Child killer Rick Thorburn found dead in cell

A Queensland man convicted of murdering his foster daughter in 2015 has been found dead in his prison cell overnight after taking his own life.

Queensland Corrective Services confirmed 64-year-old Rick Thorburn was found unresponsive in his single cell at Woodford Correctional Centre at approximately 10pm on Friday night.

Responding officers attempted to revive the man however their efforts were unsuccessful. His death has been referred to the coroner.

Rick Thorburn was arrested in September 2016 and charged with Tiahleigh’s murder, 11 months after she disappeared.Credit: Fairfax Media

Thorburn’s death follows several suicide attempts since being convicted of murdering 12-year-old schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer, and facing separate charges of rape and indecent treatment of other children.

Palmer was found partially submerged on the banks of the Pimpama River in the Gold Coast Hinterland in 2015, six days after she went missing while in the Thorburn family’s care.

A coronial inquest into Palmer’s death found Thorburn murdered the Logan schoolgirl to protect his son Trent, who had been raping his foster sister.

It was later revealed Thorburn and wife Julene feared Palmer was pregnant, and their son could go to jail for sexually abusing his foster sister.

Thorburn was sentenced to life in prison in 2018.

Julene served six months in jail after pleading guilty on November 2017 to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Trent admitted to sexually abusing Palmer and was jailed for a maximum of four years in September 2017 after pleading guilty to four charges, including incest.

His older brother Joshua was sentenced to three months in July 2017 after pleading guilty to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Thorburn had attempted suicide shortly after his arrest in September 2016 and was reported to have lost a considerable amount of weight. He was placed on suicide watch for several months.

He attempted suicide again in 2020, 2022, 2023 and most recently in February 2024. Thorburn had also been moved between jails several times due to concerns for his safety from other prisoners.

12-year-old Logan schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer was murdered in 2015 by her foster father Rick Thorburn.Credit: 9News

After being jailed for Palmer’s murder, Thorburn was convicted of a range of child sexual abuse offences, including the rape of a child at a family daycare south of Brisbane.

He also faced nine indecent treatment charges relating to incidents between July 2015 to April 2016, and the attempted rape of a girl under 12.

Tiahleigh Palmer's mother Cyndi attends her daughter's funeral in Brisbane. Credit: Glenn Hunt

The offences occurred at Thorburn’s home at Chambers Flat, south of Brisbane, where Julene ran a home childcare business.

An autopsy conducted to determine the cause of Tiahleigh’s death was inconclusive due to the level of decomposition of her body.

She was not pregnant at the time of her death.

QCS said Thorburn’s death has been reported to police and responding officers are being supported by management.