Julie Ward
39:40 Share

What's something that works so well that it's basically magic? It's summertime, so how about air conditioning? Noise-canceling headphones? Meeting-free Fridays? Well, what about selling with Shopify?

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the "launch your online shop" stage, to the first "real life store" stage, all the way to the "did we just hit a million orders" stage, Shopify is there to help you grow. Whether you're selling trained detective t-shirts or advocacy gear, Shopify helps you sell everywhere.

From their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system, wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered.

What I love about Shopify is no matter how big you grow, Shopify grows with you. And they give you everything you need to take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com slash justice, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash justice now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. Shopify.com slash justice.

In 2020, in a small California mountain town, five women disappeared. I found out what happened to all of them, except one. A woman known as Dia, whose estate is worth millions of dollars. I'm Lucy Sheriff. Over the past four years, I've spoken with Dia's family and friends, and I've discovered that everyone has a different version of events.

Hear the story on Where's Dear? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder.

This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice. Today I'm discussing the case of Julie Ward. Julie's case and her family's journey to get her justice is tragic and inspiring.

Many people have been charged with Julie's murder, but none have been convicted. Her dad, John, spent 35 years and over 2 million pounds fighting for justice. In the end, he proved that both the Kenyan and British governments took action to cover up Julie's murder. This is the case of Julie Ward. Julie Ann Ward was born on April 20th, 1960 in Suffolk, England.

She was the oldest child of John and Jan Ward. After Julie came two sons, Tim and Bob. John Ward was a self-made millionaire. After serving in the Royal Air Force in the early 1950s, he saw the world's fascination with coffee shops and decided to open one himself. He then expanded to a second location. And eventually, by the mid-1960s, he began purchasing hotels that he then sold.

John made a good amount of money from the sale and decided to retire to California, at least for a while. Like many entrepreneurs, retirement bored him, so he took his family back to Britain and founded the Butterfly Hotel Group. Despite John's impressive success, his daughter Julie worked very hard to make her own path.

Julie was gorgeous, extremely intelligent, and kind. She worked upwards of 15 hours a day as a publishing assistant in Suffolk. But that wasn't truly her passion. What she really loved were animals and photography. It seems that a lot of this passion came from her mom Jan owning a lot of huskies and just caring for stray animals. In 1985, Julie took her first trip to Africa and fell in love.

In 1988, at age 28, she embarked on her third trip there. And this was a long trip. Julie planned on spending seven months there. She really just wanted ample time to capture the annual wildebeest migration at the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

This is an event that people still travel from all around the world to go see. It's also where visitors can visit what they call the Big Five, the African Elephant, African Lion, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, and Rhinoceros, in addition to a lot of other animals, especially back in 1988. It was the perfect place for Julie's love of photography and animals to come together. So, on February 7th, 1988, Julie flew from England to Kenya.

While, of course, this is long before the days of constant communication with cell phones, Julie did keep in touch with people back home through writing letters and sending back her undeveloped rolls of film as she traveled through Africa. Through her travels, she also made some friends, most notably Paul and Natasha Weld Dixon, an elderly couple she met in Nairobi. They owned a property there and basically let Julie camp on their site because they liked her and enjoyed her company.

So for months, Julie's just kind of traveling, taking a ton of pictures, and staying at a variety of properties and campgrounds across Africa. By early September, Julie's trip was nearly over, and her flight back to England was just about a week away. During this portion of her trip, she was traveling with an Australian friend, Dr. Glenn Burns. Together, on September 2nd, they drove to the Mara in Julie's Jeep. She purchased this in Nairobi for this trip.

But this was it, the moment that Julie had been waiting for. They were finally going to see the wildebeest migration. On their way, they stopped and camped at the Sand River Campground and continued their journey the next morning. But after stopping for lunch at the Serena Lodge, the jeep broke down. Luckily, a tourist vehicle finds them and tows them back to the lodge. But this is where they realized that they had a bad fuel pump.

