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[Music] Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at
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any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential
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support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on
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our website. [Music] It was nearing 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 1, 1963, as 16-year-old Michael
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McCormack made his way east along the bushy banks of Sydney's Lane Cove River. Located in the suburb of
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Chhatzwood near a popular picnic area known as Fuller's Bridge, the area was once a thriving spot for swimming,
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fishing, rowing, and flower picking. Over the years, rising pollution levels put an end to many of these recreational
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pursuits with people turned off by the discolored water and its offensive smell. Yet, the surrounding bushland of
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the Lane Cove National Park continued to attract many hikers and day trippers. As Michael walked along the
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lower bush track that ran parallel to the waterway, he noticed a man lying face down in the grass on the riverbank.
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He was neatly dressed in a dark colored suit with his arms slightly out by his side. Michael's first thought was that
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the man must have had too much to drink at a New Year's Eve celebration the previous night and was sleeping it
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off. But as he edged close, Michael realized that the man's face appeared to be turning blue.
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Although it didn't look right to Michael, he told himself the man was probably just a drunk and continued
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on. He had plans to meet his friend Dennis at the nearby Chatzwood Golf Club to look for discarded golf balls and he
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didn't want to keep him waiting. Michael caught up with Dennis near the sixth tea of the golf course
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which backed onto the river and the pair spent about an hour hunting for balls before deciding to call it a day.
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They made their way back along the lower river tract the same way that Michael had come, only to discover that the
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drunk man was still in the exact same position Michael had seen him in an hour earlier. Michael approached the man
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again only to realize that the color of his face had gone a bit darker. He also didn't appear to be
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breathing. Fearing that the man might be dead, Michael told Dennis that they better get
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going. Dennis stopped him, saying, "We had better tell the man over in the shop." The teens walked to the nearby
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Lane Cove kiosk and told the shopkeeper what they'd found. The shopkeeper accompanied them
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back to the scene to see the man for himself. As the trio gathered around him, Michael noticed something. he
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hadn't seen before. A piece of carpet was sticking out from underneath the man's
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jacket. While at first glance the man appeared to be neatly dressed, Michael looked closer and realized this wasn't
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the case at all. The man's jacket had simply been draped over his shoulders and down his
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back to make it look like he was wearing it. It had been placed so perfectly that the
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right sleeve followed the bent angle of his right arm. Likewise, his trousers had been
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neatly laid over both of his bare legs, the seams perfectly placed to make it appear as though he was dressed when he
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was not. The shopkeeper summoned the police, who arrived at the scene at around 10:00
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a.m. The attending sergeant removed the man's jacket and found that underneath he was wearing a white shirt with the
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top buttons undone. A neck tie hung loosely around his neck and a piece of dirty brown
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carpet had been draped over his torso with his jacket then placed meticulously on top.
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He wore shoes and socks, but no underwear, and his trousers had been placed on top of his bare
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legs. The man's body was in a clear state of rigor mortise, indicating that he'd been deceased for some
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time. Yet, despite a trickle of blood that was seeping from his right nostril, there were no obvious signs of violence
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anywhere on his body. The only thing out of the ordinary was a puddle of vomit that lay nearby.
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Mystified by the scene, the police began a thorough search of the area to try and
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determine what had unfolded, an officer made his way down the riverbank towards the mud flats
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about 15 m south from where the man's body lay. Parallel to the riverbed, he came
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across an indentation in the mud that was about 5 ft long and 2 ft wide. It had been covered up by several
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flattened down beer cartons that had obviously been in the area for some time. The officer picked one of the
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pieces of cardboard up. "Sergeant," he called out to his superior. I can see part of a woman's
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[Music] head. The sergeant joined the officer on the riverbed. From underneath the beer cartons, the
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head and shoulders of a young dark-haired woman lay on display. She was on her back as though asleep, her
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head turned slightly to the left with her right arm resting on her stomach and her left arm by her
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thigh. There was a small abrasion on her nose, which had been lightly bleeding. The woman was wearing an
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imitation pearl necklace, but her shoulders were otherwise bare. the straps of her dress having been pulled
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down to expose her breasts. The sergeant lifted the woman's arm, noticing that she was wearing a
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wedding ring. He felt for a pulse, but there was none, and she wasn't breathing. Although she was clearly
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deceased, her body was still slightly warm to the touch, and rigger mortise hadn't yet set in.
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The sergeant pulled the rest of the beer cartons aside, revealing that the woman's bra had been rolled down across
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her stomach. She was wearing a white dress with a red rose pattern on it, which had been rolled up around her
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waist. Underneath the dress, she wore a white half slip that was torn and muddy.
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She had no underwear or shoes on, and her feet and knees were smeared with mud. A pair of men's underwear layered her
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feet stained with feces. Vomit and excrement dotted the surrounding area, adding to the already
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foul odor of the thick black mud and surrounding mangroves. Other than some small
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scratches on one of the woman's shoulders, there were no defensive marks or signs of violence anywhere on her
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body, and it didn't look like her clothing had been forcefully removed. Her shoes and underwear were found on
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the exposed riverbed directly below where the man's body was found, placed in a neat line along with the man's
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belt. Detectives soon arrived at the scene and were baffled by what lay before them. Here they had two semi-
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naked bodies just 15 m apart, both oddly covered up, but with no overt signs of violence on either of them.
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Both of the deceased appeared to have been healthy young individuals. An unexpected medical
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event, such as a heart attack or brain aneurysm, could kill one person, but the chances of it happening to two was next
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to impossible. The vomit and feces at the scene suggested a more obvious cause of
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death. The pair had been poisoned. A cursory search of the area didn't reveal any pills, powders, hypodermic
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needles, or anything else to suggest what had made the couple so sick. Police divers took to the water to search for
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any discarded evidence, but the water was too muddy and polluted, and the search had to be called
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off. The only prince in the mud belonged to the woman and were consistent with her having walked to the riverbed before
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collapsing onto all fours. The surrounding area didn't show any obvious signs of disturbance, such as
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flattened grass or drag marks, to suggest that anyone else was involved. Detectives wondered if they
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could be dealing with a double suicide or a murder suicide. But this didn't explain the
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precise way in which the bodies had been covered up. They considered a third, more
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plausible theory. What they were dealing with was a double homicide. Police searched the area for
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the woman's handbag or purse, but couldn't find one. A search of the dead man's pockets didn't turn up any drugs
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or poisons, but it did reveal his wallet. Inside were several£5 notes, a driver's license, and personal papers,
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all in the same name. Dr. Gilbert Bogle. The 39year-old lived in Tara, a suburb in Sydney's Upper Northshore,
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approximately 10 km north of the crime scene. Detectives were sent to Gilbert's address, where they knocked at the door
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of the attractive brick home. A woman holding a baby in her arms answered and introduced herself as
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Vivian Bogle. She was soon joined by three more young children, the eldest of whom was just
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11. The detectives handed Vivian Gilbert's wallet and explained where they had found it. Viven's eyes
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immediately filled with tears. She'd been worried sick about her husband ever since he'd failed to return
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home from a New Year's Eve party the previous evening. Viven told the detectives that Gilbert
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worked as a physicist for the government-run Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
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known as the CSRO, where he'd been a muchloved member of the faculty for the past 7
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years. A gifted physicist originally from New Zealand, Gilbert had completed a doctorate in philosophy at England's
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Oxford University after being awarded with a highly coveted road scholarship. It was there that he met and married
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Vivien before accepting the position of senior research officer in the CSRO's division of physics at the National
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Standards Laboratory in Sydney. During Gilbert's time with the CSRO, his superiors were so impressed
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with him that he was given an indefinite appointment with the organization, with
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his chief deeming him to be the most brilliant member on staff. Gilbert was equally admired outside of
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the workplace. Not only did he speak several languages, play the clarinet, and have
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four great children, he was an extroverted character and a conversationalist who got along well
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with everyone he met. Vivian Bogle told the detectives that at around 9:00 the night before, Gilbert
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had left home to attend a party thrown by one of his colleagues, Ken Nash, and his wife,
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Ruth. Vivien couldn't go to the party because their baby was sick, and she had to stay home and tend to the
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children. She woke up at around 5:00 a.m. only to find that Gilbert still wasn't home.
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When he still hadn't surfaced by 6:45, her worry grew. Viven called the Nash residents to
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see if they could shed any light on her husband's whereabouts. Ruth Nash told Vivien not
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to stress. She said the party had run into the early hours of the morning and Gilbert had only left a short while
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earlier. With Vivien receiving the news that her husband had been found dead next to the
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Lanc Cove River, her worst fears had come true. As she tried to get her head around the reality of it, the detectives
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delivered the second blow, explaining that a deceased woman had also been found just a few meters from Gilbert's
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body. Viven was stunned. She had no idea who the woman could be. Back at Lane Cove, detectives checked
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the parking area near Fuller's Bridge, which was about 70 m from where the bodies were
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found. There, they found an old Ford Prefect with its doors unlocked and its keys tucked into the driver side sun
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visor. A check of the Ford's registration confirmed that the car belonged to Gilbert Bogle.
