A young Indigenous man missing from an outback city might have met with foul play despite police working on a theory of suicide, a coroner will hear.
Tallis Gordon Ahfat last saw his family members at Mount Isa, in Queensland’s remote north-west, at 4am on December 16, 2022. A pre-inquest conference into his disappearance was held in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Police were unable to find the 22-year-old despite a major search involving helicopters, drones and divers, counsel assisting Sarah Ford told coroner Melinda Zerner.
Tallis Ahfat has been missing from the Mount Isa area since mid-December. Credit: Queensland Police Service
Ahfat took his didgeridoo from his family’s home but left behind his phone and portable speaker. Ford said: “This was considered really strange, as he never went anywhere without his [speaker].”
One witness should be allowed to testify about the possibility that Ahfat met with foul play, his family’s solicitor Paige Ryan said.
They received a Facebook message indicating a male had something to do with the young man’s death, making them “critical” to exploring the theory another party might have been involved in the disappearance, the court heard. The person, who sent the messages and was expected to be called to give evidence, later allegedly threatened the recipient after they passed the information on to investigators.
But Zerner did not allow the calling of two more witnesses, who discussed the possible location of Ahfat’s body.
“[Two people] on a drive back from Cloncurry referred to a dry creek and commented ‘this is where Tallis is buried’,” Ryan told the coroner while advocating for them to be called.
The discussion was inadmissible as it was based on second- or third-hand information, Zerner ruled.
“Having failed to locate any proof of life, the Queensland police investigation concluded that Tallis must be deceased by unknown means in an unknown location,” Ford said.
AAP
[SRC] https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/brisbane-news-live-queensland-appoints-new-chief-health-officer-20251001-p5mz76.html
