In the first episode of this New Year’s two-part special, Murder: True Crime Stories retraces the final hours of 17-year-old Olivia Hope and 21-year-old Ben Smart, who rang in 1998 at a massive party at New Zealand’s Furneaux Lodge before mysteriously vanishing. Through eyewitness accounts, detailed timelines, and growing concerns from loved ones, Carter Roy and guest host Vanessa Richardson unravel the pair’s movements that night—from youthful excitement and romantic sparks to a fateful ride on a water taxi with a drunken stranger and a promise of a place to sleep. As police launch a massive search through the Marlborough Sounds and sift through conflicting descriptions, dozens of witnesses, and more than 150 boats, the disappearance quickly shifts from confusion… to fear that something far darker occurred on the water.Follow Murder: True Crime Stories on your podcast app: https://play.megaphone.fm/6g4bv3tos9yn9abg2yeakg To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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