Daniel Morcombe inquest reopens
HIS killer may be behind bars but the parents of murdered Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe are still seeking answers over his disappearance.
HIS killer may be behind bars but the parents of murdered Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe are still seeking answers over his 2003 disappearance.
An inquest into the then 13-year-old’s abduction and murder will reopen in Brisbane today with a new focus on the lengthy police investigation that led to catching Daniel’s killer.
Brett Peter Cowan is serving a life sentence for abducting the child from a Sunshine Coast bus stop before murdering him.
Cowan was caught in August 2011 after a complex and lengthy police investigation, parts of which were sparked by the evidence presented at the initial inquest. Daniel’s parents Bruce and Denise Morcombe fought for the inquest, which was adjourned in April of that year.
Despite Cowan’s arrest and sentence, the Morcombes have asked the coroner to reopen the inquest into their son’s disappearance.
Mr and Mrs Morcombe say while they’re happy with the police investigation and the eventual outcome, they want the coroner to examine some aspects of the case.
The bereaved parents have become prominent child safety campaigners in the years following Daniel’s disappearance and death.
“Now we have the answers, the resumption will focus on investigative methodology, what systems worked and what could have been done better,” they said in a statement on Tuesday.
“If we help one family’s tragic case reach a conclusion and not have it destined to become a cold case, then the resumption has a purpose and is worthy it.”
The inquest will reopen in the Brisbane Magistrates Court this morning and is scheduled to run until Thursday.