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On the back seat was a leather case with a clarinet inside and strangely an abstract painting depicting what
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appeared to be a two-headed woman surrounded by a severed foot and hand. The car didn't smell of gas or any
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other unusual odor. There was nothing inside the car that could explain how the pair had
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died, nor was there anything that could help identify the mystery woman. Detectives visited the home of the party
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hosts Ken and Ruth Nash. The Nashes lived on Warar Street in Chhatzwood, which was about 5 km east
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of Fuller's Bridge. They were stunned to hear that Gilbert Bogle had been found dead. Gilbert had been one of 22 guests
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who had attended their annual New Year's Eve celebration the previous night, and
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when they'd last seen him, he'd been in perfect health. The Nashes recalled that Gilbert had
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arrived at around 9:30 p.m. with his clarinet in hand. He also brought with him a Picasso inspired drawing of an
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abstract figure, the one that had been found in the back of his car. He had drawn this at Ken and Ruth's
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request. To keep things interesting, they had asked their guests to bring some kind of abstract art project they
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could display for the evening. Most guests let the Nashes keep their projects at the end of the night, but
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Gilbert wanted to take his home. The detectives asked Ken and Ruth if there happened to be a dark-haired
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woman at their party who wore a white rose patterned dress. The husband and wife exchanged a
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look. Yes, they said there was a guest who fit that description. Her name was Margaret Chandler, but they
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didn't know her very well. She was the 29-year-old wife of another CSRO employee, 32-year-old Jeffrey
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Chandler. The Chandlers had been a late addition to the Nash's guest list, having been invited to the party just a
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week before at Gilbert Bogle's request. They'd arrived at around 10:30 p.m. dressed in more casual attire than the
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Nashes had requested on their invite and without any artwork to contribute. Ken and Ruth told the
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detectives that Margaret Chandler had been reserved at the party, perhaps even a bit
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shy. She mostly sat on the lounge sipping a drink. In contrast, Gilbert Bogle was
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the life of the party as per usual. He mingled freely, dancing and sometimes speaking to other guests in Spanish and
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Italian. The Nashes didn't particularly notice Gilbert paying Margaret any more attention than he did the other guests.
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However, they did notice that the two left the party at around the same time, shortly after 4:00 a.m., and Margaret's
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husband wasn't with them. With this revelation, the detectives started putting the pieces
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together. They were familiar with the area of Lane Cove where the two bodies were found, as the parking lot near
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Fuller's Bridge was a well-known lover's lane. Officers were routinely dispatched there
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to keep an eye out for any peeping toms or anyone who might be illegally dumping
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rubbish in the surrounding bushland. It stood to reason that Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler
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could have left the party together and stopped at Lane Cove to have some time alone. Given that they were both in a
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state of undress, detectives considered whether they had willingly taken their clothes off to engage in consensual sex
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when they both became gravely ill. The problem with this theory was that the area they were found in wasn't
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exactly a picturesque or romantic spot. The polluted river gave off an unpleasant smell while rubbish was
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strewn throughout the bush track and riverbed. If the pair had wanted some privacy, it seemed odd that they'd
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walked 70 m from the parking lot to this undesirable location when they could have just stayed in the comfort of
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Gilbert's car. It also didn't explain what had happened to them once they reached the
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bush track. The Nashes said that neither Gilbert or Margaret had drunk much throughout the evening, and neither
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seemed intoxicated or sick when they left the party. This meant that something had occurred
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in the period of time when they left the party at around 4:00 a.m. and when Michael McCormack first walked past
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Gilbert's body at 8:00 a.m. Forensic examiners estimated that Gilbert had died shortly after leaving
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the party at around 5:00 a.m. with Margaret dying an hour or two later. Although it was also possible that she'd
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died around the same time, but her body had been better preserved due to the way
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it was covered up. A medical officer at the scene examined their bodies for stab marks,
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bullet holes, strangulation, or any other signs of assault. He found nothing, further solidifying the theory
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that the pair had been poisoned. And detectives suspected they knew who was responsible.
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It was nearing 100 p.m. on New Year's Day when detectives arrived at a modest weatherboard home in the Sydney suburb
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of Cuddon, located roughly 18 km south of Fuller's Bridge. A sign in the front yard read,
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"Daxand Pups for sale." It was the home of Margaret and Jeffrey Chandler. The couple had bought the house several
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years prior and were renovating it slowly while raising their 9-month-old and 2-year-old
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sons. Margaret was a former nurse turned stay-at-home mom, while Jeffrey worked as an engineer at the
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CSRO. He'd started with the company as a technical assistant, but had slowly risen the ranks while studying
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diligently for his master's degree in engineering. His hard work paid off, and coupled with Margaret's smart budgeting,
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they'd managed to pay off their mortgage in just 2 years. They lived simply, their only
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indulgence being their shared love for vintage cars. The detectives knocked on the
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door, and a slightly disheveled Jeffrey Chandler answered, having obviously just
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woken up. In his arms was his grizzling baby son while his older son stood by his
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side. The detectives asked to Jeffree if his wife was at home. He said she was not. They asked if he knew where she
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was. Jeffrey responded no. He said the last time he'd seen Margaret was at around 4:00 that morning
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when he'd left the Nash's New Year's Eve party. Jeffrey asked if there had been an
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accident. The detectives told him no and asked if he would accompany them to the
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police station. Jeffrey agreed, but didn't ask why, nor did the detectives offer him
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any explanation. At the station, a detective presented Jeffrey with the afternoon
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edition of the Daily Mirror newspaper. The front page headline read, "Scientist, woman in death
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mystery." The article went on to explain that Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler
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had been found dead on the banks of Lanc River, the cause of their death unknown. Jeffrey Chandler showed no
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reaction as he read the story. He took a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lit
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it up in a stony silence. The detective asked to Jeffrey how he knew Gilbert Bogle. Jeffrey explained that they had
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worked together at the CSRO for several years, but in different departments. He said they didn't know
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each other well, but would say hello in passing. Jeffrey explained that Margaret had only
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met Gilbert, or Gibb as he was known, 10 days earlier at a CSRO Christmas barbecue. Margaret had been looking
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forward to the event. Having given birth only months earlier, she hadn't been out
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much and was looking forward to some adult interaction. Gilbert Bogle attended the
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barbecue alone as his wife was at home nursing their sick baby. He soon started chatting with Margaret
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and the two immediately hit it off. After the barbecue, Ken and Ruth Nash invited some of the guests back to
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their place for drinks. There, Gilbert suggested that the Nashes invite the Chandlers to their
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upcoming New Year's Eve party, and they obliged. Jeffrey wasn't particularly excited about the invite, but he could
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tell that Margaret was. In the days following the barbecue, she seemed to have a renewed
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spark. Margaret told Jeffrey that Gilbert Bogle had been the most interesting person there. She admitted
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she felt quite attracted to him and that she found the prospect of sleeping with
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him alluring. Jeffrey told her, "If you want to take a Gibb as a lover, if it would make you happy, you
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do it. [Music] Jeffrey explained to the incredulous detectives that while he and Margaret
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had a happy marriage, they had an arrangement in which they were both free to pursue intimate relations with other
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people. He said they had attended the Nash's New Year's party with the understanding that Margaret was free to
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take a Gilbert Bogle home at the end of the night if she so desired. Jeffrey had even agreed to stay
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elsewhere and take care of the children so that the two could have some privacy. Jeffrey told the detectives
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that on New Year's Eve, he and Margaret had dropped their two sons at Margaret's
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parents house before arriving at the Nash's party at around 1000 p.m. Jeffrey could tell straight away
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that the party was not his scene. He felt inadequately dressed in his shirt, sleeves, and sandals while all the other
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men were in suits. He was also the only one there with a beard. Overall, the party was quieter
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and more formal than what Jeffree was used to, and although it was pleasant enough, he found it quite pretentious
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and wasn't eager to stick around. However, he'd made a promise to Margaret, and he intended to keep it.
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Jeffrey told the detectives that at around 11:30 p.m. he slipped out of the party to go and buy cigarettes without
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telling Margaret or anyone else that he was leaving. As he drove along looking for a
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shop that was still open, he got further and further away from the Nash's house until he decided he might as well stop
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in at another party he'd been invited to. This one was at the Balain home of Ken Buckley. a friend who worked as an
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economic history lecturer at the University of Sydney. Ken Buckley's party was much
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more to Jeffrey's tastes. There were about 100 guests and it was a more laidback and casual
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affair. He also had an extra incentive to pop by. His girlfriend was going to be there.
