Coroner rules on how man missing on outback trip probably died

Jeremiah Rivers, who went missing in south-western Queensland while on a pig-hunting trip with six other men from Victoria, was likely the victim of foul play, a coroner has found.

But in delivering his findings on Thursday, Coroner Donald MacKenzie said he was unable to determine who was responsible for the death, or how Rivers would have met with foul play.

He did not rule out the possibility the 27-year-old died of natural causes.

The body of Jeremiah “Jayo” Rivers has never been found.

Rivers, known by his family as “Jayo”, disappeared in October 2021 while he was travelling with six other men, after they made their way through NSW and into Queensland.

His body has not been found, despite searches by his family, who flew from Western Australia to the remote Wippo Creek in the weeks after he went missing.

Rivers had been with his kinship brother, Joe Joe Kantilla-Gaden, with whom he played AFL for a club in Balranald, along with Victorians Travis Clare, Dylan Thomas, Joel McMaster, Kane Toohey and Matthew Moore.

His family questioned the adequacy of the police investigation, and told the Coroners Court earlier they did not have faith in the justice system.

Rivers (pictured in centre) was last seen at Wippo Creek in south-western Queensland in October 2021.Credit: Queensland Police

The inquest heard police searched day and night with thermal imaging, a jet and police divers, but crews were called off when no evidence was found. A police report said there was “nothing to suggest any signs of life or any evidence of foul play” involving Rivers.

On Thursday, MacKenzie said the investigation was set back by at least 24 hours, and that members of the group told lies to police, and he did not find them “credible witnesses in any sense”.

“I suspect they know more than what they told police and this court,” he said.

MacKenzie said in examining that information, he could not refer the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions because there were other reasons for their post-offence behaviour.

“That is, that they were trafficking cannabis and possibly other drugs to the Northern Territory, or they were in breach of COVID-19 restrictions at the time.”

Rivers pictured with his niece Zyesha.Credit: Facebook

MacKenzie said while he was of the view that there was reasonable suspicion of homicide in the case, he could not identify any particular person who was involved.

“Further, there is a circumstantial argument for Jayo dying from natural causes such as diuresis, which is kidney failure from heat exposure, or simply choosing to walk away from the campsite and suffering sunstroke.”

MacKenzie said it would be “pure speculation that all of the group were involved”.

In an earlier hearing, MacKenzie referenced a frantic phone call Rivers had made to his cousin before his disappearance, making the police finding of no foul play “questionable”.

Rivers had called his cousin in the Northern Territory, the court heard, asking to come pick him up.

His cousin said Rivers had had a fist-fight with Kantilla-Gaden, a claim Kantilla-Gaden denied.

On Thursday, MacKenzie said it was “very disappointing” that the evidence of the cousin’s phone call was not followed up sooner than early 2022 – months after Rivers’ disappearance.

He said the police search was extensive, sufficient and in accordance with national standards but made a range of recommendations to the QPS, including reviewing training and ensuring better communication between First Nations families and officers.

Rivers’ uncle, Digby Rivers, thanked MacKenzie for bringing the police investigation to light.

“We sort of got let down by the Queensland police, the Victorian police, from the word go. We did a lot of the investigation ourselves...we spent months out there,” he said.

The family said they were informed earlier this year that police had resumed a search, but were only given limited information, and they felt they were finding out “like everybody else” in media releases.

MacKenzie’s findings said the search spanned an area north-west of Noccundra over 16 days, and also involved inquiries into a reported sighting of a person wearing the same clothes as Rivers on the day he disappeared. The investigations were unsuccessful.

The family said they would continue their search for Rivers, and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“We always knew that something did happen to him,” Digby said.

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