After a seven-year search fighting answers about the cause of his daughter’s death in Mozambique, Elly Warren’s father says he feels “let down” after a Victorian coroner was unable to conclude that she was murdered.
An aspiring marine biologist, Warren was 20 when she died on 9 November 2016, after spending a month volunteering in south-eastern Africa.
A local fisher found her body, face down in the sand, at a toilet block in Tofo, a small coastal town.
Local police this year ruled her death a homicide but have been unable to identify a perpetrator, which has halted the criminal process.
On Friday, the Victorian state coroner, John Cain, said there were “gaps in the evidence” related to Warren’s cause of death that had not been resolved.
In his findings, he said authorities in Mozambique also did not hand over their investigation brief into the Melbourne woman’s death.
“It’s possible that Mozambique prosecutors do have information that is relevant to this investigation,” he said.
“But I do accept that release of any material held by Mozambique authorities is a matter entirely in their discretion.”
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Paul Warren said he believed there was “overwhelming evidence” his daughter was murdered.
“The Australian authorities have blatantly told us where they stand … and it’s back in the hands of Mozambique,” he said.
“So I think Australia has let the family down.”
Cain said the cause of death was sand aspiration – consistent with a report by a South African forensic pathologist. But he said the available evidence did not enable him to determine what led to sand being discovered in her throat and lungs. Sexual assault also could not be excluded.
“It is also possible that persons or persons unknown caused or contributed to Elly’s death,” Cain said.
He said he was unable to determine if Warren died outside the toilet block or was moved after her death.
He concluded Warren might have consumed two or three alcoholic drinks the night of her death but was unlikely to have been intoxicated, and said a toxicology report also showed no indication of prescription medication or illicit substances.
Cain said the coroner’s court, the Australian federal police and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had been unsuccessful in obtaining the evidence brief held by Mozambique’s national criminal investigation service relating to Warren’s case.
“To date, nothing has been forthcoming,” he said.
The AFP had also been unsuccessful in requesting Mozambique authorities participate in a joint investigation into Warren’s death, the court heard.
Cain said Warren’s cases lies with an instructing judge in Mozambique. The judge will determine if there is sufficient evidence for investigators to continue to probe the death or if the case should be closed.
“Without knowing what is held by the instructing judge and the investigating police in Mozambique, I do not know if there is an identified person or persons of interest, [if] an active investigation under way or whether all possible leads have been pursued and the investigation is stalled,” Cain said.
Cain urged the instructing judge to reach a conclusion as soon as possible.
He said Ellie was a “passionate individual” with a strong drive to contribute to her community, and a love for the environment and travelling to remote parts of the world.
Warren had travelled to Mozambique to volunteer with an eco-education company, Underwater Africa. Four days before her planned return to Australia, she was found dead.
The Mozambique embassy has been contacted for comment.