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Jeffrey Chandler told the detectives that he'd been romantically involved with a 21-year-old woman named Pamela
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Logan for about five or 6 months. Pamela worked as a secretary at the University of Sydney, where the CSRO
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building was located, and the two had met through mutual acquaintances. Jeffrey told the detectives that he'd
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been at the Balain party for about an hour when they decided to go back to Pamela's place, which was about 6 km
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away in the suburb of Darlington. Jeffree agreed to drive his car with Pamela following behind in her
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own. She'd only recently gotten her driver's license and still had trouble navigating the streets on her
00:27:22
own. By the time they got to Pamela's house, she wasn't feeling very well, so Jeffree made her a cup of coffee and
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left at around 2:00 a.m. He drove back to Chatzwood and slipped back into the Nash's party, where nobody seemed to
00:27:38
have taken much notice of his absence. Jeffree said he apologized to Margaret for being gone for so long, but
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she didn't appear to be phased at all. A supper of chicken, ham, sausage, cheese, and vegetables was then
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served. Afterwards, Jeffrey asked Margaret if she still had the same opinion of Gilbert Bogle as she did
00:28:03
before. She said that she did, and that Gilbert had offered to drive her home if
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Jeffrey hadn't returned. A little while later, shortly before 4:00 a.m., Jeffree saw Margaret
00:28:17
and Gilbert chatting together on the couch. He went over and told them he was ready to leave. When Margaret made no
00:28:26
move to join him, Jeffrey asked Gilbert if he could take her home. Gilbert looked at him quizzingly
00:28:35
as though he was trying to make sure he interpreted the question correctly. After a pause, he
00:28:42
responded, "All right." Jeffrey told the detectives he then left without saying goodbye to
00:28:50
anyone else. He felt a bit embarrassed to be leaving by himself and didn't want to draw any attention to this
00:28:57
fact. Jeffree sat in his car and lit a cigarette, waiting a few minutes just in case Margaret changed her
00:29:05
mind. When she didn't come out, he drove off. Jeffrey claimed that he drove straight
00:29:13
back to Pamela Logan's house via the Sydney Harbor Bridge. He got to Pamela's house at around 4:30 a.m., woke her up,
00:29:22
and asked if she'd go with him to pick up his children. Pamela seemed slightly annoyed
00:29:29
by this request, but she agreed. The two then drove to Margaret's parents house, where Jeffree dropped
00:29:36
Pamela to wait around the corner. Jeffrey retrieved his kids, picked Pamela up, and took them all back to
00:29:43
Pamela's house in Darlington. They stayed there for a couple of hours before returning to the
00:29:50
Chandela's home in Cuddon. Jeffree said he was surprised to find that Margaret wasn't home, but he
00:29:58
assumed she must have gone out for a drive with Gilbert Bogle and would be back soon.
00:30:04
He went to sleep with the boys and the next thing he knew, the detectives were knocking at his
00:30:13
door. The detectives weren't buying Jeffrey's story at all. They found it difficult to believe that a happily
00:30:21
married couple could have such an arrangement. It seemed much more believable that Jeffree could have
00:30:27
sensed a mutual attraction between Margaret and Gilbert and killed them in a jealous rage.
00:30:34
Either that or he wanted Margaret out of the picture so he could freely pursue the relationship with his younger
00:30:40
girlfriend and Gilbert Bogle was just collateral damage. Perhaps Jeffrey had discreetly slipped
00:30:48
something into the pair's food or drink before they left the party together, and
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the effects had only taken their toll once the two were canoodling by the riverside. Just before 4:30 p.m. on New
00:31:02
Year's Day, detectives visited Pamela Logan's house in Darlington. They asked her if she had
00:31:09
spent time with the Jeffrey Chandler the previous evening. "Yes," Pamela replied.
00:31:16
Why do you want to know? Pamela told the detectives the exact same story as Jeffrey. She also said that when he'd
00:31:26
returned to her house at around 4:30 a.m., he mentioned that he'd arranged for another man to take his wife
00:31:34
home. Pamela lived in a share house and one of her housemates had also been at the Bowain party the night before.
00:31:42
This housemate confirmed that Jeffrey Chandler had been at the party and brought the children over in the
00:31:48
morning. They'd all eaten breakfast together before the Chandelers had left at around 10:00
00:31:56
a.m. With Pamela backing Jeffrey's alibi to the tea, the detectives were left scratching their heads.
00:32:04
They visited Margaret's parents, who confirmed that Jeffree had arrived at their house at around 5:00 a.m. to pick
00:32:11
up their children. This was the same time that Gilbert Bogle was thought to have
00:32:18
died. Although this meant Jeffrey couldn't have been present when Gilbert and Margaret became fatally ill, it
00:32:25
didn't rule out the possibility that he'd managed to poison them before they left the Nash's party.
00:32:32
[Music] Given that the Chandelus house had been empty at the time, it made detectives
00:32:38
even more curious about why Margaret and Gilbert had ended up in the spot that they
00:32:43
had. Perhaps they were driving back to the Chandler's home when they were overcome with
00:32:49
illness. Gilbert might have urgently parked his car and the two had run into the bush to be sick in private.
00:32:57
Then again, if they were so violently ill, why go 70 m into the bush when there were plenty of other spots closer
00:33:09
by? The news that Margaret had been found to dead left her parents utterly devastated. Margaret was one of four
00:33:17
children in their close-knit family, and as the only girl, she was particularly beloved.
00:33:25
But equally crushing to them was Jeffrey's claim that he and Margaret had an open
00:33:31
marriage. While they'd always had a good relationship with Jeffrey, the thought that he had been liazing with other
00:33:37
women while encouraging Margaret to pursue relations with other men left them flabbergasted. They couldn't imagine
00:33:46
Margaret would ever agree to such an arrangement. Back at the police station, Jeffrey
00:33:53
Chandler explained to the detectives that he and Margaret had made the mutual decision not to regulate their marriage
00:34:00
according to the rules of suburbia. He said that neither of them were jealous, possessive, or demanding
00:34:08
in nature, and they recognized each other's rights as individuals. According to Jeffrey, the
00:34:15
fact that they were married and intended to stay married did not eliminate their
00:34:20
interest in other people. While he didn't think Margaret knew about his relationship with Pamela
00:34:27
Logan specifically, she knew he was involved with other women. He also made it clear that he
00:34:34
never intended to pursue a future with Pamela and she expected nothing of him. But the detectives were skeptical of
00:34:44
Jeffrey's claims, believing there was every chance he was using this as an excuse for his own bad
00:34:51
behavior. If the police didn't believe him, Jeffrey said they could ask his friend, Bill Bry, as he'd had a brief
00:34:59
affair with Margaret in the past. Bill backed up Jeffrey's claims completely. He said he'd slept with Margaret a few
00:35:08
times about 4 years prior, and that Jeffrey had been fully aware, even making jokes about
00:35:16
it. Bill claimed that Jeffrey Chantler was an easygoing and placid fellow, and definitely not the jealous
00:35:24
type. The affair only came to an end when Bill started dating his future wife. The police interrogated Jeffrey Chandler
00:35:35
for close to 13 hours, but he never veered from his original story and there was no evidence to tie him to the scene
00:35:42
at Lane Cove. Eventually, he was free to go. But the next morning, he was summoned to the
00:35:50
city morg to identify Margaret's body. Police hoped that this might prompt a reaction or perhaps even elicit
00:35:59
a confession. Several detectives gathered around the room, their eyes on Jeffrey as the
00:36:05
coroner lifted back the sheet to reveal Margaret's body. "She's a bit disheveled, isn't
00:36:12
she?" Jeffrey remarked. "He made no other show of emotion." Meanwhile, forensic investigators
00:36:25
searched the home of Ken and Ruth Nash for any evidence that Margaret Chandler and Gilbert Bogle could have been
00:36:32
poisoned before they left the party. If Jeffrey Chandler wasn't responsible, maybe one of the other partygoers was,
00:36:41
or maybe their deaths hadn't been intentional at all, but the result of contaminated food or drink, or a
00:36:48
practical joke gone horribly wrong. Officers confiscated all of the leftover food scraps and drinks that had been
00:36:57
served and were surprised to discover that very little alcohol had been consumed. Between the 24 people present,
00:37:06
only four bottles of spirits and 16 bottles of beer had been drunk throughout the entire evening.