Unfortunately, Dr. Burns was due at a meeting at the National Museums of Kenya in three days, so he asked their city host, Mr. Weld Dixon, to send a new pump to Julie at the lodge. On September 5th, the Jeep was repaired by a local mechanic, and Julie left for Nairobi on the 6th, determined to see the migration with or without Dr. Burns.

But before she could head on to Nairobi, she had to kind of backtrack to pick up the tents that they left behind at the Sand River campsite. She was reportedly seen here around 2pm, doing exactly that. She also paid a fee for storing the tents for the past few days. It's reported that she was alone. This is the last known sighting of Julie Ward. From here, it's believed that she headed back towards Nairobi to see the wildebeest migration as planned.

But days pass, and the Weld Dixons become increasingly concerned for Julie. Her return ticket to England was for September 10th, but she told the Weld Dixons that she planned to visit them before leaving. Now, this couple had been in the area for over 25 years, so I imagine that they are well-versed in the dangers of Julie's trip.

and they really waste no time trying to find her. They call police stations and hospitals, and then the game reserve. They check their log of visitors entering and leaving the reserve, and tell them that Julie left on the night of September 6th. But then, Julie misses her flight on the 10th, and they know that they have to report her missing to police. After doing that, their next call is to John Ward.

In reporting by Dan Warburton for The Mirror, John Ward says, "...it's a funny feeling. I actually knew something was wrong. I had an overwhelming feeling I had to do something. So I flew out that day. I'd never been to Africa, never been to the bush. I realized how wild and rough it was. All I could think was that she was down there by herself."

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Ibotta. Are you planning your dream vacation but dreading the cost?

With Ibotta, you get cash back on all your purchases, so you can spend more time making memories and less time dreaming about them. Ibotta is a free app that lets you earn cash back every time you shop. You can earn on hundreds of items you buy every day, from groceries to beauty supplies and even toys. The average Ibotta user earns $256 per year.

That's a plane ticket, a shopping trip, or even a fancy dinner. And they have so many brands, over 2,400. Lowe's, Macy's, Sephora, Best Buy, and more. I've been using Ibotta for a really long time. It's one way that I make every penny stretch. And right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code CRIME when you register.

Just go to the App Store or Google Play Store and download the free Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CRIME. That's I-B-O-T-T-A in the Google Play Store or App Store. And use code CRIME.

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by CB Distillery. If you're anything like me, my medicine cabinet was filled with things that just didn't help me. I still couldn't sleep, I was still in pain, and I was still stressed out. So I gave CB Distillery a try, and it has been a real change. And in two non-clinical surveys, 81% of customers experienced more calm.

and 90% said that they slept better with CBD. And I'm a part of that 90%. I've had trouble sleeping for most of my life. And after trying every tea, every pill that I could get my hands on, CBD distilleries' deep sleep gummies have actually worked for me. It not only helps me fall asleep, but it helps me stay asleep, which has been my big problem in the past.

So if you struggle with a health concern and haven't found relief, make the change like I did to CB Distillery. And with over 2 million customers and a solid 100% money-back guarantee, CB Distillery is the source to trust. I have a 20% discount to get you started. Visit cbdistillery.com and use code JUSTICE for 20% off. That's cbdistillery.com, code JUSTICE. cbdistillery.com

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Quince. I can't believe that we are rolling into fall, but we are, which means it's time to refresh your wardrobe. And luckily, Quince offers timeless and high-quality pieces that will not blow your budget.

Like cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and more. All Quince items are priced 50-80% less than similar brands. And they do that by partnering directly with top factories. That way they cut out the cost of the middleman and pass those savings on to us. At this point, I've tried a little bit of everything from Quince.

and I'm still in love with their 10-Cell Jersey Fit and Flare dresses. Especially in Arizona, it's really easy to dress them up or dress them down and add some layers if it gets colder.

Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high-quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash justice for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That's q-u-i-n-c-e dot com slash justice to get free shipping and 365-day returns. quince.com slash justice

After discovering that his 28-year-old daughter Julie has gone missing, John Ward is on a plane to Kenya within hours, and he wastes no time or expense to find her. At this point, Julie's already been missing for six days. They have no time to spare. With the help of the Weld Dixons and other friends Julie made on her trip, John organizes searches. He also charters five aircrafts to search for Julie's Jeep. And his plan worked.

On September 13th, Julie's Jeep was found off the path and in a gully in the Mara. The doors were locked. But of course, John puts his hands up to the glass and looks through the windows. And in the back seat, he sees this bundle of cloth. His first thought is that maybe Julie's under there. So they break the glass to get inside the Jeep. But Julie was not inside.

Instead, they find two bottles of beer, binoculars, and a map. And on the top of the Jeep, they see the letters SOS written in the dirt. While Julie's Jeep was found in this unexpected location, they thought that maybe it had broken down and Julie left this message before continuing on foot. John Ward had hope.

But that same day, Chief Game Warden Simon Olay-Makala investigates an extinguished campfire about 10 kilometers away, and in it he finds charred human remains. When John Ward gets to the scene, he also finds film, and what would later be confirmed to be Julie's lower jawbone and left leg. Her skull would be found about a month later in a nearby bush.

Dr. Adel Shaker, a pathologist from the Kenyan police department, performed Julie's autopsy. He concluded that Julie's body had been cut with some type of blade, and her leg had been burned after it was removed from her body. Everything was pointing to homicide, but despite this looking like a rather obvious case of foul play, Kenyan officials refused to conduct a murder inquiry.

So, John Ward takes up the investigation himself. He says that they pushed for Julie's remains to be cremated, but he instead took them back to England to have them examined by three separate pathologists. And each one of them said the same thing. They didn't know exactly how Julie died, but it was clear that her leg had been removed via some type of blade, then soaked in gasoline and set on fire.

Now, at first, Kenyan officials tried to make John Ward accept the fact that his daughter was attacked by animals. But when John came back with these findings that clearly animals didn't soak Julie's body in gas, they said maybe Julie had been struck by lightning or died by suicide. John ends up placing ads in two of Kenya's major newspapers, advertising a reward of 10 million Kenyan shillings, or about 77,000 pounds.

He was specifically looking for an arrest or a conviction. The information does start to come in, and about a year after Julie's found, the first murder inquest into her death begins. But it's weird from the start. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office urges John to restrict witnesses to only the Kenyan police, basically discouraging him from bringing in his experts from England.

John denies this request, and in the end, it was determined that Julie had been murdered. Chief Magistrate Joseph Mango said, quote, There is ample and substantial evidence that Julie Ward died of foul play by a person or persons unknown. I think the animals are innocent. If they are guilty at all, it is in eating what they found. End quote.

Despite this ruling, though, no arrests were made, and it was decided that no further investigation was needed. But do we think this stopped John Ward? Of course not. John dedicates his entire life to this. He even sells off a part of his stake in the Butterfly Hotel Group to pay for the investigation. He was not going to let this go.

He dug deeper and deeper, and eventually by early 1990, he was able to convince UK Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd to initiate an investigation by Scotland Yard, and two detectives were flown to Kenya. But Kenyan officials stick to their story. This was not a homicide. They even go as far as to call Julie a loose girl who might have been sad enough to cut herself up.

as in dismember herself. But by January 1992, these detectives find enough evidence to charge two rangers from the reserve with Julie's murder, Peter Kapan and John Maggiore. Julie's hair and a battery from her Olympus camera were found at the game post they'd been working at that day.

The prosecution argued that the men abducted Julie after finding her jeep, then imprisoned her at the Macari game post for six days, sexually assaulted her, murdered her, and then dismembered and burnt her body. The investigation also uncovered that Julie's signature had been forged at the Sand River campground where she was supposedly last seen.

