Last Stop Larrimah: Murder Down Under is a true crime documentary from Max that covers a bizarre town of only eleven people and a crocodile, and a missing persons case that has been unsolved since 2017. Patrick “Paddy” Moriarty would go missing, but nobody knows where he is, or even if he is alive or dead. One of the residents of the town featured heavily in the show is Fran Hodgetts. If you’re wondering where she is now and what her bizarre story entails, you’re in the right place.
The documentary introduces us to the town, a once busy outpost, slowly sliding into oblivion, hanging onto what little is left, and filling the void with the kind of community drama that you might see in a reality TV show.
Filmmaker Thomas Tancred slowly leads the viewer through the place, introducing us in turn to the characters that live there, and exploring what may have happened to Paddy.
READ: Once Upon a Small Town Review
Tancred is happy to allow the viewers to witness the accounts recorded, offer us up the many theories about Paddy, and then just as quickly lets go of our hands, leaving us to wander about on our own.
If you are a fan of true crime, then this is the David Lynch version of the genre, more intrigued by the people that inhabit the landscape than the mystery itself, and allowing the audience a chance to explore it for themselves.
Who is Fran Hodgetts?
Fran and her husband Billy would find themselves in Larrimah back in the 1970s.
They would set up in the once thriving community, establishing themselves as a local business, selling food and drink in a small restaurant.
Paddy was also a long-term resident in the town, he had been there since 1966, and in a fashion that was common with the man, he would at one point state that Fran’s pies were not good, and he wouldn’t feed them to his dog.
It was an insult that Fran would never forget or forgive him for, and just one instance in a litany of toing and froing that would lead to them bitterly despising each other. There would be an ongoing feud between the two, and both were quite open about their disregard for each other.
When Paddy did go missing, Fran, and employee Owen, were in the spotlight, and the authorities looked closely at the case, and the bad blood that ran so freely between the parties involved.
However, there was never any evidence found that could link Fran to Paddy’s disappearing act, but for local media, there was an angle too juicy to ignore.
It was, jokingly, suggested that Fran had indeed murdered her old enemy, and placed him in the pies she made, al la Sweeney Todd.
Where is Fran Hodgetts now?
Fran would eventually close the pie shop and relocate to live with her daughter. Her daughter would state that her mother still obsesses over the disappearance of Paddy, and there is some indication that a former employee of Fran’s, gardener Owen, could also have had something to do with the case.
Fran had hired Owen to look after her grounds, but it is implied that he may have had something to do with the situation, especially as he did not get on with Paddy, often arguing with him.
It was also no secret that Owen did not like Paddy’s pet dog, and the dog would also go missing along with its owner.
However, it should be stated that these are groundless speculations, and no evidence to link Owen or Fran was ever found.
What restaurant did Fran Hodgetts run?
Fran would run Fran’s Devonshire Tea House in Larrimah, and provide locals and tourists with homemade food, including pies.
The restaurant was located across from Paddy’s house, and Fran would state at an inquest that Paddy had often scared people away from her business.
Perhaps we will never find out what happened to Paddy, but this astonishing documentary will certainly point you in one possible direction.
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