Queensland DNA lab debacle denies family funeral for months

Queensland’s troubled forensics lab is taking months to formally identify and release the bodies of a couple killed in a plane crash in October, delaying their funeral.

Queensland’s troubled forensics lab is taking months to formally identify and release the bodies of a couple killed in a plane crash in October, forcing their grieving son into financial distress and ­delaying his parents’ funeral.

Experienced private pilots Alwyn, 73, and Jenny Rogash, 75, died on October 28 when their light plane crashed in dense, mountainous bushland in the Pioneer Valley at Finch Hatton, west of Mackay, after taking off from Townsville.

Their remains took more than a week to be recovered from the remote site and were unable to be visually identified, so DNA forensic testing was ordered by the coroner before a death certificate could be issued.

But the case has been caught up in a months-long DNA testing backlog and systemic problems at the government-run facility, still mired in issues revealed by The Australian’s Shandee’s Story podcast which triggered two commissions of inquiry.

The state government is spending about $200m in an ­attempt to fix the lab’s failures.

It can be revealed that since December 2022, bone samples have not been able to be processed at the Queensland lab, forcing Forensic Services Queensland to send them to an Australian ­Federal Police testing facility ­interstate.

The ATSB has released a preliminary report in to the light plane crash that claimed the lives of Walkerston couple Jenny and Alwyn Rogash in October 2023.

In a January 15 letter obtained by The Weekend Australian, ­Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath’s chief of staff, Simon Zanatta, told the Rogashes’ son Bryan Rogash that the Coroners Court of Queensland’s (CCQ) processes were still ongoing, so a death certificate could not be issued.

“This must be a difficult time for you and your family, and I ­recognise that administrative ­barriers to managing your parents’ estate would be a source of additional stress,” Mr Zanatta wrote. “I understand CCQ is awaiting forensic DNA profiling and you were advised this is expected to take a number of months.”

Mr Rogash said he wanted to bury his parents, and get their ­estate in order, but could do neither because he did not have their remains or a death certificate.

“It’s been three months. Why is it not done? I’ve waited a quarter of a year, and they haven’t done DNA matching, or a toxicology report, in the 21st century,” Mr ­Rogash said. “I want them back so I can do a funeral, so we can move on with our lives.”

The ATSB has released a preliminary report in to the light plane crash that claimed the lives of Walkerston couple Jenny and Alwyn Rogash in October 2023.

It is understood that the forensic testing of the Rogashes’ remains is complex, because of the devastating nature of the light plane crash and the fact their bodies were not retrieved for more than a week.

Authorities are relying on a sample of bone to deliver a formal identification.

Mr Rogash said his parents’ bank, the Bank of Queensland, was refusing to give him access to their accounts, or to release funds, without a death certificate. The bank has not accepted the initial contact letter from the coroner to Mr Rogash, nor a letter from the Forensic Scientific Services coronial counsellor advising of the deaths of his parents.

The Townsville-based 38-year-old is a military veteran who was injured during his RAAF service and is unable to work. He was financially supported by his parents before their deaths, and has since had to spend thousands of dollars to try to manage their ­affairs.

More than 100,000 samples from 37,000 criminal cases dating back to 2007 face DNA retesting because of the lab’s catastrophic and systemic issues.

A government spokesman said: “We acknowledge this must be a difficult time for the children of Alwyn and Jenny Rogash. However, investigations as intricate as this can take time. Due to the complexity of this case further expert testing is required.”

“Coroners Court of Queensland advises that the matter is still ongoing and that the coroner has not made his findings as yet.”

The Bank of Queensland ­declined to comment.

David Crisafulli, leader of the opposition, said the ongoing delay in identifying the couple was typical of the state-run lab that has been beset by problems.

“This remains one of the greatest failings of the justice system in our nation’s history and despite the task at hand and all the ­promises we’ve heard, it just ­clearly isn’t a priority for this government,’’ he said.

A preliminary report by the Australian Transport Safety ­Bureau did not make a finding about the cause of the crash. In its report, released in December, the ATSB said pilot Alwyn Rogash was talking on the phone to a friend about 20 minutes before the plane crashed.