The father of an Australian woman found dead in Mozambique, East Africa, says his family has been let down after a coroner was unable to rule whether her death was a homicide.
Victoria’s state coroner Judge John Cain released his findings into Elly Warren’s death on Dec. 15, more than seven years after the 20-year-old died in the African nation.
The Melbourne woman had spent a month volunteering but was due to return home on Nov. 13, 2016, so she could start a marine biology course.
Instead, she was found dead outside a toilet block in the beach town of Tofo on Nov. 9.
A Mozambique autopsy found homicide was her medico-legal cause of death, by suffocation on sand.
The coroner found it was unlikely she was intoxicated and there was no evidence of drugs in her system.
But Judge Cain could not rule whether the 20-year-old’s death was a homicide.
He found the cause of death was aspiration of sand but he could not determine how the sand ended up in her lungs.
Judge Cain could also not say whether Ms. Warren’s death happened outside the toilet block or if her body was moved there.
The coroner could not determine whether the 20-year-old had been sexually assaulted, although it was a possibility.
Judge Cain said it was also possible that a person or multiple people caused or contributed to her death.
The coroner pointed to the Mozambique authorities’ decision not to hand over the brief of evidence as the reason for his limited findings.
“It is possible that the Mozambique authorities do have information that is relevant to this investigation,” Judge Cain said in his findings.
“But I do accept that release of any material held by the Mozambique authorities is a matter entirely in their discretion.”
Ms. Warren’s father Paul said he was disappointed Judge Cain did not make a concrete ruling on her death.
“I think there is overwhelming evidence my daughter was murdered,” he told reporters outside court.
“The Australian authorities have blatantly told us where they stand ... and it’s back in the hands of Mozambique.
“So I think Australia has let the family down.”
An instructing judge in Mozambique will now need to determine whether investigators should continue to probe Ms. Warren’s death or if the case should be closed.
The coroner urged the judge to reach some sort of conclusion as soon as possible for the benefit for Ms. Warren’s family.
When it came to the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) involvement in the case, Judge Cain stopped short of making any recommendations.
The coroner found the AFP had made repeated attempts to provide assistance to Mozambique investigators but those requests had been largely ignored.
Judge Cain was not critical of the police force but he did urge them to develop better communication guidelines for supporting families like Ms. Warren’s.
Mr. Warren was critical of the AFP, saying they let his family down horribly.
He’s planning to continue to fight for answers for Elly.
“She was vibrant. She loved going overseas,” Mr. Warren said.
“She was a daughter that any father would be proud of.”
