Coroner closes investigation into missing man after farmers find human remains

A coroner has concluded that the discovery of human remains on a cattle station does not provide enough evidence to reopen the investigation into the death of Jayden Penno-Tompsett, a 22-year-old man who went missing in 2017. The Northern Coroner, Wayne Pennell, ruled on August 21 that the skull and skeletal remains found by farmers in October 2025 did not offer sufficient grounds to challenge the conclusions of the initial inquest held in 2021. Jayden Penno-Tompsett was last seen on New Year’s Eve, 2017, near Charters Towers, south-west of Townsville, when he walked away from his travel companion and their vehicle. He had been on a road trip from Newcastle, New South Wales, to Cairns for a New Year’s Eve celebration. According to the original inquest, the pair had chosen to drive rather than fly, to avoid detection of drugs at the airport. The inquiry revealed that Jayden had consumed approximately 3.6 grams of methamphetamine and had gone without sleep for several days prior to his disappearance. During the first inquest, it was noted that Jayden became increasingly erratic after realizing some of the drugs were missing. On the day he disappeared, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius, and he walked into bushland without his mobile phone, damaging it in the process. The inquest initially determined that he likely died from exposure to the elements while under the influence of drugs. The case was reopened in May 2025 following the discovery of Jayden’s partial remains by farmers on a property approximately 3 kilometers from where he was last seen. However, the new evidence did not lead to a change in the coroner’s findings. Forensic analysis of the remains showed no signs of injury at or around the time of death, nor were the findings inconsistent with the original conclusion that Jayden died from exposure. Coroner Pennell stated that the question of reopening the inquiry hinged on whether the remains indicated a different sequence of events. His ruling emphasized that the lack of a complete skeleton made it impossible to rule out certain possibilities. Nevertheless, the evidence collected did not suggest a need to overturn the original inquest’s determination. Jayden’s mother had raised concerns during the initial inquest, expressing belief that foul play might have been involved, possibly related to unpaid drug debts. While the first coroner dismissed this theory, the mother’s correspondence was reviewed again in light of the new findings. Coroner Pennell noted that her concerns did not present any new or compelling evidence that could challenge the original findings. In his final statement, Coroner Pennell concluded that there was no valid reason to alter the previous conclusions regarding the circumstances or cause of Jayden’s death. The findings remain unchanged, and the investigation is closed. The remains will be handled according to standard procedures, and further action is unlikely unless new information emerges.