
Nearly eight years ago, in December 2010, Keli Lane was convicted of murdering her two-day-old daughter, Tegan Lee Lane.
The child, who was Keli’s fourth pregnancy in just five years, has never been found.
Now, 22 years on from the disappearance of newborn Tegan, Keli is determined to prove her innocence.
Following multiple unsuccessful legal appeals against her 18-year jail sentence, the 43-year-old has reached out to award-winning Australian journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna, to investigate her story.
“I was sitting in my office and the daily mail delivery arrived… there was this blue biro, I’ll never forget, this blue biro hand written envelope. I tore it open and there was this perfectly written letter – there wasn’t a mistake in it,” Caro told Mamamia.
“It was essentially saying I have been wrongly convicted of murdering my baby, I need to prove my innocence,” she continued.
From there, working alongside investigative journalist Elise Worthington, Caro delved into one of Australia’s most notorious crimes.
The first episode of EXPOSED: The Case of Keli Lane will air on Tuesday evening on the ABC.
Between 1992 and 1999, Keli Lane fell pregnant five times.
An elite water polo player under the guide of her manager, her mother Sandra, Keli managed to conceal all five of her pregnancies from her parents, her teammates, her friends and family.
“From Keli Lane’s point of view, she thought [concealing the pregnancies] wasn’t hard at all. It was actually sort of remarkably easy,” Caro explained.
“She was wearing baggy clothes, and from all accounts, she did carry her pregnancy differently than most of us visualise a pregnant body,” she added.
“She was an elite athlete… physically and psychologically, she was able to compartmentalise and deal with pain.”
Top Comments
There is a pretty easy way to prove her innocence and that is producing Tegan alive and well to police.
I just don't believe her. I think she killed her baby.
So many things just don't add up with her story. How come Tegan's 'father' (whose name Keli can't remember...) was so willing to have sole custody and responsibility, yet he wasn't present at her birth and isn't listed on her birth certificate? How could Keli have carried THREE babies to term and her parents, friends and even boyfriend say they never had any idea that she was ever pregnant? I get the feeling that people are trying to stay wilfully ignorant, or are covering something up for her...