Case 353: Jaidyn Leskie
In July 1997, residents of Moe, Victoria, were left reeling after their town was put on the map for all the wrong reasons. A 14-month-old boy named Jaidyn Leskie had gone missing under the most bizarre of circumstances, prompting a media circus. The boyfriend of Jaidyn’s mother, 28-year-old Greg Domaszewicz, immediately came under police suspicion as he had been looking after Jaidyn on the night he disappeared. But as the case progressed and more details emerged, not everyone was convinced.
Team:
Anonymous Host - narration
Elsha McGill - research, writing
Mike Migas - production, music
Anthony Telfer - audio editing
Comments (33)
Excellent excellent work. And glad for the shout out to Mel campbell’s academic work on the critique of the media representation of working class families
Brilliantly told again Casefile exceptional
Great, infuriating episode as always. One note on pronunciation: Appalachian would be pronounced “appa-latchen” as Appalachia is pronounced “appa-latch-uh”
Both are correct. I was born in Pennsylvania and grew up referring to them the way that Casey did, but learned the pronunciation you're referring to when I moved to KY. I still refer to the mountains as the "Appa-lay-shun" mountains but the area as "Appa-latch-a".
Greg’s interest in introducing a 14 month old to “masculine” things and then his comment about his 18th birthday (that he never got to see) making him a man is so weird. And cutting the boy’s hair to match his own? This was a very disturbing relationship already and I would be curious if there are more stories about Greg in the community that people may be too afraid to share.
Who just takes someone’s word that their baby is in the hospital? Completely insane and both of them should have been charged with neglect at least.
Had to turn this one off as my son is almost the exact same age as this poor little boy. He was failed by everyone around him and WHO is leaving a 13 month old run around out back with 3 dogs while he works on a car? Everything was just so frustrating and upsetting
I believe it happened exactly how the jail house informant told it.
Wow, this was a wild ride. Covered incredibly well in true Casefile style. That part about the jacket pocket on the railway tracks....
Although I remember the news reports I hadn't heard such detail. So interesting, so horrific. Jaidyn was such a gorgeous little boy 😢
This poor kid never stood a chance. If you need a Government issued pamphlet to explain to you who is and isn’t a good candidate for watching your children while you’re away from them, are you fit to be a parent? Total nonsense as well that common sense is a spectrum - that’s why it is called COMMON sense, because certain concepts should be obvious to anyone, regardless of background or upbringing or formal education. Such a waste of life and no justice for Jaidyn.
How incredibly sad for Jaidyn. This case was covered so well, like always.
Probably some of the best quotes Casey has had to read to date
What in the bogan nonsense…. Anyone else find the first half particularly hard to follow??
Extremely sad! I’m surprised that the items sitting in the archives can’t be retested, particularly the splint, to see if modern DNA testing could uncover further evidence. I’ve heard of cases being reopened decades later and finally solved because advances in DNA technology revealed evidence that wasn’t detectable at the time. The incompetence of the police investigation absolutely astounding. It’s incredibly frustrating to hear about potential opportunities and evidence that seem to have been overlooked, especially when a child’s life was involved.
Yes I was curious about the splint, how it was constructed and if it matched anything in Greg’s home etc. so many missed opportunities throughout this case
Man, I should *not* need a Homestuck-level relationship chart just to keep track of all these dipshits...
I feel so bad for Jaidyn’s father and sister. Poor Jaidyn, his only ‘crime’ was having Belinda as a “mother.”
Is this a re-upload? Could've sworn i listened to this not too long ago
No we have never covered this case previously.
He will never admit it. The theory of what happened is the closest thing we'll get to the truth. He didn't admit what happened out of self preservation and because his conscience didn't bother him badly enough. I don't think he's going to write down what happened and leave it to be opened after his death. He's too concerned for his image. He's got a son now too, and he won't want to be remembered as the child killer he is. He viewed Jaiden as a toy he could play with.
I remember pretty much making my mind up quickly when this occurred and subsequently not following it that closely. I didn't realise how weak the Crown's case actually was. Great episode Case file - frustrating as all get out, but great...
Sorry ... Enlighten the clueless American? What's a sook?
Also clueless American here to mention Google is helpful. It means crybaby apparently. 😉
The poor kid didn’t have a chance. And then some fancy lawyer makes sure he never gets justice either.
That poor little boy!! So sad. I can't believe that scumbag got away with it! Almost every person involved that night has continued on a downward spiral. Randomly I saw Bylinda at a 21st birthday party in a nearby town about 18 years ago. It was so surreal.
How was she? How have they continued on as downward spiral?
This case is a Chinese Parade of red flags! Astounding incompetence.
I’m 22 minutes in—good lord, are there any actual adults involved in this case?
I have wanted you guys to cover this case ever since I first heard of it, approximately nine years ago. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 I was listening to another podcast cover it like two weeks ago, and I was thinking the whole time, "where would Casefile drop the cold open? surely it would have to be the pig's head, right??" I'm so excited to listen and find out! this is the case I always mention whenever anyone claims that there are no coincidences in criminal investigations. the details of this case will never stop blowing me away.
Been waiting for you guys to cover this one! Gonna be good!
Have suggested this previously...awesome cant wait to listen ❤️
This is the one I've been waiting for! Thank you for covering Jaidyn's case.