Mystery surrounds Brisbane woman’s wheelie bin death

The death of Brisbane woman picked up while inside a wheelie bin outside her home remains a mystery after a coroner ruled her death as being “undetermined”.

Detectives at the crime scene at the Toowong home of missing 78-year-old woman, Lesley Trotter. Picture: Tertius Pickard

The death of Brisbane woman Lesley Trotter still remains a mystery after a coroner ruled her death as being “undetermined” after she was picked up while inside a wheelie bin.

Despite detectives examining multiple theories – including murder, misadventure and suicide – a coronial investigation handed to Ms Trotter’s family has not been able to determine how she died.

Ms Trotter, 78, was inside the bin on the footpath outside her Maryvale St unit complex in Toowong when a rubbish truck picked it up about 10.30am on March 28, 2023.

After she failed to attend appointments on March 28, family members contacted police after they found her unit unlocked and her wallet and phone inside. She had missed a gym session and hair appointment that day.

Lesley Trotter. Pic: Supplied.

Ms Trotter had recently sold her unit and was moving into a retirement village, with the impending relocation a stress for her, according to investigators.

The retired schoolteacher was known by the community where she lived as being pedantic about where waste was placed in bins, even going through people’s bins to find recyclable items to place them in the correct bins.

Investigators had considered a number of theories including that she was murdered or that she fell into the bin.

Another theory examined was whether she got into the bin, potentially even sitting on a crate while waiting for someone to put the wrong rubbish inside.

After she was reported missing police initially searched trails around Mount Coot-Tha with fears she could have been injured on a hike.

Police search for Lesley Trotter at the Swanbank Waste Management Facility.

Investigators would later retrieve rubbish truck CCTV camera footage, showing her body being emptied into it.

The contents of the truck were emptied at Swanbank, with police searching through 1000 tonnes of waste to try to find her. However her body was never found.

Ms Trotter did not have children but was in contact regularly with her brother, niece and nephew.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham at the time said Ms Trotter’s death could have a connection to her habit of going through wheelie bins outside her unit block to find recyclable items.

“We have not ruled out that this activity in some way is linked to her death,” he said.

“What I can say is Ms Trotter would often go through wheelie bins out the front of her residence or the neighbouring properties and remove recycling trash from general waste bins and transfer those into the correct bins.”

Pictures were put around the suburb when Lesley Trotter went missing. Picture David Clark

Coroner Donald MacKenzie was handed investigation material in relation to her death last year by detectives.

“The coronial investigation into the death of Ms Lesley Trotter is now finalised, with chamber findings provided to the family,” a spokesman for the coroner said.

“Coroner MacKenzie found that Ms Trotter is deceased but the cause of her death remains undetermined.

“No further information will be released at this time.”