00:37:13
Testing revealed no traces of poison or food born bacteria in any of the consumables served at the
00:37:21
party. Officers also seized a collection of medicines and household chemicals taken during a search of Jeffrey
00:37:28
Chandler's home as well as the home of Pamela Logan. They also confiscated the clothes
00:37:34
that Jeffree had worn to the party and swabbed the insides of his pockets for any poison
00:37:42
residue. Without knowing exactly what had killed Margaret Chandler and Gilbert Bogle, police weren't sure what to do
00:37:50
next. Because their bodies were discovered on a public holiday, detectives had to wait 36 hours for
00:37:56
their autopsies to be conducted. The carpet square that had been draped over Gilbert's body was
00:38:03
determined to have come from the boot of his car, indicating he'd taken it with him so they'd have a comfortable place
00:38:10
to lay down. Microscopic examination revealed that the pair hadn't had full sexual
00:38:17
intercourse, but fresh semen was detected on Gilbert's jacket and genitals, confirming that some form of
00:38:24
sexual activity had taken place. This meant that whatever had happened, the pair had been healthy and
00:38:31
well when they arrived at the riverbed, seeking privacy. The fact that they'd been unable to put
00:38:38
their clothes back on indicated that something had struck them down rapidly and without
00:38:45
warning. Initial toxicology testing showed no alcohol in either of their systems.
00:38:52
Tissue samples were taken from various organs and then tested against numerous readily available poisons including
00:38:59
stricknine, cyanide, arsenic, and other household chemicals, agricultural products, and prescription medications
00:39:07
such as barbiterates and sleeping pills. But to the great shock of everyone involved, none of the tissue
00:39:15
samples showed any traces of poison. While this didn't rule out the possibility that Margaret and Gilbert
00:39:26
had been poisoned, it just meant the toxicologists had to dig deeper. Whatever had killed the pair, it
00:39:34
wasn't an ordinary run-of-the-mill drug or toxin. Investigators considered whether
00:39:40
it was something that only a highly educated professional in the medical or scientific field would have knowledge of
00:39:46
or access to. someone such as a CSRO employee. Police searched the Chandler's home again and found a receipt in one of
00:39:58
Margaret's handbags for H Highrex. It had been issued by Windswept Kennels on Saturday, December 29,
00:40:07
1962, just 3 days before she died. Detectives visited the business owner, a well-known Daxund breeder named Sheridan
00:40:18
Py. Sheridan confirmed that she'd had multiple dealings with the Chandlers in the past, as Margaret was a dog lover
00:40:26
who had dottingly raised several Daxons. She viewed the Chandlers as a normal family and described Jeffrey as a
00:40:34
gentle man. The Chantler's dog had recently had puppies, and Sheridan confirmed that
00:40:41
Margaret had brought the litter over for her to have a look at. She remembered the visit well
00:40:47
because Margaret hadn't quite been her usual self. While she usually took pride in
00:40:53
her appearance, on this visit, she seemed a little unckempt. It also seemed like something
00:41:00
was worrying her. The two women started chatting and Margaret mentioned that she'd had an
00:41:07
argument with her husband, but Sheridan made a joke which had lightened the mood. Sheridan confirmed that she'd
00:41:15
given Margaret some Hyerex pills which were used to treat tapeworm in dogs. They were brand new to the market
00:41:24
and Sheridan had warned Margaret to keep them away from her children as they were
00:41:28
not safe for human consumption. However, Sheridan said she only gave Margaret four of the pills and this
00:41:36
wouldn't have been enough to kill a person. Regardless, as far as the detectives were concerned, this was
00:41:44
their first solid lead. They considered whether Jeffrey Chandler could have used the Herex to
00:41:51
spike Margaret and Gilbert's drinks to prevent them from being physical with one another.
00:41:57
Maybe he'd given them too much without realizing their potency, and this plan had fatally
00:42:05
backfired. Police returned to the Chandler's house to search for the Hydrax pills, but couldn't find them
00:42:11
anywhere, and Jeffrey claimed he knew nothing about them. Investigators remained convinced
00:42:21
that Margaret and Gilbert had both been poisoned by the same thing. They just had to figure out
00:42:28
what. They interviewed the other guests who had attended the New Year's Eve party at the Nash
00:42:34
residence. None of them had fallen even remotely ill, even though one guest had eaten food directly off of Gilbert's
00:42:43
plate. No one recalled anything unusual about Gilbert or Margaret's behavior towards the end of the night, either.
00:42:52
One guest had given Gilbert a handshake goodbye and noted that he'd been in good
00:42:56
spirits and appeared perfectly sober and healthy. However, the detectives were slightly dubious about one
00:43:06
guest. 39year-old Joan Gordon, not her real name, worked as a research scientist at the CSRO.
00:43:14
She had left the party at the same time as Gilbert, making her one of the last people to have seen him
00:43:21
alive. Joan described Gilbert as a kind man. She said the two occasionally ran into each other at work or at the tennis
00:43:30
club, and he always made a point of being nice to her and giving her compliments. He'd even kissed her at the
00:43:37
Nash's party when the clock struck midnight. The significance for police was that
00:43:44
Joan Gordon was the only single woman who attended the New Year's Eve party. She also suffered from a chronic skin
00:43:52
condition which resulted in an apparent lack of self-esteem. Police theorized that Joan
00:43:59
could have been infatuated with Gilbert Bogle and was overcome with the jealousy
00:44:03
when she saw him leave the party with another woman. As a scientist, she certainly knew a
00:44:10
thing or two about poisons and she could have followed Gilbert and Margaret to Lane Cove and killed them
00:44:17
both. Joan told detectives that she drove straight home after the party, but given that she lived alone, there was no
00:44:25
one to verify her alibi. Police remained suspicious of Joan, but it didn't seem likely that she would
00:44:33
have been driving around in possession of some kind of undetectable poison. Secondly, even if she did have
00:44:40
the poison and had followed Gilbert and Margaret down to the river, how would she have managed to administer
00:44:47
it? While everyone detectives spoke to painted Gilbert Bogle as a loyal family man, several women came forward to
00:44:55
report otherwise. At least two married women reported that Gilbert had asked them out or made moves
00:45:03
on them in the past, while another claimed she'd been having an affair with Gilbert for the past 3
00:45:10
years. Margaret Fowler was a married librarian who worked at the CSRO's scientific library.
00:45:18
She claimed that she'd begun a physical relationship with Gilbert in 1959, and the two would occasionally have sex at
00:45:26
work or at a private location in a public park. During these encounters, he'd always keep his shirt, shoes, and socks
00:45:34
on and remove only his pants, and underwear, just like he'd done at Lane Cove on New Year's Day.
00:45:43
Margaret Fowler quickly found herself falling in love with Gilbert, even though he treated her poorly and made it
00:45:50
clear the relationship was purely sexual. She once threatened to take her own life after he rejected her.
00:45:58
Eventually, Margaret's husband, Robert Fowler, who was a colleague of Gilbert, agreed that his wife was free to have
00:46:06
sex outside of their marriage as long as it didn't happen under their roof. She went against her husband's wishes
00:46:14
and one night, Robert came home to find Gilbert jumping over the balcony with his shoes in
00:46:22
hand. From the stories Margaret Fowler told, it was clear to the detectives that she was infatuated with Gilbert
00:46:29
Bogle, possibly to the point of delusion. But it also proved that Gilbert was no stranger to taking women
00:46:37
to public parks for sexual encounters. Bizarrely enough, it also turned out that Margaret Fowler had shared the
00:46:46
occasional kiss with the Jeffrey Chandler. Jeffrey told detectives that at the CSRO Christmas barbecue where his
00:46:55
wife had met Gilbert for the first time, Margaret Fowler had been in an emotional
00:47:01
state. She told him that she'd been having an affair with Gilbert and he'd recently called it off.
00:47:10
Detectives wondered whether Margaret Fowler could have been motivated to murder Gilbert and his new romantic
00:47:16
interest under the mindset that if she couldn't have him, then no one could. Alternatively, maybe her jealous
00:47:24
husband Robert wanted Gilbert out of the picture for good. The couple's whereabouts on New
00:47:31
Year's Eve were looked into. It turned out they'd attended a party in Tara Mara, 12 km north of the Nash's
00:47:39
party in Chhatzwood, where they'd stayed until 4:00 a.m. before walking the short
00:47:45
distance home. There was no way either of them could have ran into Gilbert Bogle and
00:47:51
Margaret Chandler in those early morning hours. The case immediately became a media
00:48:01
sensation with the local tabloids publishing story after story to keep feeding the intense public
00:48:08
interest. Sydney siders were left scandalized by the lura details about open marriages, late night affairs, and
00:48:16
suspected murder plots. Even more so when it was revealed that Jeffrey Chandler was a member of a libertarian
00:48:23
subculture known as the Sydney Push. Unofficially formed in the 1940s, the Push was the name given to an
00:48:32
amorphous group who had a shared interest in the anti- athoritarian movement and left-wing politics.
