A Families’ Fight For Answers After A Death In Paradise
6/24/202658 min
When 40-year-old Australian hotel manager Jason Rigby was found stabbed to death in his luxury Fijian resort apartment, local authorities instantly ruled it a suicide. His devastated Gold Coast family refused to accept the narrative, launching their own relentless hunt for answers.
After hiring a private investigator, they exposed critical gaps in the initial police investigation, including a mysterious knife and a missing phone, forcing the case to be reopened as a criminal inquiry.
Jason's sister-in-law, Jess Rigby, is advocating for her brother-in-law. This story is about their families' exhausting fight against international red tape and the critical piece of evidence currently sitting with Australian authorities.
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CREDITS
Guest: Jess Rigby
Host: Gemma Bath
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy
Video Editor: Julian Rosario
Audio Designer: Tegan Salder
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGemma Bath· Host0:02
It's 8:00 AM on December 14, 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Fiji's Nadi Bay, and Arushi Arora is in the lobby, busy organizing the day's movements. They've only recently opened, and tourists are flocking to check out the new resort. For staff, that means they're being kept on their toes. Arushi notices her boss, Jason, entering the room. He's dressed in his usual smart suit, but he looks rough, like he hasn't slept all night. She tells him so, but he just shrugs. "What's happening today?" he asks instead. "It's busy," she tells him, "but we have it under control." Jason nods and tells her he'll see her at the morning briefing at the beach club at 8:30. When he leaves the lobby, it's no later than 8:15, but Jason never makes it to the meeting. [gentle music] I'm Gemma Bath, and you're listening to True Crime Conversations, a podcast exploring the world's most notorious crimes by speaking to the people who know the most about them. 40-year-old Jason Rigby was a Gold Coast local. Moving to Fiji to take on the role of second in charge at a brand-new five-star resort, it was a dream job, and he was excited for the adventure. With two decades in hotels under his belt, Jason thrived on the pressure and adrenaline of helping get new things up and running smoothly, while,