A life stolen: Jake was 12 days old when the Frankston serial killer murdered his mum

In 1993, Paul Denyer murdered Natalie Russell, Elizabeth Stevens and Deborah Fream in the Frankston area. Denyer had also stalked and terrified women - that’s one of the lesser known aspects of his horrendous offending.

Now 50, Denyer was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but the sentence was later appealed and reduced to a non-parole period of 30 years, meaning Denyer is eligible for release in 2023.

There’s a genuine fear from many that Denyer will be released - from the families of Natalie, Elizabeth and Deborah - but also the women who were stalked by Denyer.

Our guest for this episode is one of the family members who is speaking up.

Jake Blair was 12 days old when his mum Debbie was murdered by Denyer. Though he’s almost 30 he’s still known as Baby Jake to the Frankston community. He was a fluffy-haired newborn, cradled in the arms of his dad Garry in a picture that ran in Newspapers across Australia.

Over the years, many people, including us, have wondered what happened to him. What was life like for Baby Jake?

If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)

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CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here.

Guests: Jake Blair and Vikki Petraitis

Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

Executive Producer: Jacqueline Tonks

Recorded at a Hub Australia Media Studio. Find the workspace that's right for you at https://www.hubaustralia.com/

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