Shortcut: Strange Investigations with Charlie Bezzina

February 15, 2026·18 min·1 clip

How did an elderly woman's symmetrical facial fractures lead detectives to uncover her secret nightly climbing habits?

This episode features former Victoria Police detective Charlie Bezzina discussing unusual investigations from his career with host Michelle Laurie. Bezzina recounts a perplexing case involving an elderly woman found deceased on the blind side of her house in summer. The scene showed a blood trail, a lost shoe, and the woman with a towel on her face, legs splayed, and no underwear, initially suggesting a sexual assault and murder. An entomologist was used to help establish a timeline via maggots on the decomposed body. The pathologist noted symmetrical fractures on the woman's face, which typically require a flat surface impact. Investigation revealed the woman was an eccentric, prolific climber known for stealing items like pavers and gnomes. Bezzina's team surmised she climbed a fence, fell face-first onto concrete, causing the fractures, and later succumbed to her injuries. The discovery of buried house keys on the property supported the theory she hid them there during her nightly excursions. The coroner ultimately ruled the death a misadventure. Bezzina then details a second case where a young woman was found naked and loosely bound by a phone cord in a disordered home. The investigation revealed a history of family violence, drug use, and alcohol involvement, with the only injuries being bruises below her knees. The woman's partner was located and provided context for the home's state and a broken window. A pathologist confirmed no sexual assault and that her bruising was consistent with intoxication. The death was determined to be a drug overdose, with the phone cord entanglement occurring during thrashing. A third case involved an elderly man reported missing from his seaside unit. A detective found the man's body inside a backyard cupboard, tied up with a plastic bag and a small LPG gas bottle over his head. The scene was initially highly suspicious, with the cupboard door's slide bolt secured from the outside. A suicide note was later found explaining the man could not live after his wife's death. Investigators determined he used a string mechanism to lock himself inside the cupboard from within. A key insight is how initial sinister appearances, like a missing underwear or a bound body, can misleadingly point to homicide. The episode highlights the importance of forensic specialists, like entomologists, in establishing timelines from insect activity. Bezzina emphasizes that people can act in highly unpredictable and eccentric ways under pressure or due to personal idiosyncrasies. The elaborate suicide method demonstrates the lengths some individuals go to ensure they do not reconsider their decision. The tone is conversational and educational, driven by Bezzina's detailed, first-person recollections. This episode would appeal to listeners fascinated by forensic investigation, cold case methodology, and the unpredictable nature of human behavior. Those seeking fast-paced narratives or resolved criminal prosecutions might find the focus on accidental and self-inflicted deaths less engaging.

As heard by us

A restrained, case-led conversation about strange deaths and the details that stop investigators settling too soon.

Australian True Crime lets Charlie Bezzina work through the odd end of detective work, where a death can look violent or staged until the small details start to pull it another way.

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