Peter Falconio was just 28 when he was murdered in the Australian outback, leaving girlfriend Joanne Lees to survive a terrifying ordeal that captured headlines around the world.
Now, as Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder arrives on U&W, viewers are revisiting the case and asking what happened to Joanne after the tragedy that changed her life forever.
Peter and Joanne, both from the UK, were travelling across Australia in a bright orange camper van when Bradley Murdoch followed them for hours in January 2001.
After persuading the couple to pull over on a remote stretch of road, Murdoch shot Peter before turning his attention to Joanne.
She was restrained with makeshift handcuffs made from cable ties and duct tape, held at gunpoint and assaulted.
Incredibly, Joanne escaped and ran into the darkness. She hid in nearby bushland for four hours before flagging down a passing truck and reaching safety.
In the weeks and months that followed, Joanne faced intense public scrutiny. Some critics branded her “cold”, while others questioned her account as detectives searched for Peter’s killer.
As Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder explores the investigation with fresh expert analysis, it also revisits Joanne’s remarkable fight for survival.
Joanne Lees in Peter Falconio documentary Outback Terror
Joanne was just 27 when the attack happened. Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder includes a haunting photograph taken after she reached safety with police.
Her light blue T shirt is stained with blood and the trauma she experienced is written across her face. Smaller images also show the injuries she suffered.
The documentary reveals Joanne was interviewed by police six times. However, the first five interviews were never recorded. Her original statement was also lost after a power surge affected police computers.
As a result, investigators relied heavily on Joanne’s memory. Neuropsychologist Dr Jess Miller explains why that approach was flawed.
Discussing the brain’s role in storing memories, Dr Miller says: “The hippocampus in the central filing system. It enables us to put things down once we’ve experienced them and then recall them should we need to.
“When we’re under really extremely stress, there are neurotoxins that bombard the hippocampus. This actually stops the hippocampus from working.
“We’re in this ironic situation where the one part of the brain that we need to make sense of a traumatic incident is affected by the traumatic incident.”
‘I’ve been trying to forget’
She continues: “We’re asking someone to keep something in the forefront of their minds something that terrorises them. That threat response actually stops us from being able to access the memories we need to that’s helpful for the investigation.”
Clearly distressed, Joanne is shown telling a police officer: “You’re actually trying to make me remember and I’ve been trying to forget this for quite a while now!”
Although Joanne initially came under suspicion, police later ruled her out and confirmed she was an innocent victim.
How did Joanne Lees get out of the handcuffs?
The documentary also examines the homemade restraints Murdoch used to bind Joanne’s hands. They were made from black cable ties and duct tape and are described as “unnecessary”.
Former FBI criminal profiler Cathy Canning Mello says: “I’ve seen a lot of handcuffs in my work and have never seen any handcuffs constructed like this. It’s not necessary to have all this tape and three separate sets of cable ties.
“It’s really reflective of his sexually deviant fantasies.”
During Murdoch’s 2005 trial, Joanne demonstrated how she moved her bound hands from behind her back to the front of her body.
Sitting on the courtroom floor with her wrists tied using a man’s tie, she completed the movement in only one or two seconds as Murdoch watched.
The court also heard Joanne used her lip balm to loosen the painfully tight restraints before biting through the black tape while hiding in the bush.
Police later recovered the lip balm container and two pieces of duct tape from the scene.
Joanne’s hands remained tied when she flagged down passing road train driver Vince Millar, but the restraints were no longer as tight.
Rex Wild QC told the Northern Territory Supreme Court in Darwin: “He pulls her into the truck and into his arms, still with her hands tied.
“She was rescued by Vince Millar and the road train.”
Where is Joanne Lees now?
Following Peter’s murder, Joanne returned to the UK. The former travel agent studied sociology at the University of Sheffield before beginning a career as a social worker.
She later worked with disabled adults for the council in Huddersfield.
With Peter’s body still missing, Joanne eventually returned to Australia.
Speaking on Australia’s 60 Minutes in 2017, she explained: “I didn’t want to be living in England in my old age thinking that I could have done more.”
The programme showed Joanne flying over the outback by helicopter as she revisited the area.
She said: “It’s because I love Pete so much and I want to bring him home and I need to bring him home.”
Joanne’s secret sister
During the same interview, Joanne also revealed she had discovered her Australian half sister, Jess.
Jess is eight years younger than Joanne and they share the same Australian father.
Joanne said: “I have a strong connection to Australia because my father is Australia. Although my father’s not been in my life, I’ve always been aware of who he is and his nationality.”
Today, Joanne is 52 years old. She has no public social media presence. Her LinkedIn profile suggests she continues to work as a social worker and lives in Sydney.
It’s certainly a case that has never left our minds…
- Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder airs at 9pm on U&W on Monday July 13, 2026
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