After being presented with evidence from a handwriting expert, employee of the campground, David Nakoko, admitted to forging her signature. But he said it wasn't to cover up any type of murder. It was just to avoid getting in trouble because he forgot to have her sign. In the end, by June, the two rangers were acquitted, citing lack of evidence.

But there is a win in this. The judge actually sides with John Ward's theory that Julie's murder has been covered up to protect Kenya's tourism industry. Again, John is not giving up. He keeps gathering evidence and pushing for further investigation. And John really does a lot of this kind of in secret. He kept his itinerary secret. And he wouldn't even order his own food. He stuck strictly to buffet options.

And according to John, he felt this was necessary. Because one man who threatened to tell the truth about Julie's death had apparently died in a mysterious accident. So John is chugging away, trying to get new information. By 1997, now nearly a decade after Julie's death, a new team of Kenyan police officers re-examine Julie's case. And by July 1998, another man is charged with her murder.

Gamekeeper Simone Olay McCullough. He's basically the big boss of the reserve, and the man who originally found Julie's remains. Or at least he used to be the big boss. He was apparently suspended not long after Julie's remains were found. But according to John Ward, the original story was that McCullough was on leave, before they finally admitted that he had been suspended and was not expected to return.

So let's dig into McCullough finding Julie's remains. As the boss, the day that Julie went missing, McCullough was informed of her disappearance. But instead of participating in or just overseeing the search for her, he instead went to the Serena Lodge. That's where Julie stopped for lunch before the jeep broke down.

He got to Julie's car around 3 p.m. and promptly had the items inside, the binoculars, beers, and map, along with some other personal items, moved for safekeeping. However, the detectives caught that in his testimony in the 1992 trial, he said that he peeked into Julie's Jeep and saw these items three hours after the time recorded that he had removed them for safekeeping.

This discrepancy was of course a major red flag for investigators. So they keep digging. And after reviewing the logs, it was discovered that from the time he found Julie's vehicle to the time of him finding her remains was the exact amount of time it would take to drive from one location to the other. Basically, McCullough went directly to Julie's remains while supposedly not knowing they were there.

Now, McCullough counters this. He says he saw buzzards circling in the sky, so Julie was easy to find. However, experts have argued that from that distance, upwards of 10 kilometers or about 6 miles away, you couldn't see an elephant, let alone vultures. Investigators also took note that not only was Julie's Jeep found hidden and off the path like I mentioned, her remains were found next to a rather distinct tree.

So, it seems like either McCullough knew where she was, or he was told where she was using the tree as a landmark. But in the end, McCullough is also acquitted of Julie's murder. This did not stop the rumors from swirling, and a local woman hands John Ward a note. It says Jonathan Moy, son of then-president of Kenya Daniel Moy, killed Julie.

This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by June's Journey. June's Journey is a hidden object mystery game, and you step into the role of June Parker and search for hidden clues to uncover the mystery of her sister's murder. Basically, you engage your observation skills to quickly uncover key pieces of information that lead to chapters of mystery, danger, and romance.

Throughout your investigation, you also customize your very own luxurious estate island. You collect scraps of information to fill your photo album and learn more about each character. But my favorite part is chatting and playing with or against other players by joining a detective club and putting my skills to the test in a detective league.

So, there's kind of two times that I find myself playing June's Journey. One is kind of throughout the day when I just need like a little decompression break, I play a few scenes and get back to work. Or more often than not, when I'm laying down for the night, I tend to play then too. For me, it's a nice way to unwind, decompress, and get lost in a mystery. Discover your inner detective when you download June's Journey for free today on iOS and Android.

This is Jessica Noll, host of the new series Back in Crime. If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. He turned the gun straight at us and shot. Oh my God, the window went out. And the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.

In a scene described by one investigator as reminiscent of a weird religious rite, five persons, including actress Sharon Tate, were found dead at the home of Miss Tate and her husband, screen director Roman Poliansky. But what if we were to turn back the hands of time and relive these events as they unfolded? Follow along each week as we take a fresh look at crimes from the past. Back in Crime is available now.

