Coroner's Court of Queensland investigating disappearance of Jack McLennan
The Coroners Court of Queensland has confirmed it is investigating the disappearance of Goomeri resident Jack McLennan.
The 27-year-old was last seen between 8pm and 10pm on October 4 last year at Ficks Crossing, a popular fishing spot near Murgon, about 260 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.
"The deputy state coroner has carriage of the coronial investigation and, as this matter is currently open and ongoing, no further information can be provided at this time," a court spokesperson said.
The coroner will determine whether an inquest will be held after an assessment of the information, but no date has been set for that decision.
Mr McLennan's parents, Kellie Moody and Ross McLennan, said they had mixed feelings about the referral to the coroner.
"Earlier we were told it was positive if it reached that juncture because they'd more thoroughly investigate things like foul play, but … we're not overly confident," Ross McLennan said.
But the lawyer who successfully fought for an inquest into the disappearance of 13-year-old Sunshine Coast boy Daniel Morcombe has urged them to see the court's involvement as "as a good thing".
"Based on my experience with the coroner's office, they've certainly been prepared to be objective and actually get or request further evidence when required," Peter Boyce said.
"It's an independent body and an independent review."
Before he retired Mr Boyce also represented the family of Kirra-Lea McLoughlin, a Wolvi woman who was ruled by a coroner to have died at the hands of her partner.
"[The process] can take considerable time, so the parents might have that feeling not much is being done," Mr Boyce said.
Jack McLennan was living at Goomeri and working as a builder's labourer before he went missing eight months ago.
Police have previously said that in the hours before his last confirmed sighting on the October long weekend Mr McLennan attended Murgon police station on a domestic matter, went to a bottle shop in the town and then visited Ficks Crossing, 7km south-west.
His car, which was full of personal belongings, was left at Murgon.
Some of Mr McLennan's belongings, including a hat and shoes, were found during a search involving police and State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers.
Ms Moody and Ross McLennan have carried out their own searches and made enquiries throughout the region.
They told the ABC they believe their son attended at least one house in Wondai, about 8km south of Ficks Crossing.
The family has contacted Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington and Police Minister Dan Purdie to increase the reward for information about Mr McLennan's case.
Ross McLennan said the family's efforts would continue.
"We're not going to leave any stone unturned — we're just going to keep going," he said.
"It's a rude awakening, this whole world that we've been immersed into now."
Anyone with information about Jack McLennan's disappearance has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Police Link on 131 444.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
15 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Candlelight vigil for missing teen Pheobe Bishop after police discover human remains
A candlelight vigil will be held in honour of Queensland teenager Pheobe Bishop, after police revealed they had uncovered human remains. Queensland Police discovered the remains, believed to be the missing 17-year-old, about 2.30pm on Friday near the Good Night Scrub National Park. Ms Bishop was last seen near Bundaberg airport on May 15, with her roommates James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, being charged over her death. On Sunday, members of the community in Gin Gin, where the teen was residing, will gather from 4pm at the Kolan Community Park for a candlelight vigil. Attendees have been encouraged to wear bright colours and 'butterflies' in honour of the teen. News of the event triggered an outpouring of support from an already shattered community. 'May the love and light of the community surround Pheobe's family and friends during this difficult time,' one person said on Facebook. Another added: 'Words cannot describe the pain and suffering that your family would be feeling right now'. It comes after police on Friday charged Ms Bishop's roommates with one count each of murder overt the teens death, as well as interfering with a corpse. Police will allege the pair moved the teen's body more than once. In a major breakthrough, police on Friday revealed they had discovered human remains after scouring 'unforgiving' terrain. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said the remains had been tested and 'identified as being human remains'. 'We have been in contact with Pheobe's family and advised them of this development,' he said. 'Understandably, this has caused great distress to them.' Inspector Mansfield said technological analysis and on-ground mapping prompted officers to expand their search into a new area. He confirmed the remains were located in bushland and had not been buried.
ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Canberra Liberals leader Leanne Castley's plea for coercive control legislation is personal
For Leanne Castley, the push to criminalise coercive control in the ACT has always been personal. Growing up, the Canberra Liberals leader watched the insidious form of abuse strip power, freedom and independence from the two women closest to her. Warning: This story contains details of domestic violence and sexual assault. It was her mum Lorraine Castley's second husband who wreaked havoc on her childhood home. "Mum married him when I was in year six," Ms Castley said. "He drank a lot and was violent. It was awful. It was such a tense home. Ms Castley described hiding in the bathroom as she heard his car driving up the street, waiting to see what kind of mood he was in. "If he was in a good mood, it would all be okay, but if he'd been drinking and they were having a big blue, I knew to lay low," she said. Ms Castley said her mum endured the abuse for years; the stigma of a second failed marriage weighing heavily. Then one night, everything changed. "He came home and it was just on for young and old," Ms Castley recalled. Ms Castley's Aunt Lou is also a survivor of unimaginable trauma. Her third husband controlled her every move and isolated her from family and friends. "I didn't know until years later that he would put sleeping tablets in her coffee at night and rape her." Ms Castley said her aunt eventually left the relationship but found her husband difficult to escape. "She would change her route and within three days, he would realise and hop on the other road — or he'd just park in her street and sit and watch her." It was with her mum and aunt in mind, that Ms Castley offered the ACT Legislative Assembly a raw and rare glimpse into her childhood earlier this year, detailing the impact of intimate partner violence on her family. "This is no way for families to exist," she told the Assembly. On the day of her speech, the Assembly passed a motion making a commitment to legislate on coercive control — a move the politician had pushed in the last term of government. "We've got to take action sooner rather than later," she said. Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour used to entrap someone in a relationship, creating fear and denying a person of freedom and independence. It can involve financial control, isolation from friends and family, monitoring, humiliation, constant criticism and dictating aspects of a person's life, such as where they go, what they wear or when they sleep. It causes serious harm on its own but is also a factor in almost all intimate partner homicides. Every day in Canberra, police are called to 11 family violence incidents, on average. Under the current legal framework in the ACT, police do not have the power to arrest or charge a perpetrator unless there is evidence of physical violence. Detective Acting Inspector Sam Norman is the officer in charge of ACT Policing's Domestic and Family Violence Investigation Unit. He said criminalising coercive control would mean officers could step in before a situation escalates. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 "That would be with coercive control itself as opposed to the violence that might arise from it." Acting Assistant Commissioner Paula Hudson said the force supported the move, even if it resulted in more work for officers. "Absolutely, because family violence thrives in silence and the most powerful thing we can do as a community is to speak up," Acting Assistant Commissioner Hudson said. A critical piece of the puzzle for ACT Policing is ensuring all officers are adequately trained to handle coercive control cases. "Given the complexity of the crime type and the type of investigation that would be required and the nuance of that crime type, it's going to be really important that police are appropriately trained," Detective Acting Inspector Norman said. The ACT government launched a coercive control education campaign across social media, radio and in public places last month. It included posters that state: "Coercive control is a web of abuse" as well as radio advertising highlighting the behaviours commonly associated with coercive control. A progress report on the work being done in preparation for legislative change is due by September. When asked how she would describe the government's progress, Frances Crimmins does not hesitate. "I would call it a little bit frustratingly slow," the chief executive of women's advocacy organisation YWCA Canberra said. "Women are being murdered and coercive control is present in 95 per cent of cases. "This is why we need to start taking action now." YWCA Canberra has a specialist domestic violence support team working with victim-survivors and coercive control is a factor in the vast majority of their cases. "One woman has recently described to her case manager that she is controlled in all aspects of her life," Ms Crimmins said. "When she can use the telephone. When she can leave the house. How long she can shower. Her sleep is monitored. "When she does go out, she's given time limits. She's told how much she can spend on groceries. What she can wear in public. "And if she doesn't meet any of these targets set for her, she's punished." Ms Crimmins acknowledged that criminalisation of coercive control would not solve the family violence crisis but said the current approach in the ACT was clearly inadequate. "We need the laws to help support women," she said. "Even if it doesn't end up with an immediate prosecution, it's giving a woman confidence to come forward and that's what we're seeing in New South Wales and Queensland." Coercive control has been a standalone offence in New South Wales since 2022, with a similar law coming into effect in Queensland just last month. Dr Hayley Boxall, a criminologist who has been studying family violence for more than a decade, is cautiously supportive of criminalisation but said it shouldn't be rushed. "I think having a really close look at how New South Wales and Queensland go with this legislation and understanding some of the strengths of the wording would be really, really useful in the ACT, particularly around resourcing," she said. "A lot of the conversations that we're having about the legislation of coercive control have been around educating lawyers, magistrates, the court professionals and the police. "The question is, what happens when it goes to court? How will the courts be adequately resourced to consider this entirely new offence, which requires quite a lot of evidence to substantiate it?" Dr Boxall said there was not yet enough evidence to say with confidence that criminalising coercive control would prevent intimate partner violence or homicide. But she said there was power in legislating and that it would send a message to victim-survivors, perpetrators and the broader community.
ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Community searches for answers about Sophia Rose's death allegedly at the hands of her mother
On Regency Road, you can hear the ocean a couple of blocks away. It's the peaceful beachfront lifestyle that draws young families and retirees alike to streets like this in Moore Park Beach, just north of Bundaberg. But when piercing screams cut through the air, neighbours were alerted to something terribly wrong. It was Monday afternoon on May 26, and families were just returning from work and school. "The lady over the road came over to me crying and said the little girl's been stabbed," neighbour Derek Condon recalls. Little Sophia Rose lay lifeless in the front yard. Her mother, Lauren Flanigan, was metres away, allegedly holding a knife. "I was about to run over … but the police turned up, luckily," Mr Condon said. Within hours, Ms Flanigan was charged with her three-year-old daughter's murder. Five days later, the 32-year-old was found unresponsive in her cell at one of Queensland's most secure prisons — the Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre. Lauren Flanigan later died from what was called an unexplained medical episode. The state coroner is now investigating the deaths of the mother and daughter. It's left the family shattered and a community reeling by what happened that afternoon in Moore Park. The cross on the front door gives the first clue that the low-set home was a Christian household. A baby walker and a toy ride-on car in the front yard and a white SUV parked in the driveway give further clues that this was a young household. Police tape guarding the home is a jolting reminder that this was also a crime scene. Lauren Flanigan and Sophia's father had separated and were living apart. It was in the following months that neighbours described a change in Ms Flanigan as she became more involved with her church. Ms Flanigan had joined the Alive Church in Bundaberg and was baptised in December 2024. There, Ms Flanigan took part in ministry groups and regularly attended Sunday worship services along with little Sophia Rose, even up until the day before the toddler's death. The Christian church describes its mission as simple: "to help people experience Jesus, live an empowered life of freedom in Him, and experience life-giving community". Live music and singing are an integral part of their sermons. Senior Pastor Joey Ryan said the church was devastated by what happened. "Sophia was such a beautiful little girl," she said. Lauren Flanigan's social media posts offer a glimpse into her life in the months before she allegedly killed her daughter. Posts dating back to September 2024 depict a series of loving family photographs showing a smiling Sophia Rose dancing in a blush-coloured lace and tulle dress and bows in her hair. Jump forward to May 2025, the next series of posts becomes increasingly intense, with evangelical messages about a "Kingdom Rising" and walking into battle "clothed in fire. Covered in grace. Armored by God." The final post calls on others to "train like it's war" because "God is calling His army out of hiding." "Tag your generals. It's time to RISE". The Queensland Police Service won't say whether the social media posts were being investigated as the matter is now before the coroner. Almost two weeks on from Sophia Rose's alleged murder, there are still reminders of the little girl with the beaming smile. A beachside toy library, where children can borrow buckets and spades to play in the sand, has become a memorial to her. Flowers, soft toys, and handwritten poems remain. "We loved her, and all the little moments," said Sophia's daycare teacher, Libby French, at a vigil attended by hundreds a week ago. "The way she twirled, in the way she laughed, and the way she held our hand. The community around Moore Park Beach is still searching for answers about how such a tragedy could happen on their quiet suburban street.