00:48:40
Members of the push consisted of university students, academics, musicians, artists, journalists, and
00:48:47
public servants. While there was no formal shape or goal for the push, members would typically attend meetings before
00:48:55
frequenting one of several pubs around Sydney, with many of those pub visits eventually turning into late night
00:49:02
parties. Although members of the push were mostly well educated and had good jobs, many
00:49:09
outsiders viewed them as beatnicks who lived outside the rules of conventional society. They had a reputation for
00:49:18
believing in free love and being heavy drinkers. And Jeffrey Chandler's association with the group made the
00:49:25
story of his wife's death all the more titillating for conservative members of the public.
00:49:32
It didn't help that publicly, Jeffrey appeared to show little emotion or respect for his dead
00:49:39
wife. Margaret's brother told the police that just 2 days after Margaret died, Jeffrey had introduced him to Pamela
00:49:46
Logan and described her as his girlfriend. In addition to the rampant speculation
00:49:54
that the pair had been murdered by a jealous lover or spouse, wild theories also started surfacing about Gilbert
00:50:02
Bogle's possible involvement in top secret information. A man of great intelligence, he'd recently been offered
00:50:09
a fellowship position working at the Bell Telephone Company in the United States. And before he died, his family
00:50:17
had intended to move there in just a few weeks time. The possibility was raised that Gilbert
00:50:24
could have been working as a spy or had been the target of espionage related nerve gas or even a death
00:50:32
ray. It was the height of the Cold War and public concern about nuclear bombs was at its
00:50:39
peak. Investigators considered these theories but found nothing to support any of them.
00:50:46
They even looked into the possibility that Jeffrey Chandler could have been involved in military research and had
00:50:52
been given access to a laboratory in which chemical and biological warfare was being looked
00:50:59
into. At the time, Sydney's two major afternoon tabloids, The Sun and The Daily Mirror, were in the midst of a
00:51:07
vicious war to take out the number one spot. Reporters from both publications pulled
00:51:13
out all the stops to be the first to break any developments in what was coming to be known as the Bogle Chandler
00:51:21
case. Reporters lurked around the Chandler's home as well as the CSRO building, desperate for any new detail
00:51:29
they could turn into a story. The public interest in Jeffrey Chandler was so intense that he began
00:51:36
moving between the homes of friends and acquaintances to avoid the media onslaught.
00:51:42
Gilbert Bogle's wife, Vivien, promptly packed up her four children and returned to her homeland of New Zealand, refusing
00:51:49
to believe that her husband was anything but the faithful family man she knew him
00:51:54
to be. The advantage of the public interest was that people were eager to come forward with any information that could
00:52:03
help with the case. Various witnesses made statements confirming they had seen Jeffrey
00:52:09
Chandler's distinctive 1924 model vintage Vauhall driving west from the suburb of Burwood sometime between 4:45
00:52:18
a.m. and 5:00 a.m. roughly 20 km from Lane Cove. These statements further supported
00:52:26
Jeffrey's version of events, proving he was nowhere near Fuller's Bridge at the time that Margaret and Gilbert died.
00:52:35
But for investigators, this just left the question. If Jeffrey didn't kill them, then who
00:52:49
did? When the tabloids started reporting on the H Higherex tablets that Margaret
00:52:54
Chandler had purchased in the days before her death, members of the public began speculating that she could have
00:53:00
brought them with her to the party where she and Gilbert Bogle took them together
00:53:05
in some kind of suicide pact. Maybe the reason her handbag hadn't been found at the scene was
00:53:12
because she ditched it to get rid of the evidence. But testing of Margaret and Gilbert's
00:53:18
tissue samples came back negative for any sign of the drug in either of their systems. Jeffrey Chandler clarified that
00:53:27
the reason police couldn't find Margaret's handbag was because she hadn't been carrying one at all on the
00:53:32
night that she died. She'd left it at her parents' house at the last minute after deciding
00:53:38
that it clashed with her outfit. Whatever poison had killed the pair, it hadn't been in Margaret's
00:53:48
possession. Loved ones of the deceased insisted there was no way either of them would have taken their own
00:53:54
lives. Gilbert was a happy, popular, and welladjusted man who had great career satisfaction and loved his wife and
00:54:02
children. Not only was he looking forward to his upcoming move to America to work with
00:54:08
the Bell Telephone Company, but before offering Gilbert the position, Belle had conducted a thorough background check
00:54:15
into his personal life. They found nothing to suggest he was in any way suicidal, depressed, or
00:54:23
mentally [Music] ill. Similarly, Margaret's medical history revealed no such concerns.
00:54:32
Although some of Margaret's loved ones had noticed a change in her personality and appearance since giving birth to her
00:54:39
second child, they were adamant she would never voluntarily leave her two sons without a mother.
00:54:47
Jeffrey admitted he'd been neglecting Margaret's needs and that their otherwise happy marriage had been at a
00:54:53
lull, but he said her encounter and potential leazison with Gilbert Bogle had seemingly reinvigorated
00:55:01
her. On Friday, January 11, 10 days after Gilbert and Margaret's bodies were found, a team of police divers returned
00:55:10
to Lane Cove for a second attempt at searching the river for clues. Dawning special equipment, they launched
00:55:17
themselves into the murky water, but it was still too dark to see anything. They used their hands to crawl
00:55:25
along the muddy river floor, feeling for a syringe, bottle, anything that could account for the two mysterious
00:55:33
deaths. Nothing was found. [Music] While police weren't prepared to rule any theory out, the fact that Gilbert
00:55:45
and Margaret barely knew each other made the idea of a suicide pact highly unlikely. Given that neither showed any
00:55:54
signs of wanting to end their own lives and had zero history of violence, it seemed equally improbable that one would
00:56:01
have killed the other before killing themselves. Yet, the fact that both of their bodies
00:56:08
had been so carefully covered up sparked debate about who could have done such a
00:56:14
thing. Some investigators thought that if the pair was murdered, a killer would have dragged their bodies a few meters
00:56:21
off the track instead of leaving them out in the open. The precise way in which Gilbert's
00:56:27
clothes were placed over his body ruled out the possibility that he'd covered himself up.
00:56:34
However, Margaret was a trained nurse, and some wondered whether she could have covered Gilbert's body to keep him warm
00:56:41
before stumbling to the riverbed where she pulled the broken beer cartons over herself. Others thought this made no
00:56:49
sense. If Margaret wanted to cover herself, wouldn't she have pulled her rumpled dress back on instead of using
00:56:56
dirty, weathered pieces of cardboard? After considering all possible scenarios, investigators
00:57:05
unequivocally agreed that a third person had been involved. Not necessarily as a
00:57:12
perpetrator, but at the very least, someone else had been present at the scene and had covered the bodies up,
00:57:18
perhaps to preserve their dignity. Detectives asked anyone who had been at Lane Cove on New Year's morning
00:57:26
to come forward. One man who identified himself only as Mr. Roberts called to say he'd seen Dr.
00:57:34
Bogle's Ford Prefect parked near Fuller's Bridge at around 4:30 a.m. with a woman
00:57:41
inside. He hung up the call before providing any further information and the call couldn't be traced.
00:57:50
4 days later, the same man called back after his car, a Ford Escort, had been identified as being in the area at the
00:57:58
time in question. This time, he identified himself as Kenneth Shalley. Shalley provided an in-person
00:58:07
statement in which he said that he'd arrived at the Lancove River around 4:00 a.m. on January 1.
00:58:15
He claimed he often went there to look for plants for his garden, but under pressure from the police, he cracked and
00:58:22
admitted he was really there to spy on couples having sex. Shelley said that at around 4:30
00:58:30
a.m., he'd been walking along Lady Game Drive, which runs parallel to the river,
00:58:36
when a Ford Prefect matching the description of Gilbert Bogle's car passed him and stopped halfway off the
00:58:42
road. A man and woman were in the front seat. Shelley locked eyes with the man who he later identified as Gilbert Bogle
00:58:52
and noted that he looked very pale. He also got the impression that Gilbert was about to say something to
00:58:59
him but then stopped. Shalley kept walking and when he returned half an hour later, the
00:59:08
prefect was gone. He continued on and found it was now parked near Fuller's Bridge with no one
00:59:16
inside. Shalley got into his car and drove along the dirt track where Gilbert's body was later
00:59:23
found. He didn't see Gilbert or Margaret, but he did claim to see a tall, well-built man with long blonde
00:59:30
hair who jumped out of the bushes and then disappeared down the riverbank. Kenneth Shelley vehemently denied being
00:59:39
the one who covered up the two bodies. Although investigators found him to be a suspicious character, they
00:59:47
thought he was likely telling the truth. Shalley only had one arm, and it seemed highly improbable that he could
00:59:54
have placed the clothes so precisely over Gilbert Burgle's body in the way they were.