John Ward's investigation into his daughter Julie's murder is growing increasingly dangerous by the day. Like I said, this man is looking over his shoulder. He knows that they don't want whatever happened to Julie to come to light, but John keeps digging. He says he finds this film crew who was around the reserve that day. They offer their assistance in searching for Julie, but McCullough declined, telling them to mind their business.

This crew was also apparently well aware of the rumors that Jonathan Moy had killed Julie. They say that after filming for about six weeks, they went to McCullough's office for a business matter, and they found him sitting with his head in his hands, saying he'd been called in for a meeting with President Moy.

In John's investigation, he also revealed that Jonathan Moy owned a series of farms near the Serena Lodge. As you might recall, this is where Game Warden McCalla went before joining the search for Julie. At this point, it really just becomes this kind of open secret that Jonathan Moy was at least involved in Julie's murder. By November 2001, another investigation is launched into Julie's death. This time, it's overseen by the Police Complaints Authority.

This would eventually lead to another inquest in 2004, and this is where a lot of new information about the case comes out. And it really confirms much of what John Ward found or suspected. First, the Kenyan Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs admits that there had been a deliberate obstruction of John Ward's attempts to solve Julie's murder.

He then calls Julie's case a part of Kenya's, quote, dark and ugly past, end quote.

A former MI6 agent comes forward. Basically, that's the Military Intelligence Section 6, and it's the Foreign Intelligence Service of the UK. So this agent, only known as Mr. A, testifies. He says that he and his Kenyan police contact, David Rowe, did in fact conceal their involvement in Julie's case. But he denies covering up her murder.

While Mr. A denied meeting with Mr. Rowe nine days after Julie's murder, he was presented with documentation of this meeting in London. It was four days after this meeting that John Ward was told Julie may have been struck by lightning and eaten by hyenas. Furthermore, Mr. Rowe of the Kenyan police denied knowing about Julie's murder when meeting with Mr. A, and again, documentation proved otherwise.

Then, Mr. Rowe finally admits that he did meet with Mr. A after Julie's murder, but he maintains that it wasn't him who briefed Mr. A on Julie's case. And once again, he's faced with documentation in which Mr. A wrote that Mr. Rowe, quote, briefed me about the Ward murder case, end quote, to which Mr. Rowe basically says, whoops, I must have gotten my dates wrong.

In addition to all of this just being extremely odd and pointing to a cover-up, Dr. Adele Shaker, the original Kenyan pathologist that determined that Julie's death was a homicide, testified that he was pressured into doctoring that report to say otherwise. His initial findings were that Julie's limbs had been clearly cut with some type of sharp blade, human intervention.

But the words clean cut were changed to torn and cracked, and sharp injuries became blunt injuries. Dr. Shaker says that his boss, Dr. Jason Caviti, came to his office and began to underline the report, making these exact changes. Dr. Shaker says that after this, he fled Kenya out of fear for his life.

and that he was also told that basically it was Julie's fate against the fate of an entire nation. Alluding to Jonathan Moy's involvement, a woman named Jenny Jenkins also came forward. She worked for the British High Commission in Nairobi. She says that after expressing support for John Ward's campaign that clearly something was wrong here, she was told to, quote, end quote.

After a week of testimony, it was declared that Julie had been unlawfully killed, and John Ward was praised by the court for his determination in the face of, quote, official obstruction and ludicrous misinformation, end quote. Basically, this inquest allowed for further investigation. And the information just kept coming.

Not long after the inquest, a former Kenyan intelligence officer says that he saw Julie's murder. According to reporting by Andrew Alderson for The Telegraph, this man said, quote, all three men repeatedly raped the British tourist in turn as she pleaded for mercy. End quote.

He says Julie was told to drive her jeep from the Sand River camp, and it was strategically placed in the gully. She was then made to write SOS on the top of her jeep. From there, she was blindfolded and dragged to where she was killed. While they initially tried to make her death appear to be the result of an animal attack, they realized that they may have left too much evidence behind, specifically noting semen. So that's when they decided to burn her remains.

