Blood on the Tracks

It’s 1988. Just outside of Tamworth in country New South Wales, a freight train hits someone lying on the tracks. But when a rail worker looks at the body, the scene doesn’t seem to make sense. There is a towel under the head and hardly any blood. Why are the shoes on the body so clean when there is mud all around? The boy on the tracks is Mark Haines, a 17 year-old Gomeroi teenager. Despite the strange evidence found at the scene of his death, the family feel like they're being ignored by police. An inquiry finds no answers and the mystery is left to fester, causing division and suspicion in the town.

We follow Allan Clarke through five years of investigation. His reporting sparks a resurgence of interest in the case that sees the file reopened, a review launched, a reward announced. During two trips to Tamworth our investigative team dives deeper and the thirty-year-old mystery finally begins to unravel.

Ideal for readers interested in true crime.