Jayden Penno-Tompsett: Forensic delays hit body-identification process
Human bone fragments found near Charters Towers in October remain untested due to ongoing problems at Queensland’s forensic lab, prolonging a family’s seven-year search for answers.
Supporters of a man who has been missing in outback Charters Towers since 2017 say human bone fragments discovered in October are yet to be tested due to “continuous issues” at Queensland’s problem-plagued state-run forensics lab.
According to a post on a social media page dedicated to helping find Jayden Penno-Tompsett, friends and family were no closer to discovering the truth after human remains were located in rural Breddan in the Towers on October 20.
The post on Wednesday says that due to the ongoing issues with the notorious Forensic Science Queensland, the fragments were being sent interstate or abroad for testing in the hopes of obtaining a DNA sample and potentially matching the findings with that of Jayden.
“This could still be quite some time before results are known.”
Queensland Police Service investigators have not previously linked the discovery to that of Mr Penno-Tompsett, saying it was “too early” to do so.
Forensic Science Queensland has been contacted for comment.
Mr Penno-Tompsett, a 22-year-old from Newcastle, NSW, was on a road trip with friend Lucas Tattersall when he disappeared in mysterious circumstances on New Year’s Eve.
The pair reportedly became involved in an argument at a roadhouse about 130 kilometres south-west of Townsville before it was reported that Mr Penno-Tompsett walked off and Mr Tattersall drove away.
Mr Tattersall did return to the scene but did not report him missing to police until four days later.
Mr Penno-Tompsett was never seen again.
According to the findings of a coronial inquest held in 2021, Queensland Police Service believed the drug-affected Mr Penno-Tompsett was likely dead before the search began and that the death was not considered suspicious.
The official cause of death was given as “exposure to the elements”.
Jayden’s family have said that the lack of a definitive answer has caused suffering, with the unsolved case continuing to generate headlines.
Queensland Police Service has been contacted for comment.
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Originally published as Jayden Penno-Tompsett: Forensic delays hit body-identification process
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