Speaker 4: 22:26

Started

Speaker 3: 22:26

Using drugs when I was 11 years old. My main drugs of choice were methamphetamines, cannabis, prescription drugs, and alcohol. I started using little bits at first and then my drug addiction escalated. Ended up being independency and skyrocketed, going to jail for a lengthy period to stop my using. I was incarcerated for two years, six months when I got out. I wanted to change my life and that's gave me the opportunity to do that. I wanted a change to have a better future for my kids and for myself and to stop the pain in my family. If I could speak to my younger self, I would tell myself that life will get easier. You can't help that what's happened and it's not your fault, but life must get easier. I think better are better for me now is my relationships with my family and my relationships with my children and my life in general is just so much easier and I have a better quality of life now .

Speaker 2: 23:38

That was Angie only a few months before she went missing a happy, healthy, confident Angie Fuller. We're praying and our thoughts are with the family and friends and we, yeah, as I said earlier, hope that she does turn up alive and safe and well. If anyone has information, again, please contact police 1 3 1 Triple four or Crime Stoppers on one 800 Triple three Triple oh .

Speaker 1: 24:09

We would really appreciate if you would take the time to subscribe, rate and review this podcast. Please also check out our social media on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If you'd like to get in touch with Simon and the down under investigation team for any reason, please check out our website at www.downunderinvestigations.com or call 1 308 4 9 0 0 7 or email info at down under investigations com . Thanks for listening.