The babysitter’s secret: serial baby killer Lise Turner’s terrible crimes

For years, baby killer Lise Turner hid in plain sight — shielded by medical uncertainty, misplaced trust and the tragedy of so-called cot death. Her crimes were only uncovered after the death of 8-month-old Michael Tinnion in Christchurch in 1984 exposed a deadly pattern authorities had missed.

Turner was later convicted of murdering three babies — including her two infant daughters, Megan and Cheney — and attempting to murder three other infants.

In the latest episode of Herald true crime podcast A Moment In Crime, senior journalist Anna Leask looks back at Turner’s offending - and those most impacted.

More than four decades later after his murder Michael’s mother Lauree Ashworth, is speaking publicly about the day her son died, the woman she trusted, and the lifelong impact of a crime that shattered her family.

“I live with it every single day,” she said.

In this powerful episode of A Moment In Crime, Lauree shares her memories of Michael, the investigation that exposed one of New Zealand’s worst serial child killers, and how her family has kept Michael’s memory alive for more than 40 years.

Listen to A Moment In Crime on the iHeart app - or wherever you get your podcasts.

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