Delve into season three of The Boy in the Water

The second phase of the coronial inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones begins on August 6 and Newsroom’s investigations editor Melanie Reid will be covering the proceedings for season three of The Boy in the Water.
Lachie was found floating face up in an oxidation pond on the outskirts of Gore by a police dog and its handler on a hot summer’s night in January 2019.
Not long after the boy died, police deemed his death an accident and closed the case, concluding the pre-schooler had walked more than a kilometre from his mother’s house in his hi-vis vest, climbed over a fence and traipsed across long prickly grass in bare feet to the end of the second of two vast ponds before falling in and drowning.
Newsroom has covered this case for more than four years, including two video investigations, last year’s nine-part first season of The Boy in the Water, and season two of the podcast, which covered the first phase of the inquest earlier this year.
Just days after the final episode of The Boy in the Water was published, police announced a review into their handling of the case and self-referred the matter to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Then, in August 2023, Coroner Alexander Ho announced he would hold an inquest into Lachie’s death, to be held in two phases at the Invercargill courthouse.
Now season three will take listeners back inside the courtroom for the two-week ‘expert’ phase, in which Coroner Alexander Ho will hear from witnesses including forensic pathologists and the US major crimes detective who featured in season one of the podcast.
Reid and her team are travelling to Invercargill to follow each day’s events and hear the voices of the key people involved in this case as they give evidence.
A special pre-inquest bonus episode is out today featuring an interview with an aquatic death investigator from the US who has investigated thousands of ‘body found in water’ cases.
Coinciding with season three of The Boy in the Water is the launch of Newsroom’s new podcast channel, DELVE..
DELVE will be the home of Newsroom’s in-depth podcasts, including all three seasons of The Boy in the Water and a brand-new Melanie Reid investigation due for release in September.
A new subscription offering will also be available to those who want to support DELVE’s podcast investigations, DELVE+.
The first two seasons of The Boy in the Water are available to listen to now (ad-free for subscribers), with season three scheduled to launch for paid subscribers on August 8.
Non-subscribers will be able to listen to episodes a few days after they are released to subscribers.
DELVE will also feature podcast investigations from Newsroom’s stable of experienced journalists, ensuring regular offerings throughout the year for listeners.
The Boy in the Water won best podcast and best investigation at this year’s Voyager Media Awards and has garnered more than 2.5 million downloads since season one was published last year.
Search for DELVE on your favourite podcast platform.