Murder Trial: The Girl in the River Docuseries- 1 Gruesome Death, 3 Suspects, and a 30 year wait

The real crime documentary series, Murder Trial, is back with a new case that will shock you with its brutality. The two-parter is called The Girl in the River and it follows one of Scotland’s most-mysterious cold cases. A 14-year-old schoolgirl never comes home, three people are suspected in the disappearance, but even after almost 3 decades, the case remains shrouded in mystery. 

The docuseries will take a deep dive into the case with testimonies, interviews, and more. As truth comes to light, what was once seen as an unsolvable mystery begins to unravel itself. Throughout the years, the girl’s mother didn’t lose hope and waited for justice even though the original investigation faced a dead-end. 

Want to know how the case was solved? Who was the one that committed the crime? In this article, we will reveal where you can catch the two episodes, as well as discuss more details about the case. Stay tuned as we will also keep updating this space when new information emerges!

Release date and Where to Watch 

Both episodes of Murder Trial: The Girl in the River will be available from Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Plot of Murder Trial: The Girl in the River

The two-parter Murder Trial: The Girl in the River docuseries explores the story of Caroline Glachan, a Scottish schoolgirl who didn’t return home one day. Her face down body was found in the River Leven, Dunbartonshire. There were three suspects in the killing of the 14-year-old- Robert O’Brien, Andrew Kelly and Donna Marie Brand. 

The late Sarah Jane O'Neill was also a suspect back in 1996 when the incident happened. This docuseries will explore the case in detail, ranging from the original faulty police investigation to the 2019 case re-opening. The jury at the High Court in Glasgow discovered that Robert ‘Robbie’ O’Brien, who was 18 in 1996, was in a relationship with Caroline and Donna. 

The latter of whom was pregnant with his child. The investigators suggested that O’Brien and his cohorts lured Caroline while they were babysitting a four-year-old boy called Archie. Then, they committed the crime. However, the defense doesn’t agree with this, arguing that the friends never left the house and were not involved in Caroline’s murder. 

The series will also use testimonies of Caroline’s friends, her mother Margaret McKeich, as well as DCI Stuart Grainger who was the SIO on the case. Along with this, there’s testimony from the mother of Archie as well to figure out the details of this gruesome case. 

Trailer of Murder Trial: The Girl in the River

Check out the trailer below: 

Behind the Scenes

Murder Trial: The Girl in the River docuseries has been directed by Matt Pinder and produced by Kirsty MacFarlane. Iain Scollay is the executive producer while Firecrest Films Ltd is the production company.