Where is Joanne Lees now?
JOANNE LEES made headlines after her boyfriend was shot dead in the Australian outback almost 22 years ago.
Despite reports surfacing in February 2023 that remains had been found near Alice Springs, Northern Territory police stated this was incorrect and no search is being undertaken.
Who is Joanne Lees?
Brit Joanne Lees was the girlfriend of murder victim Peter Falconio.
Originally from Yorkshire, Joanne became the centre of a world-famous 2001 murder investigation when she was found in the Australian outback claiming to have been abducted by a drifter.
She said she had been kidnapped, drugged, and raped by a man but soon became a prime suspect in her boyfriend's murder after claims she appeared "emotionless" after the incident.
But it was later revealed she had taken the sedative Valium to help handle her horror ordeal.
Police tapes from the investigation revealed that police at first believed she could have been involved.
It wasn't until four years later that drug runner Bradley Murdoch was locked up for the crime.
Lees and Falconio were both 28 when they were travelling in a VW Kombi van towards Darwin.
The pair were flagged down by Murdoch who told them he had a problem with his exhaust.
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Lees managed to escape after Falconio was shot in the head.
She hid in bushes for five hours, before running into the road to wave down a passing truck.
She later said: "It was either."
Falconio's body has never been found.
On July 14, 2021, Australian police issued a fresh appeal for help to find his remains on the 20th anniversary of his death.
The lead investigator in the case, John Daulby, said he believed Falconio's body could be buried in the vast Tanami desert.
Northern Territory Police searched swathes of land closer to the crime scene for Peter’s body but Murdoch, now 63, is the only person who knows where the remains lie, Daulby said.
A 2020 Channel 4 documentary, Murder In The Outback: The Falconio And Lees Mystery, looked at the unanswered questions surrounding his death.
While police have found remains on three separate occasions, they proved not to be that of Falconio with Lees left no hope of closure.
As a result of a $1m reward being offered for information leading to the discovery of the body, a series of fresh leads were received, but they have not led police any closer to locating the remains.
Where is Joanne Lees now?
Lees is said to be living in a two-bedroom terrace house in her hometown of Huddersfield.
She says she lives an isolated life as a social worker at the Directorate for Children and Young People for Kirklees Council.
She has had various jobs – including working at a travel agency and supporting the disabled after returning to college to study sociology.
The 48-year-old has never married or had children following the tragic death of her boyfriend.
In 2017, she flew back to Australia to the scene of the shooting for an Australian television show special.
She wanted to “bring him home” as she returned.
She fought back tears as she added: “It’s because I love Pete so much and I want to bring him home and I need to bring him home.”
Northern Territory Police said in a statement that the missing person’s case remains open.
Detective senior sergeant Karl Day said: “Police are urging anyone out there, with any information that may assist Peter’s family in gaining some sort closure, to come forward and contact police.
Jess is the daughter of her estranged Australian dad.
In 2017, Lees said she wanted to apply to become an Australian citizen.