01:00:04
Weeks passed and the mysterious case remained in the headlines as the tabloids continued to discuss various
01:00:12
theories. Despite the ongoing speculation, there still hadn't been any breakthroughs in the
01:00:19
investigation. By the third week, the police put out another call for anyone who had been near Fuller's Bridge in the
01:00:26
early morning hours of January 1 to come forward. One tipster reported having seen a green
01:00:33
and white Ford sedan parked in the area. After this detail was broadcasted by the
01:00:40
media, the owner of the car presented himself as Eddie Batiste. Eddie was a Greyhound trainer
01:00:47
who claimed he'd passed over Fuller's Bridge just after 4:30 a.m. on New Year's Day.
01:00:54
He said he'd driven along the upper bush track of the Lanc Cove River where he parked his car and then took his dogs
01:01:01
for a walk to the golf course. Eddie claimed he never went on the lower bush track where Gilbert Bogle
01:01:09
and Margaret Chandler's bodies were found. He recalled seeing a Ford Prefect parked near Fuller's Bridge, but claimed
01:01:17
he didn't see either of its occupants. Detectives were a little suspicious of Eddie. If he had nothing to hide, they
01:01:27
wondered why it took him 3 weeks to come forward. They considered whether Eddie's
01:01:33
greyhounds had actually sniffed out the two bodies, and Eddie had felt compelled
01:01:37
to cover them up to protect their modesty. Inquiries with those who knew Eddie revealed that he was known to be a bit
01:01:46
of a prude, while his son also claimed that Eddie had arrived home on New Year's morning in an agitated
01:01:54
state. But Eddie firmly denied having ever seen the two bodies, and police had no evidence to prove otherwise.
01:02:03
Like everything else in the case, his potential presence at the scene became yet another unfounded
01:02:12
supposition. By the end of the investigation's first month, toxicologists had conducted tests on all
01:02:19
the standard poisons available in Australia, checking everything from aphrodesiacs to weed killers to carbon
01:02:26
dioxide and eliminated each one. They moved on to the rarer poisons, enlisting help from international police
01:02:35
forces such as Interpol and Scotland Yard. It was speculated that the pair could have been bitten by a venomous
01:02:43
creature such as a funnel web spider. Every possibility was seriously considered, but eventually in mid-March,
01:02:52
the families were given the go-ahad to proceed with funerals for their loved ones.
01:02:58
Gilbert was buried in a northern Sydney cemetery while Margaret was cremated 2 days
01:03:05
later. By late April, 4 months had passed, and rigorous testing of Margaret and Gilbert's organs, tissue, and blood
01:03:14
samples, as well as swabs of their skin, and clothing, had revealed nothing to indicate the presence of any poisonous
01:03:21
substance. Investigators had interviewed over 200 people, and still no answers had come to
01:03:33
light. The only thing left to do was hold an official coronial inquest. In May 1963, the inquest
01:03:42
commenced in what was then known as Sydney's Central Court of Petty Sessions. Curious members of the public lined up
01:03:50
outside the courthouse, hoping to get one of the 50 seats available in the public gallery so they could catch a
01:03:57
real life glimpse of the people who had filled their newspapers for the past 4 months. Over the next 3 weeks, the court
01:04:07
heard from close to 50 witnesses, including Jeffrey Chandler, Pamela Logan, Ken and Ruth Nash, and an array
01:04:15
of investigators and analysts who had been involved with various aspects of the case. The collective hope was that a
01:04:23
seemingly insignificant fact would be dropped that would solve the mystery of how Gilbert and Margaret had died once
01:04:30
and for all. Witnesses appeared in chronological order, starting with the New Year's Eve
01:04:36
party, before moving on to the discovery of the bodies, the official police investigation, the toxicology testing,
01:04:43
and so on. 63 exhibits were tended and dissected. Witnesses were cross-examined and carefully probed, and any criticisms
01:04:54
were openly debated. Tensions were high at the end of the month as the coroner, Jack Looms,
01:05:02
presented his findings. Looms declared, quote, "Every person I felt could give any information
01:05:11
as to the deaths of these unfortunate persons has been summoned to appear. A mass of evidence in addition
01:05:19
to the scientific and medical evidence has been presented. One would like to think that no stone
01:05:27
has been left unturned. Despite all this, the coroner said he was no closer to ascertaining
01:05:35
the manner and cause of Gilbert and Margaret's deaths than he was before the inquest
01:05:41
started. Forensic pathologists still couldn't even determine exactly how the pair had died.
01:05:49
All Looms could say for sure was that the two had suffered from acute cardiac failure associated with anoxia and
01:05:57
pulmonary edema. In other words, their hearts had stopped beating and they'd stopped
01:06:03
breathing, but it couldn't be determined why or even in what order those two things happened.
01:06:11
Coroner Looms clarified that it wasn't his role to theorize or provide an opinion unless it could be supported by
01:06:18
evidence, nor was it a court of morals. He commended the investigative efforts, stating, quote, "Everything
01:06:28
humanly possible has been done. There is one thing, however, I feel I can say with absolute certainty, and that is
01:06:36
that each of these unfortunate persons died an unnatural death. But as to the manner or cause, I am unable to
01:06:45
[Music] say. The lack of answers brought by the inquest left everyone who had been
01:06:54
following the case in a state of shock and only added to the public's speculation and growing fears that a
01:07:00
murderer could be on the loose. A press conference was called in which the police commissioner reassured
01:07:07
the public that the investigation was ongoing and that a new team of detectives would take over to review the
01:07:14
case with fresh eyes. One week later, a letter arrived at the police station from a Brisbane-based
01:07:21
zoologologist who introduced a new theory. Dr. Robert End worked in a lab that specialized in conis geographers, a
01:07:32
highly venomous species of predatory cone snail. After reading about the Bogle Chandler case, Dr. Andine believed the
01:07:41
pair showed symptoms that were akin to being poisoned by Konis geographers and he suggested that someone with this
01:07:48
knowledge could have used the species as an unsuspecting murder weapon. Police looked into Dr. Endane's
01:07:56
theory and discovered something unexpected. His research assistant was a young woman named Claraara Bry.
01:08:05
Despite living in Queensland, Claraara had a surprising connection to Jeffrey and Margaret
01:08:12
Chandler. She was married to Bilberry, the friend of Jeff, who Margaret had once had an affair
01:08:19
with. She was also an expert on Konis geographers Venom. Detectives flew to Queensland to
01:08:28
interview Claraara Bry. She said that despite their toxicity, she didn't believe it was possible to
01:08:35
kill someone with a cone shell. Doing so would require the venom to be stabilized, extracted, and then
01:08:44
injected. It wouldn't be toxic if it was mixed into a drink or eaten. But for the investigative team,
01:08:52
suspicions were officially aroused. Even more so after they contacted the airlines and discovered that a passenger
01:08:59
by the name of G. Chandler had flown from Sydney to Brisbane just weeks before New Year's Day
01:09:08
1963. Samples of the toxin were taken back to Sydney to test against Margaret and Gilbert's tissue
01:09:15
samples. It was a suspenseful 10-day wait before the results of the toxicology test were
01:09:21
delivered. There was no match. While the case remained in the headlines and various scientists, medical
01:09:30
professionals, and concerned members of the public continued to come forward with their own theories and suggestions
01:09:36
about what could have killed the pair. Nothing of note was uncovered. In the years that followed, detectives
01:09:44
continued to seriously consider every possibility. But eventually, the chief toxicologist ran out of viable tissue
01:09:52
samples to test against, and the case ran cold. Conspiracy theories continued to
01:09:59
thrive over the following two decades, with the case becoming somewhat of an urban legend, but the truth of the
01:10:06
matter remained unknown. Then in the late 1980s came a potential breakthrough. At the time of Gilbert
01:10:19
Bogle and Margaret Chandler's deaths in 1963, there had been some whispers that the two could have been experimenting
01:10:26
with the psychedelic drug lysurgic acid dialomide, more commonly known as LSD, and accidentally overdosed.
01:10:36
Some thought they could have taken the drug willingly or that someone could have slipped it into their
01:10:41
drinks. Some tabloids even incorrectly claimed that several guests at the Nash's New Year's party had been
01:10:49
frequent users of LSD when in reality the party had been a relatively sober event.
01:10:56
The possibility that Margaret and Gilbert could have overdosed on LSD was never given much weight due to the fact
01:11:03
that LSD had never caused any known overdoses. While people had died using the drug, this was typically due to
01:11:12
misadventure, such as jumping from heights while under its influence, not as a direct result of the drug itself.
01:11:20
Furthermore, LSD wasn't even considered an illegal substance at the time. It was mostly used for scientific
01:11:28
and medical research rather than as a recreational drug, and it wasn't readily available.
