The anguished daughter of the Queensland cop killers has revealed how paedophilia allegations saw them ostracised from their family and into the embrace of crazy conspiracy theories.
Gareth Train, 47, wife Stacey, 45, and brother Nathaniel, 46, killed constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, and neighbour Alan Dare, 59, in a deadly ambush at their rural home at Wieambilla, 300km west of Brisbane, on December 12.
The three were later gunned down by police in a late-night stand-off, before the trio's anti-vaxxer conspiracy theory past was exposed.
Now daughter Madelyn Train, 26, has revealed how the three killers sparked a rift with their extended family when Gareth and Nathaniel made the child abuse claims.
Madelyn Train (pictured with her brother, and parents Stacey and Gareth Train) has revealed how her family was ripped apart by paedophile allegations and haunted by doomsday predictions
Madelyn Train, 26, has revealed how the three killers had been cut off from their family after Gareth and Nathaniel made child abuse claims
They accused a man known to the family - who is now dead - of molesting them, but were left isolated from the rest of their clan when they spoke out.
Maddy now believes it was the trigger that ultimately led to madness and the deadly shootout.
'I didn't really understand the scale of what they experienced as children because they never unpacked it on us,' she told a Guardian podcast.
'They talked to each other about it, and I think they talked to some medical professionals, but they never told us what they did.
'They always just taught us how to process our own trauma, not theirs.'
The brothers were also haunted by doomsday prophecies after they grew up in a strict religious home where their father Ronald was a born-again Christian pastor.
He is the author of several books on the Bible, including 'The Truths of Revelation', 'Without Absolutes, God Is Not God' and 'The Bridge to Eternal Life'.
'They were always spiritually minded,' said Maddy. 'And they believed literally that Covid was the end of the world.'
Ronald Train officiated at the wedding of his son Nathaniel and Stacey (pictured) when the childhood sweethearts married as teenagers in 1995
Maddy (pictured here with her mother and brother) was brought up by her uncle 'Gary' as her father after Stacey Train divorced her biological dad Nathaniel to marry his old brother Gareth
Ronald Train officiated at the wedding of his son Nathaniel and Stacey when the childhood sweethearts married as teenagers in 1995, and the couple later had Maddy and her brother.
But four years later, Stacey divorced Nathaniel to marry his older brother Gareth in 1999.
Maddy and her brother, who Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to name, were brought up with their uncle 'Gary' as their father, but Maddy says they were all her parents.
'All three of them were parental figures for me in different ways,' she said.
'Everyone else thinks it's weird, but if that's what your parents did, it's not weird. It wasn't weird for me.
'Nathaniel was more like an uncle than a dad. Like, he tried, [but] Stacey and Nathaniel had us so young that they were still figuring out who they were.'
In the wake of the bizarre wife-swap love triangle and the brothers' paedophile allegations, the trio became distanced from the rest of the Train family 20 years ago.
In 2004, all three were cut out of a family-owned property in Cambooya near Toowoomba which was then resold to be owned by the rest of their family.
The sale noted it was because of 'estranged family members'.
Constable Matthew Arnold (left) and Constable Rachel McCrow (right) were ambushed and killed by the Trains
Neighbour Alan Dare (pictured) was also shot dead after trying to help them put out a fire
The three then travelled all over Queensland - often living together - as former school principals Stacey and Nathaniel moved from school to school, while Maddy and her brother were left behind to board at a state school in far north Queensland.
But Gareth struggled for work and spent more and more time online as a result, plunging him deeper into conspiracy theories, she said.
'I know he spent a lot of time on the internet,' she revealed.
'You watch one weird video on YouTube and then the algorithm sends you on a weird f***ing Alice in Wonderland trip where you're watching heaps of weird shit.
'And that's all it feeds you.'
She added: 'He would send me links to s*** and I'd go, that's a bit weird. He would send me YouTube stuff - like, repeatedly, send me weird links.
'I didn't even really look. I knew I had read enough to say "That's weird" to Gary and Gary just wouldn't say anything.
'They just contacted me too much about s*** that I didn't want to hear about, like Covid s*** that I thought was not accurate.
'It was not like, "Hi, how are you?" It was like, "Here's this Covid conspiracy theory - BOOM!"
The property, owned by Gareth, who spoke of prepping his home for an apocalypse, and his wife Stacey ran off the grid with extensive solar panels and water tanks
A series of bizarre video clips emerged featuring two of the three doomsday prepper cop killers discussing deranged theories about religion and death, and their mistrust in the police. One video showed the missing person report of Nathaniel Train
Gareth also regularly posted increasingly outlandish crank posts online, including wild claims that Princess Di was murdered as a Satanic sacrifice and the Port Arthur massacre was staged by the government.
He and Stacey were also posting bizarre videos on YouTube using their middle names Daniel and Jane as aliases and admitted they had lost touch with their children.
