While we might be used to seeing unassuming pockets of the US on our screens, Netflix’s latest true crime documentary has put an unsuspecting Australian town on the map.
Larrimah, a remote community in the Northern Territory, has become the subject of global interest after Last Stop Larrimah went viral on the streaming platform.
The murder mystery charts the vanishing of a man from the tiny town, which has a population of just ten. Following his disappearance, each of the town’s residents, all over the age of 70, became suspects.
Whether you’ve already devoured the two-part series, or are hungry for more details, we’ve got you covered. Below, everything you need to know about the true story behind Last Stop Larrimah.
What Is Last Stop Larrimah About?
Last Stop Larrimah chronicles the disappearance of Patrick “Paddy” Moriarty, who was last seen on December 16, 2017. His last known whereabouts was the Pink Panther pub, where he and his dog Kellie were regulars.
With no police station and no mobile phone reception, and Larrimah situated about 158 kilometres away from the nearest major town, the circumstances surrounding Paddy’s vanishing were particularly conspicuous, with most of the town’s inhabitants treated as suspects in the documentary.
Who Are The Suspects In Last Stop Larrimah?
The documentary explores many theories about who might be responsible for Paddy’s disappearance, with virtually every resident of Larrimah considered a suspect at one point in time.
One possible suspect was local café and tea room owner – and Paddy’s neighbour – Fran Hodgetts.
According to the documentary, she and Paddy had a tumultuous history, including Fran accusing him of poisoning her plants, and Paddy dragging dead kangaroos under her house and telling visitors to Larrimah that not even his dog would eat her food.
Some residents who subscribed to the theory that Fran was responsible even accused her of cooking his remains in her renowned pies.
But in the documentary, Fran denied any involvement, telling director Thomas Tancred she felt no other option than to leave Larrimah as a result of the speculation.
“I had enough of everything. People driving past singing out, ‘Murderer, murderer. Where’s Paddy?'” she said.
“It was so bad because, knowing I’m such a good person… I was going through all this for nothing. That put a life sentence on me. I got the cancer through it.”
Another possible suspect was Owen Laurie, a live-in gardener employed by Fran, after she separated from fellow Larrimah resident and her former husband, Billy Hodgetts.
Neighbours had allegedly heard a verbal fight between Owen and Paddy, however Owen was never charged in connection with Paddy’s disappearance.
How Did Paddy Moriarty Go Missing?
To this day, Paddy’s whereabouts remain a mystery.
At the colonial inquest into his disappearance, which concluded in 2022, former Northern Territory coroner Greg Cavenagh found Mr Moriarty was likely killed on the night he went missing, per ABC.
“In my opinion Paddy was killed in the context of and likely due to the ongoing feud he had with his nearest neighbours,” the findings read.
However, he also said the cause of the 70-year-old’s death “was not able to be determined”.
During the inquest, the counsel assisting the coroner, Kelvin Currie, played a series of audio recordings of a man “apparently speaking and singing to himself.”
Although these were reportedly difficult to discern, Currie told the inquest that detectives who had listened to the recordings believed they contained Owen allegedly saying he had killed Paddy with a hammer.
“F***king idiots, yeah, tell them what I’ve done, hit with a f***ing hammer, tell them how I hit you with a f***ing hammer,” he is alleged to have said in one of the recordings.
In another recording, Owen allegedly said, “I killerated old Paddy. I f***ing killerated him… struck him on the head and killerated him … basherated him, doof, yes he did, basherated him.”
Owen told the inquest he did not make the comments, before exercising his right to remain silent. He had also previously told the inquest he had nothing to do with Paddy’s disappearance. Fran also denied any involvement, and rejected claims that she had offered to pay up to $10,000 for him to be killed by a hit man.
“I can tell you now, I never ever, ever, ever paid anybody to bump Paddy off,” she said.
“I swear to god on my mother’s grave I know nothing about Paddy.”
