Inquest into Elly Warren’s death in Mozambique begins as African authorities rule it a homicide

A friend of Mordialloc woman Elly Warren, who was found dead in Mozambique with sand in her lungs, has told an inquest she believes her beloved friend was murdered by a stranger.

Elly Warren was killed in Mozambique. Picture: Aaron Francis

A friend of a young Mordialloc woman found dead in Mozambique with sand in her lungs believes she was murdered by a stranger, an inquest has heard.

Elly Warren, 20, was discovered face down by local fisherman near a public toilet block in the coastal town of Tofo in November 2016.

The budding marine biologist, who had spent six weeks volunteering in the African nation, was only days from returning to Melbourne when her life was cruelly cut short.

On the first day of a coronial inquest into Elly’s death, State Coroner John Cain said he hoped the probe would provide “answers” for her heartbroken family.

The inquest comes within months of Mozambican authorities finally ruling her death a homicide.

Melbourne woman Elly Warren was killed in Mozambique. Picture: Supplied

A statement by one of Elly’s friends, Jade O’Shea, was read to the court on Tuesday, with the woman describing her late friend as “outgoing, loud and curious about everything”.

The Coroners Court heard the pair and other volunteers would spend nights together in Tofu, including the night Elly lost her life.

She said earlier that evening, the group had spent some time at a local bar before heading back to one of their houses to enjoy some wine.

But since Elly disliked wine, she told the others she wanted to head back to the bar.

They eventually caught up with Elly there, with Ms O’Shea noting she looked “normal”.

Elly gestured to them about 11pm that she would grab a beer and join them, but they never saw her again.

“We assumed she went home to the hostel,” Ms O’Shea said.

The hostel where Elly had planned to stay before she was killed.

A security guard was one of the last people to see her alive about 2.30am.

Before Ms O’Shea headed back to her own accommodation, she went to use the public toilet block where Elly was found, located just 20m from the bar.

“I walked over the exact location where her body was found and she wasn’t there,” she said.

But hours later, Elly’s body would be discovered in that exact spot.

In her statement, which was penned in the months after Elly’s death, Ms O’Shea said she believed Elly was killed by an “unknown person” who intended to rape her.

But on Tuesday, she told the court there was no way for her to know the intention of Elly’s attacker, despite the fact she was found with her underwear around her knees.

“I know for sure that what happened to her was someone else … and that she was killed,” she said through tears.

“Nothing she did contributed to that. She wasn’t drunk. She wasn’t out of control.”

Paul Warren travelled to Tofo to investigate his daughter’s death.

Outside court, Elly’s dad Paul Warren said he missed his daughter “terribly”.

“She was a woman on a mission,” he said.

“She was very ambitious. She loved life. She was out there to enjoy life to the fullest.”

He also said it was “positive” that Ms O’Shea’s evidence confirmed Elly had not consumed much alcohol the night she died.

Earlier in the hearing, Sergeant Ross Treverton told the court an autopsy, conducted in Mozambique, revealed Elly died from asphyxia after inhaling sand.

The expert ruled her death a homicide.

A second autopsy, conducted in South Africa, also found that Elly did not appear to have suffered a sexual assault nor did she have drugs in her system.

But a final Australian autopsy could not determine her cause of death.

Mr Warren says he misses his daughter “terribly”. Picture: David Caird

Ms O’Shea, who gave evidence via video link on Tuesday, described Tofu as a “safe place”.

“The locals were so lovely,” she said.

She added that the local media reported on a “dangerous group of males” called the “Beach Boys” who sold bracelets to tourists, but she believed they posed no threat.

Australian authorities this year flew to Mozambique in a last-ditch attempt to gather more information on the volunteer’s death, after Coroner Cain urged them to “move heaven and earth” to get answers for the family.

He said the inquest, which had suffered “regrettable” delays, would hopefully provide her loved ones with “closure”.

Coroner Cain will investigate the cause and circumstances of Elly’s death before handing down his findings at a later date.

The inquest, which is expected to run for three days, continues.