Unfortunately, this anonymous tipster refused to say who killed Julie, but he did add, quote, End quote.

Now, I think it's important to mention that John Ward isn't just believing everything he's being told. He's skeptical of this finding, as he was with all rumors until otherwise proven by hard evidence. And I will say there are a lot of rumors in this case. By 2008, John Ward had visited Kenya over a hundred times, and spent over two million pounds of his own money in search for the truth.

That same year, the Sunday Telegraph also released a bombshell report about an independent police report that was secretly completed in 2004. This report found that Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British High Commission in Kenya both not only made mistakes, but were active in trying to cover up the investigation into Julie's murder. Both sides were covering up Julie's murder.

But that didn't stop John. That year, he went back to Kenya to investigate two tips that ended up being hoaxes. But he said that his new focus was DNA. He'd actually kept evidence in his own freezer for decades, hoping technology may advance. From here, this pattern of investigations opening and closing just continues.

There's another investigation in 2009 where possible DNA from Julie's attackers were found. But nothing comes of it. In 2011, detectives from the Metropolitan Police went to Kenya. They interviewed witnesses, took DNA and fingerprints. But again, nothing comes of it. By 2018, John Ward asks directly for Jonathan Moy's DNA. He wants to compare it to evidence found at the scene. But his request is denied.

Then, in 2019, Jonathan Moy died from cancer. But again, our hero John Ward does not give up. He knows that with Moy's death would come an influx of people who would feel more comfortable coming forward. And that's exactly what happens. John says that he's approached by many new people. One man physically trembling to present new evidence confirming that Jonathan Moy was in the park at the time of Julie's death.

But Scotland Yard said that they were shelving their inquiry into the matter. At this point, John Ward says that he knows Jonathan Moy killed Julie. He writes articles about it, and says that he owes it to his daughter to get justice for her. Now, by this time, John is in his 80s, and he tells the media that he's now in a race against time to get justice for Julie before he dies.

In 2023, Julie's mother, Jan Ward, passed away from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Two weeks later, John was gone too after losing his battle with prostate cancer. They were married for 65 years, and for 35 of them, they fought for Julie. Their sons, Bob and Tim, organized a joint funeral for their parents near their home in Suffolk.

In between John and Jan, they buried Julie's ashes, saying their mom always wanted to keep her close. An obituary for John was published in the Telegraph, and most of it was dedicated to telling Julie's story.

His death made headlines across the world, and his sons pledged to continue their father's fight for justice for Julie. They actually said that their dad prepped them for this, saying he felt like the Kenyan authorities were just waiting for him to die, expecting the inquiries to stop with him. Bob says that as his father took his final breath, he discussed exposing the truth of what happened to Julie.

But he did make peace with at least some of what happened. Bob told the BBC, Dad was definitely at ease with what happened. Because we know what happened. It's why it happened and why it was hidden that is the problem. Which brings me right to our call to action. Please share Julie's case. It's complicated. With 35 years of inquiries, rumors, and random writings to decipher...

But that's just how these things go sometimes. Especially when it's been proven that the authorities actively participated in covering up a murder. It's messy, because law enforcement never gave Julie a real chance to get justice until John Ward made them. So again, please share Julie's case, continue her legacy, and John's work.

While his sons also understood that this took their dad away from them, ultimately, they called him a hero. Now, I didn't mention Julie's mom Jan much in this episode, but she and Julie were incredibly close. And while she did go on many trips with John to Kenya and helped with the investigation, she found herself on just a different path than John.

She, of course, wanted justice for Julie, but she also just wanted to connect with her daughter. She knew Kenya was a place that Julie loved, so she loved it too, despite the horrors that happened there. In 1996, a UK organization that cares for injured animals called Born Free rescued a lion and lioness from their lives in a rooftop cage.

Jan Ward was so moved by this story that she got in touch with the organization and raised enough money for them to build a lion sanctuary in Africa in Julie's honor. In 1998, the organization held an event in London and displayed Julie's letters and pictures from her last trip.

And three years later, the Julie Ward Rescue and Education Center was opened. It houses big cats, and is frequented by local kids to learn about wildlife and the negative effects of captivity. So my second call to action is to ask you to check out, share, and if you can, donate to Born Free at bornfree.org.uk. Jonathan Moy is gone now.

But I imagine that there are still people out there with knowledge that can bring Julie's brother's answers. So again, please share. The hope is to continue Julie's legacy and help make John Ward's dying wish of this no longer being hidden a reality. As a reminder...

28-year-old Julie Ward was killed in Kenya in September 1988. Several official inquests have determined that both Kenyan and British officials engaged in covering up her murder. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metropolitan Police. You can do that online at www.met.police.uk forward slash ro forward slash report.

But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time. Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show on your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice.

Welcome to the Secret After Show. I need our emotional support puppies. They are in the room. This case shattered my heart. Shattered my heart. We should all be so lucky to have a John Ward if something terrible happens to us. I'm going to try to keep it together. I could barely keep it together at the end. It's just, oh my gosh. Just...

What an incredible family. I also really love that her mom, Jan, led with love. She, you know, didn't hate Kenya after everything that happened. She didn't hate Africa, the whole continent, after everything happened. You know, she just wanted to give back in some way. Like, while, of course, Julie was lost due to a horrible person and the corruption there, it doesn't make all of Kenya terrible.

And just honoring Julie's love like that, it touched me. I know I'm a softie. I know everything touches me. But I just thought that that was really sweet. Her ability to just, I don't, I can't say that she forgave, but to show some love for the community, I guess.

The other thing I wanted to touch on here, I had to pause and take a break. Um, the other thing I wanted to touch on was using John as a source. Now, believe it or not, um, when I do these episodes, when I research cases, I won't just take what a family says as fact. I do feel a duty to try to verify it, get multiple sources. Um,

But in this case, with John and using him as a source, it felt just as valid as using either of the governments as a source that were proven to lie and cover this up.

So, yeah, I use John as a source in here, and I did indicate that to you. John believes, John says, John found. But, I mean, what do you do in a case like this? The Kenyan government is lying and covering things up. The government in the UK is doing the same thing. So who do we believe?

I don't know. I would love if you guys told me, find me on social media, email me, whatever way you want to communicate. I want to know what you think. In a case like this, what do you do? Do you just not cover it? I mean, to be fair, Julie's case has not gotten a lot of coverage, which, again, is... It always, like, shocks me because this case, um...

Like I said, shattered me. It cut right to my heart, right to my soul. And I just wanted to help. But I wonder if maybe that's why her case hasn't gotten as much coverage. I don't know. Let me know. Again, please take a moment to share. If John Ward's story didn't touch you, I don't know what would.

What's going on with me feels so small in comparison to the story I just told you, so I'm going to zoom right into our segment of hope, and, um...

It's John Ward. It's John Ward. I don't know what to say. The passion, the dedication this man had, and you know, let's be fair, he had more resources than most people, but it does appear that he worked quite hard for them. Um, but that's our segment of hope. Um,

People like John Ward don't exist in true crime every day. You don't see them every day, I should say. You know, something like fighting for your loved one, I can't even imagine trying to do it internationally. It's hard, and it's exhausting, and it is traumatic, and it is awful. And the fact that he went out again and again and again, most reports said a hundred times. I found a few that said upwards of two

200 times. That's incredible. That's absolutely incredible. Um, so our segment of hope is John Ward, that there are parents, people, family members out there that, um, perhaps if something horrible happened to you, which I hope does not, obviously, um, we should all be so lucky to have someone who works as hard as John Ward and, um,

And yeah, and continue on that hope too to his sons who have taken up this mission. So John Ward is my segment of hope. He has at the same time broken my heart and also filled it. So I hope that that resonated with you. As always, I would love to hear your feedback. I love you and I'll talk to you next time.