Erina Creek: The facts about Audrey Griffin’s tragic death
The conspiracy theories into what happened to a popular teen began almost as quickly as her family and friends started mourning the tragic discovery of her body in a creek. Here are the facts.
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Even in tragic and lonely death, Audrey Griffin was exceedingly popular.
Almost as quickly as her devastated family and friends were plunged into deep mourning, the Central Coast community in which the 19-year-old was a highly-respected and much-loved member had began to be swallowed up in rumours and conspiracy theories.
The perceived lack of answers from authorities for five days after Audrey’s body was found partially submerged in Erina Creek last Sunday afternoon appeared to give many a licence to gossip about how she lost her life.
The theories included drink spiking and serial rapists, a mysterious Uber driver or a predator purporting to be one being hunted by police, multiple crime scenes and how she was found naked.
All of those have been formally debunked - police didn’t make a public statement because there was not one to give.
Her family didn’t want information out in the public domain and an autopsy confirmed that Audrey’s death was not suspicious.
Preliminary results suggest the cause of death was drowning - but that, and the exact reasons, will be for the coroner to decide.
Even the apparent mystery of why she was even at Erina Creek is not a mystery at all, it just had not been made public on the wishes of her family.
She was not naked when her body was found between the Punt Bridge and Pateman Rd about 5pm on Sunday.
She was fully clothed.
Police are not searching for a mysterious Uber driver or even a second person in relation to Audrey’s death - forensic pathologists have ruled out suspicious circumstances following a comprehensive post-mortem examination.
There were never multiple crime scenes - police tape at the scene of Audrey’s death was tied to trees along the creek’s banks.
When it was removed, small pieces of tape remained on multiple trees, possibly giving untrained observers enough evidence to suggest there were “multiple crime scenes” and adding to the theories of foul play.
What is also definitive is how much Audrey had meant to a large cross-section of the entire coastal region.
A member of the Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club, Terrigal Sharks Rugby League Club and former vice-captain of Central Coast Sports College, Audrey was known as a fit, talented and highly motivated young woman with the world at her feet.
Having graduated high school in 2023, Audrey was juggling training, part-time work at Crown Plaza Terrigal with tertiary studies at the University of Technology Sydney.
Two weeks before her tragic death, she had completed the gruelling ANZCO New Zealand half Ironman in a time of 06:40:32, placing her 194 out of 295 female competitors in the international event.
And her passing has prompted a huge outpouring of grief and tributes across multiple social media platforms.
“A beautiful girl and treasured of a lot of people! Always had a smile on her face. We will miss you. Rest peacefully,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Such a beautiful human,” a second penned.
And another on Instagram: “She touched the hearts of so many people and always had a smile.
“Her laugh was contagious and her goofy self always made us laugh.
“I’m sure many of you have so many beautiful memories, photos and videos of her, I would love to eventually see them all. Audrey you are truly loved by so many people.”
Originally published as Erina Creek: The facts about Audrey Griffin’s tragic death
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