When Louise Ioannidis was found dead in a creek in 2011, a police investigation quickly concluded her death was consistent with drowning and the coroner closed the case. But Louisa's brother Tass always had doubts about how his sister died. Just 24 years old, Louisa was a vibrant and beautiful young woman who was going through difficult times.  "It had all the hallmarks of something suspicious and for them not to have activated the homicide squad is just beyond me", Tass tells Australian Story. He sought help from Julia Robson, a private investigator and true-crime podcaster. Analysing the police investigation, Julia and fellow podcaster Clare McGrath discovered numerous contradictions in the evidence presented to the coroner in 2012.   "I have not spoken to a single person who believes Louisa drowned of her own accord," says Julia. "There is so much to her story and there are so many inconsistencies."  In a gripping two-part series, Australian Story provides a dramatic account of Louisa's short but eventful life and pieces together the turbulent two years before her death. The series also reveals potential new evidence uncovered by a team of pro-bono lawyers who are pushing to re-open the case.  "She was someone's daughter, sister, a human being," Louisa's mentor Helen Kilias tells Australian Story. "We just don't sweep things under the carpet." 

Monday's Australian Story profiles pastry chef Kate Reid.

Kate Reid's croissants have been called the world's best. But how did a young woman battling a near-fatal eating disorder end up perfecting pastry?

Kate's perfectionism helped her realise her dreams, but Australian Story reveals the interior struggle of a woman who has faced down the darker side of control.

In a raw account, Kate and her family unpack Kate's astonishing journey from Formula One aerospace engineer to world renowned pastry chef – and the five-year battle with anorexia that nearly claimed her life.

"I wasn't just going to keep losing weight and keep existing. I was going to keep losing weight and die," Kate tells Australian Story.

As Kate restricted her eating, she began to develop an obsession with baking and found a new focus: creating the perfect pastry.

In her fastidious process of "reverse-engineering" the croissant and opening her business Lune, Kate found the satisfying intersection of science and baking – and, most importantly, a lifeline.

"The requirements of the anorexic voice inside Kate's head just didn't get any airtime," says her brother Cameron, who believes the creation of Lune contributed to Kate's health improving.

While Kate is grateful she was able to survive her anorexia, which has the highest fatality rate of any mental illness, she acknowledges that her battle with control is ongoing.

"There are many examples in my life of me reaching for things, healthy or unhealthy, to gain an aspect of control," Kate tells Australian Story. "And I think that'll probably be my entire life's biggest challenge."

Producer: Sarah Grant