Obsession in Plain Sight: The Rachel Barber Case

In 1999, 15-year-old Rachel Barber walked out of her ballet class and vanished. What followed was every parent's worst nightmare—and a chilling tale of obsession, identity theft, and murder. This week on Serial Napper, I’m diving deep into the haunting case of Rachel Barber, a gifted young dancer whose life was stolen by someone she thought she could trust: her former babysitter, Caroline Reed Robertson. Rachel was vibrant, talented, and full of promise. Caroline was quiet, isolated, and desperate to be someone else—someone like Rachel. What unfolded was a dark and deeply disturbing story of jealousy turned deadly. From Caroline’s twisted diary entries to her shocking murder plan that involved assuming Rachel’s identity, we break down every step leading up to that tragic day, the police investigation, and the chilling court revelations. Sources: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/caroline-reed-robertsons-deadly-obsession-with-beautiful-dancer-rachel-barber-led-to-murder/news-story/ca370d6f83a0f9a2c37b8075cfef2913 https://aussiecriminals.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/in-her-skin-court-transcript_opt.pdf https://www.9news.com.au/national/victorian-woman-who-strangled-teen-girl-to-be-released-today/7bec1eda-d0f2-4616-9197-2ce0d41de1ae https://morbidology.com/the-deadly-obsession-the-murder-of-rachel-barber/ https://www.mamamia.com.au/caroline-reed-robertson-rachel-barber/ https://www.fact.on.ca/news/news0011/th001130.htm Follow me here: ► YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@SerialNapper/ ► Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/serialnappernik/ ► Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SerialNapper/ ► TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@serialnappernik *Go Ad-Free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SerialNapper * I will be in London at CrimeCon UK and I would love to meet you! Use my discount code NAPPER10 for 10% off the ticket price! Visit https://www.crimecon.co.uk/Our Sponsors:* Check out Mood.com and use my code SERIALNAPPER to save 20% off your first order. https://mood.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices