The unreasonable attitude of a too-strict father causes 15-year-old teenager Shirley Martin to run away from home. Shirley is helped by her friend Paul King, but the situation gets out of hand and ultimately leads to his untimely death.
Gossip in a country town brings tragedy to the Lawrence family when Joan Lawrence and their baby son are found brutally murdered in their home. Farmhand Rod Smith becomes the prime suspect when he disappears soon after the murders.
Look back at some highlights from the past six years of the series, reveals some anecdotes from behind the scenes and details the production of a typical episode.
Sen. Det. Patterson, on a caravan holiday with his wife Jill, revisits the country town where he was stationed as a constable. He meets an old girlfriend, Janet Smith, and finds himself investigating the murder of a grazier.
Two men and a girl, impersonating a film crew, brazenly hold up and rob a factory paymaster and security guard. To ensure their escape, the three bandits take the guard as a hostage.
Esther Czernack is robbed and murdered at her home, and detectives suspect a cat burglar could be responsible until attention shifts to her husband.
Young Greek fisherman Nick Evangelides unwisely agrees to sponsor 'Doc' Roberts and 'Girlie' Piper's scheme to bring Greek girl Lina Zangalis to Australia for prostitution purposes. Lina is under the impression that she was brought to Australia to marry Nick, and when 'Doc' Roberts is later murdered, Nick becomes the prime suspect.
Elderly Alfred Roberts calls at the police station to tell the detectives that he has overheard his wife Daphne and her friend Doris discussing a plot to poison him.
After locking his warehouse late at night, elderly Ralph Keenan is shot dead in one of the rooms. Detectives are puzzled because the killer shot Keenan in almost total darkness. The victim's attractive wife and his business partner later become the prime suspects.
Two youths, thinking a fruiterer keeps a lot of cash at home, break in while he is at work. His wife is tied up and gagged while they ransack the house. Finding nothing, they decide to question her again, but when her gag is removed she screams for help. The youths panic, and in their attempt to silence her they bash her to death. They flee empty handed just as the fruiterer, Sergio Conte, returns. He recognises one of them as a customer at his shop, and he swears to avenge her death and sets out to catch the Killers before the police. This leads to a race between detectives and Sergio to find the killers, and results in a dramatic chase through an underground tunnel system.
While attending a dinner party with his girlfriend Karen, Det. Barnes overhears the next door neighbour threatening her sons. Later events lead him to suspect that she may have harmed them. At the same time detectives are investigating the double murder of two Greek children at a migrant camp.
Art student Martin Cooke becomes involved in murder when prison warden Tom Richards is shot and wounded, and his wife and small son are shot dead as they relax in the Botanic Gardens. An artist's sketch book found near the bodies is the only clue and leads Homicide detectives on a search through art schools.
Aboriginal boxer 'Flash' Johnny Miles, training for a championship fight, becomes jealous of his sparring partner's friendship with his wife. In the ring Johnny hits him so hard that he appears to have died as a result. Sen. Det. Patterson is planted undercover as the new sparring partner, and police uncover a plan to 'throw' the fight.
A golfer finds a dog, a tool box containing coins, and the body of a man in a sand trap on a golf course. From these clues detectives find links with a robbery at the club house and a counterfeit racket.
The discovery of a skeleton in the wall of an old home that is being demolished opens up many memories for Inspector Fox when he realizes the home belonged to Karen Richter, the girl he loved in his youth. The other Homicide detectives become concerned when Fox seems hesitant and apparently unwilling to investigate the case.
Const. Milligan's fiancee arranges to meet him, but misses him on his beat. Sen. Det. Patterson and Det. Barnes are on hand and offer to look for him. They find him lying dead in a lane, having been killed while on duty at the scene of a burglary.
On the day gamblers settle their debts, an SP bookie is killed at a tobacco kiosk, and detectives search for the long, thin knife which killed her. Their main suspect is musician Arthur Holmes, the last person at the scene.
Rita Langford is stabbed to death in her home. The only clue to her background is an autographed photo of pop star Joey Denton, possibly linking her death with the music scene.
Mrs. Canker suspects the owner of a pizza parlour has killed his wife and thrown her body into the pizza oven.
15-month-old Monica Dowling is reported missing. Police suspect foul play and enlist the Army to search rugged bush country. They are hindered by Stan Ferris, a seedy journalist with a grudge against the police.
The leader of a bikie gang is killed when a car runs into his motorbike. Police suspect his death was not accidental when the rest of the gang terrorise the car driver.
The body of a teenage boy is found in a dredge in the bay, and Harold Barrett fears it could be his missing son Ken. A ruthless businessman, Barrett is suspected by police of being involved in a drug racket and that the boy's death could be connected somehow.
Model Karen Healey becomes involved in an attempt to murder ruthless businessman Robert Morton. Morton made his fortune by crooked business deals and swindles. He realizes his life is in danger when he finds a doll in his apartment wearing clothes identical to his own with a noose around its neck. Later, Morton's car is blown up, killing his bodyguard.
A peaceful setting becomes a scene of tragedy when a pretty but mentally retarded teenage girl is found murdered by the lake in the Botanic Gardens.
The body of an elderly woman is found in a quarry and it starts detectives off on a macabre case. The discovery and investigation changes the quiet life of housewife Pat Palmer to one of intense fear.
Shortly after Steve Barrett escapes from jail, a woman recluse is found murdered, and he becomes a prime suspect.
When elderly Mrs. Perry is asked to sell her property to further housing development, she refuses the offer. Soon after she discoverers the body of her husband in the garden.
A round of golf for Mr. Willis leads to the discovery of 17-year-old schoolgirl Juliet Mitchell's body on the links. The prime suspect is Juliet's boyfriend Warren Buller, known to be the last person to see her alive, yet Juliet's girl friend Marcia denies that Juliet had a boyfriend.
An elderly couple who belong to a religious sect led by a fanatical American become frightened when they realise their religious beliefs could be responsible for the death of a teenage girl.
Elderly widow Mrs. Simpson sees her dog killed when tractor driver Jack Searle destroys a tree on her property. Searle is later killed in a crash when his brakes fail.
Patterson solves a ten year old case and Supt. Tilley awards him a commendation. Eddie Patterson, Jim's twin brother visiting from Sydney, is somewhat crazy and nearly always drunk, and is seen by Supt. Tilley at a lively evening at a club. When Tilley meets Patterson, he mistakes Jim for Eddie, and is aghast at his behaviour. Further reports reach Homicide about Eddie, and they become concerned about Jim's 'split personality'.
While at the Supreme Court attending a murder trial, Homicide detectives learn that the defence is to be an alibi for another crime - and they have 18 hours to crack it.
An attractive young nursemaid, Wendy DeGroote, is found shot dead on a boat. The police can only discover two clues - a gold bracelet and a cartridge case.
A quiet morning's fishing in the river is interrupted for farmer Tom Douglas when he discoverers a wet bundle containing the remains of a body.But where did the body come from?
Rachel Hayes-Manning, a member of a group of socialites known to Det. Peter Barnes, is shot dead after attending a rowdy party held in a lighthouse. Following events lead detectives to believe that others in the group are in danger of being murdered.
A manufacturing jeweller, Leon Kaufman, is violently attacked on the night of his daughter's engagement party when he returns to his shop unexpectedly. Two youths later tell police they saw a man dragging a body to his car.
Trotting driver Harry Thompson is strangled to death as he leaves the Showgrounds after competing in the main trotting event.
A young Italian girl, Maria Bompani, is in love with a young playboy. She asks a priest about atonement - if she kills her boyfriend and then herself, is her sin paid for? Before Father Gilbert can answer her, she flees from the church. A silver locket which she dropped is the only clue to her identity.
Dianne Porter makes an anonymous phone call to police telling them that she witnessed a safe being thrown into the sea, and that she is convinced it contained a body. The police recover the safe and find evidence of foul play but no body.
Pop singer Tony Smart is murdered in his garage after an argument with his girlfriend. Music reporter Vickie Gaye assists police with their investigation, which revealed that company manager Kevin Barker owed Smart a large amount of money.
A couple of youths play 'chicken' in front of a car driven by Gary Price and his fiancee Margaret Gillespie. There is an accident and as a result Margaret becomes a paraplegic. Price seeks revenge when the driver is acquitted through lack of evidence.
A week's holiday at the beach turns to tragedy for Evelyn Thomas when she is brutally murdered at her cottage. Questioning householders in the area, detectives are informed that a man has been seen prowling at night.
Sen. Det. Reilly from the Drug Squad works with the Homicide team on a case revolving around the death of a girl, Carol Mather, from an overdose of drugs, and the vow of her boyfriend, Lyle Revell, to avenge her death by killing the drug pedlars.
The body of a man is discovered at Half Moon Bay. Detectives suspect that he could be a criminal and investigations lead to a young couple, the man of whom is trying to evade national service.
Returning home from a date, Lynn Preston is kidnapped, her boyfriend is knocked unconscious, and a ransom note is left for her parents demanding $100,000 for the girl's release.
Wendy Gilbert is found dead on a warehouse roof. Detectives discover that she had been getting obscene phone calls, and their investigation leads them to the zoo.
