Detective Madeleine Fleming gives evidence in inquest into Wilcannia mum Lasonya Dutton after death in 2022

A police officer who investigated the death of a mother discovered being eaten by dogs has told an inquest on reflection she would have done several things differently.

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

A police officer has told an inquest she would have now done several things differently from when she investigated the death of a mother discovered being eaten by dogs.

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.

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

However, her father, Keith Dutton, has fought for answers from police and asking how his daughter could possibly have been there for so long without her family seeing her.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Detective Senior Constable Madeleine Fleming told the court on reflection would have done several things differently with the investigation into Lasonya’s death, including approaching interviews differently and asking more questions.

Becoming visibly emotional, Det. Fleming said she felt unsupported at the times, having not even been being told she was officer-in-charge of the investigation which she had to pick up for herself.

“It’s really hard to seek that stability of support in that (Broken Hill) station,” Det. Fleming said.

The court heard obtaining CCTV footage from Lasonya’s ex-partner’s house was a priority in the investigation but when he handed it in to police it had “significant portions” missing, including of Saturday morning and all of Monday.

However, the court heard Det. Fleming concluded there was nothing sinister about the missing portions and believed that it was a computer problem.

The court heard Lasonya’s ex-partner was never regarded as a suspect in the investigation, despite there being indications that their relationship involved domestic violence.

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

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

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.

The court heard a pathologist concluded that Lasonya’s cause of death was unable to be determined from the post mortem report.
It also heard Lasonya was described as an “outgoing, happy go lucky person who had not expressed any thoughts of self harm”.

The inquest continues.

Originally published as Detective Madeleine Fleming gives evidence in inquest into Wilcannia mum Lasonya Dutton after death in 2022