Gina Merritt slams Queensland Police over handling of Jay Brogden case

When Jay Brogden disappeared, Queensland Police detectives wrongly claimed the young man had ended his own life. After two men were convicted over his death, his mum wants answers.

Jay was last seen alive in Airlie Beach in April 2007. His body has never been found. Picture: Jay Brogden family

The family of Jay Brogden have criticised “systemic failures” by the Queensland Police over the initial investigation into his disappearance, with cops writing his death off as suicide.

The 21 year old vanished on April, 21 2007, and his body has not been found.

“We feel if this investigation had been taken seriously in the beginning and started immediately things would have been very different and years of torment and suffering could have been avoided,” Jay’s mother Gina Merritt said in a statement to media.

“It’s been 16 years since he went missing and yet it feels like yesterday to us.”

Ms Merritt has not given up on finding the truth, from the moment she first phoned police to report her son missing on May 2, 2007.

She never stopped believing it was foul play.

The first detectives investigating the case formed an early opinion that Jay probably took his own life and a report was sent to the Missing Persons Unit in July 2008 where it stalled – it would not reach the Office of the State Coroner until April 2011.

Following a coronial inquest in 2014, Coroner Jane Bentley found detectives forming a suspicion that Jay took his own life “invoked an obligation to report the matter to the Coroner … (but) no such report was made by investigating police or the MPU”.

Gina Merritt head a heartbreaking victim impact statement as her son's killers were respectively jailed over his death.

“We as a family have had to fight every step of the way for the police to do their job and investigate this matter,” Mrs Merritt said.

The investigation was reinvigorated when some witnesses came forward after a decade.

In 2019 two men were charged with murder – Gavin Phillip Parnell and Braddon Charles Peter Butler.

Parnell’s case went to trial and he was found guilty by a jury in May 2022 and jailed for life.

Convicted murderer Gavin Parnell outside Maryborough Court House.

He and Butler took Jay out on a boat under the guise of a fishing trip and Parnell shot him in the head – his body was dumped in waters off Shute Harbour.

Butler’s matter also went to trial in October 2022, but because of the conduct of a witness there was a mistrial and in early 2023 there were indications from both prosecution and defence the matter could be settled.

Braddon Butler pleaded guilty to manslaughter over 21-year-old Jay Brogden’s disappearance and death in 2007.

In February, Butler pleaded guilty to manslaughter – on the grounds there had been a common unlawful purpose to serious assault Jay over a drug debt, but he had no idea Parnell had brought the weapon.

He was jailed for eight years with immediate parole eligibility after spending almost four years in jail on remand.

During sentencing on Monday, Justice David North said by the time police were made aware of the possible area Jay was killed it was 2019 “and searches for the body were as one could inevitably imagine fruitless”.

“Whilst we are pleased that finally two people have been brought to justice and we would like to thank the efforts of the DPP and the current investigating police there were many years where there were systemic failings in the Queensland Police,” Ms Merritt said.

“No one ever thinks that they will be put in a situation where a loved one goes missing, or even worse murdered.

“Jay would have turned 37 years old this Wednesday, he was taken from us at 21 when he had his whole life in front of him.”

Ms Merritt said the family spoke about Jay often.

Jay Brogden is pictured with his cousin. Picture: Jay Brogden family

“His beaming smile and his ability to make everyone laugh. He was not without his troubles, but he was not street smart and came from a loving family,” she said.

“Our family will never be the same after this and not a day will not go past that we won’t miss Jay and remember how much we loved him and what a valued member of our family he was.”

This publication reached out to the QPS for comment.

“It would be inappropriate for Queensland Police Service to comment on the matter while it is still subject to the appeal period,” A QPS spokeswoman said.