Attorney-General opens investigation into apparent 1978 suicide

The Attorney-General has launched a coronial investigation into the shocking death of a 22-year-old Qld woman decades ago, after her daughter found conflicting official reports about her alleged suicide.

Natalie Hatton is hoping to find out the truth behind her mother Julie Hatton’s (pictured) death in the South Burnett in 1979, as conflicting reports mount.

The mysterious death of a young Eidsvold woman with a then 10-week old baby in the 1970s will be officially investigated following her daughter’s desperate search for answers.

The Attorney-General will investigate the cause of Julie Hatton’s death, on October 1, 1979, which at the time was ruled non-suspicious.

A Coroners Court of Queensland spokesman confirmed that Attorney-General and Justice Minister Shannon Fentiman wrote to the state coroner to order a coronial investigation into Julie‘s death on April 3, 2023.

They said the investigation would be led by coroner Kerrie O’Callaghan, with information already sought.

The spokesman could not confirm how long the investigation would take, given it would be subject to the complexity of the coroner’s inquiries.

Julie’s daughter Natalie Hatton has spent the past few years trying to piece together her mum’s apparent suicide, but received conflicting reports.

Lawyer says Daniel Morcombe’s killer could have been nabbed in months

She first learned of her mother’s death when she was 10-years-old, when a family member sat her down and revealed her mother was not who she thought she was.

Formerly of the Gold Coast, Julie Hatton nee Clifford (pictured) was the only daughter to her parents, and set up her future family home on a vast grazing property in Eidsvold.

She was told her real mum was the Gold Coast-born Julie Hatton, who had committed suicide at the family farm, Darreen, when Natalie was a newborn.

“It was a pretty big shock to a 10-year-old to find that out, to find out my brothers weren’t my real brothers,” Ms Hatton said.

Her inquiries as an adult have uncovered “strange” findings such as reports that the police did not attend the family station until the day after her mother’s death.

She said information from the family’s neighbours at the time also raised her concern that something untoward may have happened.

“These two people passed the property around 10am on Sunday morning, they initially thought mum was waving at them, but now they worry she was trying to wave them down,” she said.

“When they came back to their home, they decided to go and visit mum, and then a phone call came in that there had been an accident.”

Ms Hatton was initially unable to track down any police, ambulance or autopsy reports.

Natalie Hatton was initially only able to find two documents relating to her mother's death. The death certificate and this death notice published in the newspaper.

But recently she received an 11-page coroner’s report from the Gayndah Courthouse, dated October 19, 1979, which said her mum’s death – caused by a gunshot wound to the forehead – was ruled non suspicious.

Ms Hatton found it strange the report did not mention “suicide” or “self-inflicted”.

It also listed different locations where her mum died.

The History of Death notice reported she died “(in ambulance) between Albercorn and Muligidie”, while the Coroner’s Certificate of Holding of Inquest stated she died “(in garden) on Darreen Station Homestead”.

Ms Hatton contacted the Attorney-General’s office in October, 2022, desperate for a further investigation into the death.

On April 3, 2023, she received an official response from the Attorney-General’s office confirming it would investigate.

Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman contacted the state coroner regarding Julie Hatton’s death. Picture David Clark.

“I am informed the records outline how it is understood your mother’s death occurred and it was deemed not to be suspicious,” Ms Fentiman said.

“However, the objectives under the Act are to assist in findings being made regarding how a person died and the cause of that death.

“Your original correspondence to me outlined questions you had regarding your mother‘s death that otherwise would not have been answered by the records and may be assisted by an investigation into how her death occurred.”

Ms Hatton has made an official statement with the police marking the launch of the investigation.

She encourages anyone who may have memories from October 1, 1978 that may be of interest, or documents relating to her mother’s death to reach out.