They were also preparing for the end of the world at their compound in Wieambilla, which they had fortified with barbed wire fences and tunnels, and installed CCTV.
But despite the spiral into insane conspiracy theories, Maddy says she still had no idea how far her parents had descended into madness.
'Even though he was sending these links, I still think that he was mentally sound,' she said.
'Because Gary's [role] in life really was that he would say dumb s*** to spark conversation.
'And I know that sounds stupid. But what Gary would say is the most extreme thing he could, whether he believed it or not, to get people to talk.'
A man, believed to be Gareth, was seen in another video with his voice digitally altered and a heavy filter placed over his face
Her biological father Nathaniel became embroiled in the Covid conspiracies after he had a heart attack and feared the vaccine may cause complications with his heart condition, she said.
He had recently moved from Queensland to a NSW school in Walgett and had made allegations about exam cheating which he claimed was being covered up by education bosses.
He contacted NSW Upper House One Nation MP Mark Latham to help expose the alleged scandal before he cut off all contact last July.
Stacey told Maddy that Nathaniel was going to 'blow the whistle on high up corruption within the NSW Education Department, its connections to NSW Police organised crime syndicate and fixated person branch,' she said.
Maddy says the stress of that investigation and his hard-working lifestyle led to the heart attack and then his radicalisation online.
Madelyn Train says she still had no idea how far her parents had descended into madness.
'The heart attack was from stress,' she said. 'He would drink so much coffee.
'And he'd forget to eat because he was working so hard, and he would hardly sleep because all he wanted to do was do his job really well.
'He didn't even want to take the medication, but he was forced to and he didn't want to be forced to have a vaccination that could aggravate any heart conditions.'
Stacey had also recently resigned from her head of curriculum teaching job at a nearby school rather than accept mandatory Covid vaccination.
Maddy said Nathaniel quit to go back to nature and fled north to Queensland during lockdown to camp next to his brother and ex-wife at their Wieambilla compound.
'He was reconnecting with God, in nature,' said Maddy. 'That's why he was living that way.'
His second wife, who Daily Mail Australia is not naming, was left behind in NSW and she eventually raised the alarm with police after she had not seen Nathaniel in a year.
Maddy says the Trains repeatedly told her not to get involved, with the last message on October 9.
'They asked to be left alone multiple times,' she said. 'They told [Nathaniel's second wife], "Don't report him missing. He doesn't want to see you. Leave him alone."'
But on December 4 she lodged a missing person's report with NSW Police who then asked Queensland Police to check the Wieambilla address, sparking the ambush.
Maddy revealed the final text message from her parents came at 6.34pm after they had gunned down the two officers and their neighbour.
It read simply: '[Nathaniel's second wife] sent people to kill us.'
Stacey and Gareth Train posted a haunting barely visible video on YouTube where they admitted gunning down the two young police officers
Maddy Train revealed the final text message from her parents came at 6.34pm after they had gunned down the two officers and their neighbour
Around the same time, Stacey and Gareth posted a haunting video on YouTube where they admitted gunning down the two young police officers.
'They came to kill us and we killed them,' Gareth said, with his and Stacey's face barely visible in the pitch darkness on the now-deleted video.
'If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward.'
Maddy says she tried to reply to the text message she received.
She revealed: 'I said, "What does that mean Gary? Are you and Stacey all right? I love you both."'
Maddy never got a reply. A few hours later, all three were killed by police.
The former office worker at a health and safety firm in far north Queensland quit her job in the wake of the tragedy and is now said to be travelling and looking for work.
TRACKING THE TRAINS...
For 27 years, evil cop killers Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train criss-crossed Queensland as they worked at various schools around the state, often overlapping and apparently living with each other in a bizarre love triangle until they died in a hail of bullets on Monday at their fortified rural property
SEPTEMBER 1995
Teenagers Nathaniel and Stacey Train are married in a ceremony conducted by the brother's Baptist Church pastor father Ronald in Toowoomba
FEBRUARY 10, 1997
Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey and parents Ronald and Gwenyth plus other family members buy a home at 21 John St in Cambooya near Toowoomba in Queensland’s Darling Downs for $89,000
1998/9
Stacey leaves Nathaniel for Gareth
1999
Father Ronald says he stopped speaking to Nathaniel
AUGUST 5 2004
The Cambooya home is re-sold to the brothers' parents Gwenyth and Ronald, and three other family members for $15,000, which appears to be buying out Gareth and Stacey. There is no mention of Nathaniel as a vendor even though he was listed as an original buyer with rest of family. The sale is listed as ‘estranged family members’.
