NSW State Coroner launches inquest into Wilcannia mum Lasonya Dutton after death in 2022

Lasonya Dutton’s decomposed body was found just metres from her family’s kitchen window, sparking a years-long quest for answers. Now, the coroner has stepped in.

An inquest has begun into the death of a “happy go-lucky” mother-of-two whose body was discovered being eaten by dogs in the backyard of her family home.

The decomposed body of Barkindji woman Lasonya Dutton, 31, was found just metres from her family’s kitchen window in the remote far-western NSW town of Wilcannia on March 29, 2022, four days after she went missing in the small community.

Lasonya was one of six Aboriginal women whose stories were investigated by The Advertiser in Dying Rose, a podcast in which their families question whether police properly responded to their deaths.

A coronial inquest has been launched into the death of Lasonya Dutton, whose body was found in Wilcannia in 2022. Picture: Supplied

Lasonya’s father, Keith Dutton, has spent almost three years searching for answers. Picture: Dijana Damjanovic

Following inquiries by The Advertiser in August 2023, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) said it was further investigating Lasonya’s death and was working towards a coronial inquest.

Now, that day has finally come.

Two detectives are expected to give evidence at Wilcannia Local Court on Tuesday before NSW State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O’Sullivan, with hearings continuing until Friday, February 14.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story contains images and voices of people who have died.

Lasonya’s mysterious death sent shockwaves through the tiny community.

Her father, Keith Dutton, has spent more than a year fighting for answers from police and asking how his daughter could possibly have been there for so long without her family seeing her.

“The house was like a drop-in centre, there was people dropping in here all the time … there’s no way in the world my daughter was lying there for what – Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday? Come on,” he said.

Keith Dutton believed the police investigation into his daughter’s death was inadequate. Picture: Dijana Damjanovic

Mother-of-two Lasonya was found just metres from her family’s back window. Picture: Supplied

Police said she was found with an electrical cable wrapped around her neck which they believed was used to hang herself from a fence post, just a metre-and-a-half high.

But Keith has never believed this theory. He began conducting his own investigation – asking those in the tight-knit town about his daughter’s final days.

DYING ROSE PODCAST: Listen to the episodes here, or find them on the Apple Podcasts app

Originally published as NSW State Coroner launches inquest into Wilcannia mum Lasonya Dutton after death in 2022