Jeremiah ‘Jayo’ Rivers inquest: Footage of traffic stop that sparked search, probe

It was a routine traffic stop by an outback Queensland cop that sparked an exhaustive air and land search, coronial inquest and ongoing murder probe. WATCH THE BODYCAM FOOTAGE

It was a routine traffic stop by an outback Queensland cop that sparked an exhaustive eight-day air and land search, a week-long coronial inquest, and an ongoing murder probe.

For the first time, the public can see the body-worn camera footage showing the exchange between a police officer and two travellers who reported their friend, Jeremiah “Jayo” Rivers, as missing after they claim he wandered off from their campsite.

Matthew Moore and Joe Joe Kantilla-Gaden told a complicated series of lies to Senior Constable Brenden Blackford on the roadside at Noccundra on October 19, 2021.

The footage was released by Coroner Donald MacKenzie after this week’s coronial inquest examining the fate of 27-year-old Mr Rivers.

He was last seen at a campsite at the remote Wippo Creek, near Noccundra in South West Queensland, on October 18, 2021.

Mr Rivers and his kinship brother Joe Joe Kantilla-Gaden arranged the trip from Balranald in NSW to the Northern Territory, which they called home.

Their friend Matthew Moore joined them on the pig hunting trip, as did his Victorian friends – Travis Clare, Dylan Thomas, Joel McMaster and Kane Toohey.

The group drove over 1000km to Wippo Creek. They claim that when they arrived at Wippo Creek around 7-8am on October 18, Mr Rivers went off to swim to cool down.

He did not return and has never been seen since.

The traffic stop exchange around 8am on October 19 between Senior Constable Blackford, Mr Moore and Mr Kantilla-Gaden was the first time they told anyone Mr Rivers was missing.

Senior Constable Blackford was aware one of the border gates separating Queensland and NSW had been cut. Then the owner of the remote Noccundra Hotel tipped him off that a suspicious vehicle with Victorian number plates had come in on the night of October 18.

“I was told they (the vehicle) would be attending the hotel at around 8am the next morning to get fuel, so I arranged to attend to intercept the vehicle,” Senior Constable Blackford said.

“They were acting suspiciously, they kept blocking the number plate of the vehicle, and the conversations with the bar staff were very vague which is unusual for that hotel.”

Jeremiah ‘Jayo’ Rivers

Senior Constable Brenden Blackford outside the inquest. Picture: Liam Kidston

Senior Constable Blackford told the inquest that Mr Moore “appeared nervous initially” during the traffic stop, but added “both men later calmed down and were friendly”.

As can be seen in the footage, after Mr Moore and Mr Kantilla-Gaden gave Senior Constable

Blackford their identifying details, Mr Moore said unprompted:

“Last night when we were on the river, Joe Joe (Mr Kantilla-Gaden) and his brother had a bit of a falling out, and we can’t find him. You haven’t sighted anyone in a Chicago Bulls singlet? He was a bit drunk and we’re a bit worried about him.”

During this week’s inquest, Mr Moore and Mr Kantilla-Gaden admitted they told several police officers various incorrect initial versions of what had happened to Mr Rivers.

They now agree Mr Rivers disappeared around 7-8am on October 18, 2021 – not that night as they first told Senior Constable Blackford.

However, questions remain around the apparent “falling out” Mr Kantilla-Gaden and Mr Rivers had, as claimed in the footage.

Mr Kantilla-Gaden said he tried to convince Mr Rivers to have a rest instead of swimming that morning after a long road trip, to which Mr Rivers replied that he “worried too much”.

However, Mr Rivers’ kinship cousin, Matthew Perris, recounted to the inquest a Facebook Messenger call he got from Mr Rivers in the early hours on the day he vanished.

Mr Perris said Mr Rivers asked him to come from the Northern Territory to Queensland to “help him get out of the situation he was in” and that he was “outnumbered”.

Mr Perris said Mr Rivers told him he had been in a verbal and physical fight with Mr Kantilla-Gaden, who had then got the other group members on his side against Mr Rivers.

Mr Kantilla-Gaden denied these claims during his evidence to the inquest.

Later on in the footage, Senior Constable Blackford asks who owns their Toyota HiLux.

Mr Moore: “This is my mate’s, he’s a concreter from Melbourne.”

Senior Constable Blackford: “So what’s his name?”

Mr Moore: “Ah, Trav … Clare.”

Senior Constable Blackford: “Do you have a phone number for him at all?”

Mr Moore: “No, I’m not sure.”

Senior Constable Blackford: “Do you know his address?”

Mr Moore: “Nup.”

Senior Constable Blackford: “Do you know anything about him?”

Mr Moore: “Nup. He just lent me the ute.”

Mr Moore told the inquest he did not want to alert authorities to the other four men back at their nearby campsite, as they were all illegally in the state and facing $66,000 fines.

A still from the bodycam footage

Senior Constable Blackford: “So what brought you to Queensland?”

Mr Moore: “We’ve been up here for a couple of weeks on holiday and we’re just trying to get back over the border to go home.”

Senior Constable Blackford: “So where have you been holidaying?”

Mr Moore: “Up around Thargomindah and Stonehenge. Been around here for a couple of weeks doing fishing and whatnot.”

This was not true either. Mr Moore and Mr Kantilla-Gaden, and the other group members, had illegally entered the state the day before by cutting a border gate chain.

The inquest also heard claims that the seven-man pig hunting road trip was actually a cover to smuggle three pounds of cannabis across interstate lines to be sold in the communities around Darwin for an estimated total of $72,000.

All group members denied these drug claims this week at the inquest, except for Mr Kantilla-Gaden who has provided a statement to police alleging this was true.

The inquest also heard this week that police have further information supporting the drug plot allegation from at least one source outside of the group.

Several minutes later in the footage, Senior Constable Blackford’s suspicion is clear.

“What have you got on the roof there? What do you use the mesh for? It looks brand new, have you opened it yet?” he asked.

Mr Moore: “Nup.”

Senior Constable Blackford: “So you’ve been up here for a month and you haven’t opened a roll of mesh?”

In the end, Senior Constable Blackford escorted the two men back to the border and told them to head to the nearby NSW town of Tibooburra to get a phone signal and check whether they had heard anything from Mr Rivers.

Senior Constable Blackford was asked during this week’s inquest why he didn’t further investigate the duo for a potential border breach, or detain them.

“It’s a case-by-case basis … they had advised me that their friend was missing and I was assisting them to get to NSW,” he replied.

“We can always issue that (border breach) infringement notice later on, it doesn’t have to be issued at the time.”

Coroner Donald MacKenzie said it was an “unusual” decision for the officer to take the duo to the border and let them go, after they had made “eyebrow raising” statements.

The inquest concluded on Friday. Lawyers involved will make submissions over the next three months before Coroner MacKenzie delivers his findings at a later date.