2004
Nathaniel is working at Bentley College in Cairns in far north Queensland
2004
Gareth and Stacey are registered as living with Nathaniel at 54 Barnard Drive, Mt Sheridan, in south Cairns. Neighbours don’t recall them.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2004
The three of them buy a four-bedroom house on four hectares of land at 34 River Road, in Millstream, 120km south of Cairns, for $107,000. Neighbours remember them as 'nasty, aggressive paranoid people’ who installed CCTV, floodlights and barbed wire at the property
JANUARY 13 2009
The three of them sold the Millstream home for $235,000. The three of them give a fictitious address next to Proston State School in Queensland’s South Burnett region as their home
2009
Stacey is principal at Proston State School. Gareth is the school groundsman
2010
Stacey is principal of Quinalow P-10 State School in the Darling Downs region
2011
Nathaniel is principal at Innisfail East State School, south of Cairns in far north Queensland
2011-2012
Gareth and Stacy work at Camooweal State School in Queensland’s north-west, close to the border with the Northern Territory. Locals are shocked by the couple's behaviour. Gareth butchered pigs next to the school oval and hung their carcasses in full view of children while Stacey is said to have punished students who complained about bullying, according to the ABC. Gareth is also said to have assaulted students who swore and was seen dragging his wife by the hair into their home.
2012
Their children are students at a state school in north-west Queensland which Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to name.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2013
Gareth and Stacey buy 44hectares of coal fracking land for $50,000 at 219 Cypress Road in Kumbarilla in Queensland’s South Burnett region, close to the Western Downs
2014
Stacey is a deputy principal at Happy Valley State School in Mt Isa in north-west Queensland. Her principal pays tribute to her in an end of year address: 'It has been inspiring to work with you...you have brought wonderful expertise and vision to our school.'
2014-15
Gareth and Stacey are registered as living at 61 Abel Smith Parade Sunset, but probably the State School Home at 2 Hinkler Crescent, Mt Isa. Gareth is groundsman at Mt Isa State Special School on July 22, 2014
FEBRUARY 5, 2015
Gareth and Stacey buy the remote rural property at 251 Wains Road, Wieambilla in Queensland's Western Downs for $95,000 - which they would fortify to ambush police, and where they would ultimately die in the ensuing shootout
FEBRUARY 2016
Their son is lauded at a glittering awards ceremony for the 'highest achievement by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Student in Queensland' for his outstanding work throughout his school career. He has been staying north-west Queensland attending the local state school while his parents worked elsewhere in the state
2016
Gareth and Stacey work at Indigenous Pormpuraaw State School, on Queensland’s Cape York on the Gulf of Carpenteria coastline.
MARCH 2016
Gareth Train quits Education Queensland amid complaints from locals about the couple's behaviour
2016
Nathaniel appointed principal at Yorkeys Knob State School near Cairns. He is believed to be living at a nearby address in Keerawa Beach, possibly education department-owned property
JUNE 24, 2016
Stacey Train appointed Acting Principal for remote Mitchell State School in Maranoa Region, 600km west of Brisbane. The school welcomes her as ‘an experienced school leader in both Deputy & Principal positions within the DDSW, North West Qld & Far North Qld over the past 7 years. Our school community welcomes Stacey and entrusts the care of our school in her highly capable hands for the term.’
2019
Stacey is head of curriculum and teachers aid at Tara Shire State College, 170km west of Toowoomba.
MARCH 2020
Nathaniel quits Yorkeys Knob State School, moves into a Teacher Housing Authority home in Walgett and starts job as executive Principal at Walgett State School NSW
FEBRUARY 5 2021
Gareth and Stacey sell the land at Kumbarilla for $62,000
AUGUST 2021
Nathaniel suffers heart attack at his desk at Walgett State School, goes on sick leave, refuses mandatory Covid vaccination
SEPTEMBER 2021
Gareth makes increasingly bizarre and paranoid posts online about conspiracy theories
DECEMBER 2021
Stacey Train quits Education Queensland, refuses mandatory Covid vaccination
DECEMBER 16, 2021
Nathaniel is seen for the last time in Dubbo
MARCH 2022
Nathaniel sends 16 emails in a fortnight to education chiefs about a cheating row at his school. He is sacked after being absent from work for seven months
MAY 2022
Nathaniel's cheating row is raised in NSW Parliament budget estimates by One Nation’s NSW leader Mark Latham
JULY 2022
Mr Latham last hears from Nathaniel
OCTOBER 9, 2022
Nathaniel contacts his estranged partner for the last time
DECEMBER 4, 2022
NSW Police are alerted to Nathaniel's disappearance
DECEMBER 8, 2022
NSW Police make a public appeal for help to find Nathaniel
DECEMBER 12, 2022
Queensland Police make a routine visit to Gareth and Stacey Train’s home in Wieambilla to follow up on Nathaniel’s disappearance
Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, are executed in the ambush by the Trains and innocent neighbour Alan Dare, 58, is killed in the crossfire
Gareth 47, Stacey, 45, and Nathaniel Train, 46, are all shot dead in a fatal firefight with Queensland Police Special Emergency Response Team