The Missing Matter

In this episode, Sally speaks with Janette Hayden, whose 46-year-old son Scott vanished on 29 May 2025 near Taree, NSW. Scott’s behaviour had been shifting in the weeks before he disappeared—talking about God, training hard, eating clean, and struggling with his mental health. His family did what families do: they worried, they watched, and when things escalated, they went to police. More than once.

Days later, Scott’s bright gold car was found abandoned with his wallet, keys, shoes, food and belongings still inside — but no sign of Scott. It has now been more than 250 days.

Janette bravely walks us through the timeline: the changes in Scott’s behaviour, the alarming events of that night, the unanswered questions, the footprints found, the community efforts, and a police response that left the family feeling dismissed at the most critical moment.

This is the story of a much-loved son, brother and uncle — a man who matters deeply to everyone who knows him.

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with Aaron Clear’s sister, Cassandra, to uncover the story behind her brother’s disappearance. Aaron vanished in early 2020, leaving behind only fragments of a life and a family searching for answers.

Cassandra shares who Aaron was beyond the missing person posters  his childhood, his struggles, his dreams, and the moments that now carry the most weight. Together, they step through the final known timeline, the reporting delays, and the unanswered questions that still haunt the family today.

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with her friend Chris D'Arcy, the lead behind Search Dog Sydney, the volunteer team called in when families have run out of options. Chris and his dogs work some of Australia’s most heartbreaking cases, from long-term missing searches to human remains detection, stepping in where systems have failed. 

Together, Sally and Chris revisit their own searches, expose the gaps that leave families searching alone, and reveal how these extraordinary dogs find answers that others miss. A raw, powerful look into the people and dogs  fighting to bring the missing home

In this episode of The Missing Matter, Sally uncovers the quiet, haunting disappearance of 18-year-old Andrew Inglis, who vanished from a Yamba caravan park in 1985 without a trace. What began as a normal summer holiday ended in one of Australia’s most overlooked missing-person mysteries  no search, no inquest, no public appeal, and a family left in limbo for nearly forty years. 

In this powerful and deeply informative episode of The Missing Matter, Sally sits down with forensic human identification specialist Dr. Jodie Ward, known by many as the matchmaker for the missing.

Jodie led the AFP’s National DNA Program for Unidentified and Missing Persons, a groundbreaking initiative that uncovered answers for families left waiting for decades. Together, Sally and Jodie unpack the extraordinary science behind identification: the realities of DNA testing, how bone samples are analyzed, why mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA matter, and how new SNP technology is reshaping what’s possible.

Jodie shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she fought for a national program, the international techniques she brought to Australia, and the 54 cases her team resolved, including long-term missing people who were never even reported missing.

A powerful conversation between two women working tirelessly to bring answers, dignity, and identity back to those who’ve been lost.

Check out Jodie's work here