01:11:36
Gilbert Bogle's lab at the CSRO had been searched following unfounded speculation
01:11:42
that he could have been manufacturing the drug himself, but nothing used in the production of LSD was found and
01:11:50
toxicology tests revealed no trace of LSD in either of the deceased systems. Then in 1987, an inmate at a British
01:12:01
prison asked his girlfriend to sneak a capsule of LSD in and transfer it to his mouth via a
01:12:08
kiss. She granted his request, but the man accidentally swallowed the capsule, which was estimated to be around 400
01:12:16
times the usual dosage. He subsequently died, making him the first person on record to have taken
01:12:24
a lethal overdose of LSD. A scientist who examined the man realized he'd read about similar
01:12:32
symptoms before in the Bogle Chandler case and he suspected they could have fallen victim to a similar
01:12:40
overdose. He believed that the reason toxicology testing returned a negative result was that the proper testing
01:12:47
techniques were not available at the time. LSD is a synthetic drug and when extracted from the body and exposed to
01:12:56
sunlight, it decomposes before it can be identified in any physical test. Instead, testing needs to be done
01:13:05
in a dark room, a fact that the pathologists who conducted the autopsies on Gilbert and Margaret hadn't been
01:13:12
aware of. In 1989, an article in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper by award-winning journalist Philip Nightly
01:13:22
sensationally claimed, quote, "New scientific evidence has broken one of Australia's most baffling
01:13:30
homicides. Today, the cause of death can be confidently established. The couple overdosed on LSD."
01:13:41
The article reported that the New South Wales Health Department's Division of Forensic Medicine agreed that an LSD
01:13:47
overdose was the likely cause of the pair's deaths. Nightly wrote that Gilbert Bogle
01:13:54
and his colleagues had been creating the drug at the CSRO labs and their deaths had been part of a government cover up
01:14:01
to conceal this fact. He stated that the CSRO staff had been using LSD as quote a party drug for
01:14:10
sexual debauchery in which wife swapping was not unusual and that Gilbert had brought a supply of the drug to the New
01:14:17
Year's Eve party. He and Margaret took it to heighten their sexual awareness without
01:14:24
knowing the safe amount for consumption and subsequently overdosed and died. In reality, there was nothing to
01:14:34
substantiate this theory. Colleagues of Gilberts fiercely denied that he would have had any access
01:14:41
to or interest in LSD, while Jeffrey Chantler said he didn't even know about LSD at the time, and Margaret wouldn't
01:14:49
have been interested in such a thing. But the theory persisted and in 1996 a renowned American forensic toxicologist
01:14:59
claimed he had advanced equipment that could detect if LSD was present in Gilbert and Margaret
01:15:07
systems. Relic tissue samples were sent to the United States where they were subject to new forensic
01:15:14
techniques. A first test indicated the presence of LSD. Sydney newspapers were quick to declare
01:15:22
that the mystery had finally been solved once and for all. Yet, a second, more sensitive test was conducted, and this
01:15:31
one came up negative. It was yet another in a long series of red herrings. In 2004, Australian filmmaker Peter Butt
01:15:46
began looking into the Bogle Chandler case for a possible documentary. Having followed the case
01:15:52
for 20 years and already read everything that was publicly available, Peter wrote
01:15:57
to the New South Wales Police requesting access to the full case files. While he waited for a reply,
01:16:05
something occurred to him that had never crossed his mind before. As a school boy, Peter remembered
01:16:13
learning that mangroves produce gases, including the potentially toxic hydrogen sulfide. Low concentrations of hydrogen
01:16:23
sulfide are detectable by the human nose thanks to its offensive stench of rotten
01:16:28
eggs. But as concentrations increase, the gas overcomes the alactory receptors in the nose that are responsible for
01:16:36
picking up odors and it can no longer be detected. At low levels, the gas is harmless. But as concentrations
01:16:46
increase, it can be as deadly as hydrogen cyanide. Once hydrogen sulfide reaches a level of
01:16:53
300 parts per million, it can cause fluid to build up in a person's lungs, leading to dizziness, clumsiness, and
01:17:02
diarrhea. At 700 parts per million, it paralyzes the respiratory center, causing rapid unconsciousness, and
01:17:10
death. Over 800 parts per million, and all it takes is one or two breaths for a person to die instantly.
01:17:21
Peter But recalled that hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air and will linger in open spaces close to the ground if the
01:17:28
air is cool and still, just like it was in the early morning hours of New Year's
01:17:34
Day, 1963. Although it had been the peak of summer, the week following Christmas Day had
01:17:42
been the coldest on record for this time of year, and mornings around Lanc Cove had been dank and
01:17:49
misty. His curiosity aroused, Peter visited the site at Lanc River where Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler had
01:17:57
died and saw that mangroves lined the waterway, their aerial roots sticking out of the mud in a way Peter likened to
01:18:05
dead man's fingers. It occurred to him that the answer to this 41-year mystery could
01:18:13
have been sitting in front of everyone's face this entire time. Peter But began researching the river's
01:18:21
history and discovered that the once thriving waterway began to lose favor with visitors around the late 1930s due
01:18:29
to its increasingly polluted state. Growing industrialization and the construction of a sewer line along the
01:18:37
river had proved to be environmental hazards with increasing sediment prompting the spread of mangrove swamps.
01:18:45
Green weeds thrived in the waterway with fish and eels dying by the truckload. By 1939, local residents
01:18:55
started complaining that the river smelt like rotten eggs, particularly in the early morning
01:19:02
hours. Similar complaints cropped up year after year until 1947 when residents started reporting that the
01:19:10
stench was impacting their health. Not only was it causing vomiting and breathing difficulties, but some
01:19:17
residents noted that it was causing the paint on their homes to peel off. Health inspectors from the Lane
01:19:25
Cove Council investigated the matter at the time, but couldn't find the cause of
01:19:30
the problem. They assumed it was likely a combination of rotting algae and industrial waste.
01:19:38
A marine scientist was tasked with investigating the matter further. He collected samples over
01:19:44
several months and determined the odor was actually hydrogen sulfide. A 5 km stretch of the riverbed
01:19:53
from Fuller's bridge to the rivermouth was saturated with it. It wasn't just a result of the
01:20:00
mangroves, but chemical action in the water caused by decaying marine life and increasing industrial pollution from the
01:20:08
factories that disposed of their waste fluid directly into the river. The hydrogen sulfide levels were
01:20:15
at their highest about 400 m from the Lancove Weir, right near where Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler had died.
01:20:28
The New South Wales police refused Peterbart access to the case file on the basis that the case was still open. But
01:20:36
when he explained his theory that the two could have been poisoned by hydrogen sulfide, they agreed to make a rare
01:20:43
exception. As Peter looked through all the scientific and forensic evidence, he was
01:20:49
shocked to discover that several gases had been considered and tested by toxicologists in the Bogle Chandler
01:20:55
case, but not hydrogen sulfide. The gas was only mentioned once during a 1971 review of the case when it was
01:21:06
ruled out based on various factors, including that there was no obvious source of the gas and that even if there
01:21:13
were, it wouldn't kill two people in an open environment. Peter But began reaching
01:21:21
out to various experts, including Dr. Thomas Milby, an American forensic toxicologist specializing in poisonous
01:21:29
gases who had served on the World Health Organization's hydrogen sulfide committee. Dr. Milby had investigated
01:21:37
over a 100 cases involving hydrogen sulfide poisoning and was well aware that the gas was capable of killing
01:21:44
people out in the open if the environmental conditions were right. He was so intrigued by Peter's theory
01:21:52
that he flew to Sydney to see the Lancave death scene for himself. Environmental awareness had led
01:22:00
to improvements in the river and the hydrogen sulfide levels in the mud were no longer at dangerous levels, but the
01:22:07
waterway still suffered from neglect and pollution. If hydrogen sulfide had been released
01:22:14
from the river bottom on New Year's Day 1963, Dr. Milby told Peter that the B-shaped depression in the riverbed
01:22:22
where Margaret and Gilbert lay would have been the worst place to be. The private spot they'd chosen was
01:22:30
at water level between the bank and a small mangrove swamp where in the cool still air high concentrations of the gas
01:22:38
could accumulate and get trapped. breathing heavily during a sexual encounter. The gas could have overcome
01:22:46
them very suddenly and they could have found themselves suffocating. Quickly overcome with
01:22:52
delirium and desperate for air, Margaret could have grabbed Gilbert's underwear by mistake before stumbling down the
01:22:59
riverbank where she collapsed. Dr. Milby studied the autopsies and concluded to Peter. I saw nothing in either report
01:23:11
that would, in my opinion, exclude the possibility of hydrogen sulfide as being the culprit that killed
01:23:19
them. Dr. Milby explained that hydrogen sulfide poisoning isn't easy to detect during an autopsy because it produces no
01:23:28
characteristic abnormalities other than fluid in the lungs, congestion of the internal organs, and small purple spots
01:23:35
on the skin. If no other cause of death is found, the only telltale sign of hydrogen sulfide poisoning is a greenish
01:23:43
or purple color in the blood. But this doesn't always occur, and nothing in either of the autopsies had mentioned a
01:23:51
discoloration to the blood. Peter then made contact with the chief toxicologist who had worked on the
01:23:58
Bogle Chandler case, Viven Mani, without making any mention of his new theory. Viven agreed to talk Peter
01:24:07
through every step of his testing process. He recalled each detail meticulously,
01:24:14
concluding that he found nothing in either Gilbert or Margaret's tissue samples except
01:24:20
caffeine. He then told Peter something he'd only ever discussed with his superior. One thing I am certain of, he
01:24:30
said. They both died of the same thing. I base this on the appearance of their blood. Both their bloods had a
01:24:38
distinctive purple coloration. Viven said he tried to find a reason for the discoloration, but careful analysis
01:24:47
hadn't brought him any closer to the answer. He was a little skeptical upon learning of Peterbart's hydrogen sulfide
01:24:55
theory until Peter looped him in on a detail he'd never been privy to before. Nobody had ever informed Vivien about
01:25:04
the semen found on Gilbert Bogle's body and a jacket that proved the two were engaging in a sexual act before they
01:25:12
died. This meant he'd been investigating all manners of poison that didn't fit the timeline or circumstances, including
01:25:20
that they could have been suffering the effects of a poison when they'd arrived at the river.
