New insight to disappearance of Jayden Penno-Tompsett from an outback road near Charters Towers

THE man at the centre of one of Queensland’s most bizarre disappearances has broken his silence for the first time.

THE man at the centre of one of Queensland’s most bizarre disappearances has broken his silence for the first time.

Jayden Penno-Tompsett, 22, went missing during a road trip along a lonely highway that snakes Queensland’s northern interior.

Jayden Penno-Tompsett, 22, was last seen in the early hours of December 31, 2017, in Charters Towers.

Lucas Tattersall, who was travelling with Jayden Penno-Tompsett, has described their last hours together.

In his first ever interview, the last known person to see Mr Penno-Tompsett alive dropped bombshells about the lead-up to his mate’s disappearance.

Lucas Tattersall, 19, also revealed what he believed may have became of Mr Penno-Tompsett on Queensland’s horror highway.

The two friends left Newcastle, north of Sydney, for a 2300km trip to a New Year’s Eve party in Cairns. About 3am on December 31, 2017, they pulled into a Puma service station on the Flinders Highway.

CCTV at the Charters Towers servo, about 130km inland from Townsville, provides the last images of Mr Penno-Tompsett. Never before heard details of what happened next can be told by The Sunday Mail.

Mr Tattersall revealed that on the long drive both men were using hard drugs that contributed to an argument spiralling out of control.

Tension had been building over a “ misunderstanding and being in the car together for 20-plus hours”.

The argument escalated and Mr Penno-Tompsett pulled off the highway on to the dark and isolated Stockroute Rd.

“Things just got heated when there was no intention for that, then once he escalated he wouldn’t calm down,” Mr Tattersall said.

He said Mr Penno-Tompsett had lost the drugs and was deeply concerned because they had been purchased on credit.

“He started freaking out badly about what these people would do to him if he wasn’t to pay the money,” Mr Tattersall said. “To be honest I hadn’t seen someone as worried as he was.”

Mr Penno-Tompsett stopped the car and got out “trying to arc up” at Mr Tattersall over the lost drugs, he claimed.

While alleging Mr Penno-Tompsett threatened him with some tools in the car, Mr Tattersall denied things turned violent.

“He was constantly threatening me. I continued trying to calm the situation so we could work it out, then he started walking away from the car,” Mr Tattersall said.

Mr Penno-Tompsett, who Mr Tattersall claimed was by this stage hallucinating after being awake for four days, was never seen again.

“I went to go with him and he demanded I stay and wait in the car so I did,” he said.

Charters Towers, Townsville and Burdekin SES crews joined together to search for clues in the bush near Charters Towers.

Mr Penno-Tompsett had apparently wanted to “clear his head” for 15 minutes or so.

After 20 minutes Mr Tattersall began looking for his friend but couldn’t find him.

“I walked around for an hour, going in different directions yelling out his name,” he told The Sunday Mail. “It got way too hot … it was already 40C at 7am. I progressed to drive all through dirt roads and around town to try find him and did that for about six or seven hours.”

Mr Tattersall said that after contacting Mr Penno-Tompsett’s friends he was advised to make his way on to Cairns and not to involve police.

“In the f---ed headspace I was in I didn’t really know what else to do,” he said.

“I wanted to go to police but they said Jayden had a warrant out for his arrest and that because he was bringing drugs it would bring attention,” he said.

Mr Penno-Tompsett’s family has denied there was a warrant out for his arrest.

The missing 22-year-old’s mum Rachel Penno of Newcastle, in Charters Towers.

Mr Tattersall has been criticised for his decision to drive on to Cairns, but police have said they are more than satisfied with his help. Mr Tattersall said Mr Penno-Tompsett’s disappearance ate at him every day.

He suggested Mr Penno-Tompsett may have gone into witness protection due to the drugs issue, or fallen victim to wild animals.

For Jayden’s family, the quest for answers is ongoing.

Mother Rachel, who has engaged in her own desperate search involving private investigators and even psychics, said it had taken a huge toll.

She revealed this week on Facebook that Mr Penno-Tompsett’s grandmother had been rushed to hospital a second time since his disappearance almost seven months ago.

“Jayden’s disappearance is taking its toll on everyone in his family,” she said.

Originally published as New insight to disappearance of Jayden Penno-Tompsett from an outback road near Charters Towers