Ray Kehlet

A prospecting trip in the vast Western Australian outback turns into a baffling cold case when a man is found dead at the bottom of a mineshaft and his wife vanishes without a trace.

In March 2015, Ray Kehlet, 47, and his wife Jennie, 49, embarked on a prospecting adventure in the remote Goldfields region of Western Australia, near Sandstone. They were accompanied by a friend and colleague, Graham Milne. The couple, who were experienced prospectors, set up camp at a location known as 'Bell's Camp', approximately 30 kilometres south of Sandstone. Their goal was to find gold, but the trip took a dark turn, leaving a trail of unanswered questions and a grieving family.

The last known contact with the Kehlets was on March 22, 2015, when their friend, Graham Milne, left the campsite to return to Perth. When family members were unable to contact Ray and Jennie in the following days, they were reported missing on March 31, 2015. A massive land and air search was launched by the WA Police, covering a vast and unforgiving terrain. The search led to a grim discovery on April 8, 2015, when Ray Kehlet's body was found at the bottom of a 12-metre-deep, abandoned mineshaft, about 1.8 kilometres from their campsite. His death was quickly deemed a homicide.

Jennie Kehlet has never been found, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain a mystery. A Coroner's inquest in 2021 concluded that Ray Kehlet was unlawfully killed by a person or persons unknown. The Coroner also found that Jennie Kehlet is deceased, having died at or around the same time as her husband, but made an open finding as to the cause of her death. The case has been the subject of intense media scrutiny and public interest, with a $1 million reward offered for information leading to a conviction. Despite the extensive investigation and the reward, the case remains unsolved, a haunting mystery in the heart of the Australian outback.