01:25:26
Annoyed that this information had been kept from him, Viven researched the hydrogen sulfide theory for
01:25:34
himself, he told Peter that if Gilbert and Margaret went to the riverbank with the intention of having sex, it was
01:25:41
highly unlikely they would have drank from the river or eaten anything before lying down together.
01:25:48
That meant that whatever had killed them was present in the depression where they
01:25:53
lay and it acted very swiftly. The only sensible explanation was that while they were in close
01:26:00
contact with one another, they'd positioned their faces near a heavy concentration of a very toxic gas.
01:26:09
Viven told Peter that if he'd known about their sexual interaction 42 years ago, he would have attributed the purple
01:26:16
color of their blood to something like hydrogen sulfide. And quote, "The case would have been over in a
01:26:24
[Music] week." Peter But revealed his findings in a television documentary titled Who
01:26:33
Killed Dr. Bogle and Mrs. Chandler? and later in a book and podcast series dedicated to the
01:26:40
case. After the documentary was first aired by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 2006, two people contacted
01:26:48
Peter who claimed to have been at Lane Cove on New Year's Day 1963. They both recalled just how
01:26:56
heavily polluted and putrid smelling the water had been. One of their dogs had rolled in the mud,
01:27:03
and the stench of rotten eggs was near impossible to remove. But another curious revelation
01:27:11
came before the documentary even aired. After seeing the film advertised, a woman named Lorraine Blackwood
01:27:19
contacted Peterbart with something to get off her chest. Lorraine was 11 years old at the
01:27:25
time that Gilbert and Margaret died. She told Peter that a few days after the mysterious deaths, she was exploring an
01:27:33
area of bushland about 5 km from the death scene with her sister and some other boys when they found a woman's
01:27:40
cream colored handbag next to a storm water drain. Inside was some makeup, a handkerchief, and two bottles of white
01:27:49
pills prescribed to a Mrs. Margaret Chandler. Lorraine claimed she bought the bag home and her mother panicked.
01:27:57
Not wanting to get involved in the notorious case, she hid it in the garage before getting rid of it
01:28:05
entirely. Margaret's husband, Jeffrey Chandler, had told police that Margaret didn't bring a handbag with her to the
01:28:12
Nash's party, leaving this detail supplied by Lorraine up for debate. But for Peter Butt, the most
01:28:20
compelling aspect of Lraine's story was the location where the handbag was supposedly found.
01:28:27
It was opposite the home of the nephew of Eddie Batiste, the Greyhound trainer who police suspected might have covered
01:28:34
the bodies of Margaret and Gilbert and not far from where Eddie himself lived. Eddie Batiste had died in 1976,
01:28:44
but Peter tracked down his children who agreed that their father probably wouldn't have told the police if he had
01:28:50
seen the bodies. His daughter described him as a very secretive man, while his son said he was a moralist who had an
01:28:57
aversion to the side of bare human flesh. Eddie Batist's obituary was published in the magazine National
01:29:05
Greyhound News, and it stated that he was the one who had found Margaret and Gilbert's
01:29:12
bodies. He had allegedly told this to a close friend. Whether Eddie really was the one who
01:29:19
covered the bodies remains unknown. The enduring mystery of the Bogle Chandler case has become somewhat
01:29:30
of folklore among Australians familiar with the story. But as coroner Jack Looms stated at the inquest in
01:29:39
1963, one can never lose sight of the fact that the deceased, whoever it may be, is someone's mother, someone's
01:29:47
father, someone's sister, or someone's brother. And very often, the ones left behind are the ones to suffer or find
01:29:56
their reputation damaged. Looms acknowledged he'd found it incredibly difficult to balance the need
01:30:04
for answers with his desire to protect the privacy of those involved. If indeed the pair did die by
01:30:11
hydrogen sulfide poisoning, then the personal lives of many were publicly aired and their reputations tarnished
01:30:18
for no reason. Gilbert Bogle's wife, Viven, avoided the public attention by promptly moving to
01:30:26
New Zealand, with the press once describing her as the unknown living victim of the tragedy. But others were
01:30:34
also affected. Ruth Nash, the co-host of the fateful New Year's Eve party, died on
01:30:41
New Year's Day 1974. Two years later, on New Year's Day 1976, her husband Ken shot
01:30:50
[Music] himself. Jeffrey Chandler sacrificed his privacy by releasing a book about the
01:30:57
case in 1969 titled So You Think I Did It. Jeffrey wanted to set the record straight about various elements of the
01:31:06
case, including his seemingly emotionless reaction upon being told that Margaret was dead.
01:31:14
Jeffrey explained that he'd been disgusted by the way police had pushed a newspaper article in his face rather
01:31:20
than delivering the news with humanity. He wrote, "Whatever their reasons or motives, the manner of the
01:31:28
revelation dealt me a blow of such shocking cruelty I can find no words to describe it. I sat there in the station
01:31:37
waiting, the children half asleep beside me. Nobody explained anything. From that point on, he was
01:31:47
determined not to give them the reactions they so obviously wanted. Jeffrey later told filmmaker
01:31:55
Peter Bart that both he and his two sons suffered quite severe psychological and
01:32:01
emotional damage arising from this event. In the prologue of So You Think I Did It, Jeffrey wrote, "This book is written
01:32:11
for my sons to get the record straight." Margaret longed for her children and went through much to give them birth.
01:32:20
She looked forward to glorious years of enjoyment with them. Instead, she was cruy
01:32:27
deprived. They too. Our eldest has a cloudy memory of his mother. Our youngest nothing. My sons deserve something
01:32:38
better than the fragmented facts and wild speculations that accompanied their mother's
01:32:44
death. I want my sons to know the truth because the truth is the one thing that cannot harm them.
01:32:54
Prior to his death in 2009, Jeffrey agreed that Peterbut's theory about hydrogen sulfide poisoning seemed like
01:33:01
the most realistic explanation. Many other scientists and investigators agree. This possibility was bolstered
01:33:11
further in 2012 when a retired psychologist from CRA contacted Peter But with another surprise revelation.
01:33:20
He claimed that back in 1965, a young woman he'd met through a chance encounter confided in him that she'd
01:33:27
been at Lane Cove on New Year's morning 1963 and had seen a man and woman whom she believed to be Gilbert Bogle and
01:33:35
Margaret Chandler having sex on the riverbank. They'd stopped all of a sudden with Margaret grabbing her
01:33:43
throat, making a strangling noise, and staggering off while Gilbert rolled away.
01:33:49
The air rigged of rotten eggs. The woman who claimed to have witnessed this initially thought the
01:33:57
pair were on drugs and she left the scene, becoming dizzy and stumbling as she did
01:34:03
so. When she heard about the Bogle Chandler deaths in the following days, she was too afraid to come forward
01:34:11
because she hadn't been alone on the river. She'd been with her female partner, and
01:34:17
the pair didn't want their relationship outed as same-sex relationships were frowned upon at the
01:34:23
time. In 2016, Peter Butt made a public appeal for this woman or her partner to come forward and make an official
01:34:31
statement, but they never did. The truth about exactly what happened to Gilbert Bogle and Margaret
01:34:40
Chandler on that riverbank will likely never be known for certain. With no viable blood or tissue
01:34:48
samples left to test, everything is circumstantial. As one reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald once
01:34:56
stated, "In many ways, the answers are lost in another time, another place, a different country.
01:35:05
So many things have changed. [Music] [Music] Whatever.