In 2022, Ben Chisholm went missing from Magnetic Island, and despite extensive searches, his remains have yet to be located.
This week, an inquest into his disappearance took place in Townsville, spanning three days and featuring testimonies from 13 individuals, including relatives, law enforcement officials, and members of search and rescue teams.
Coroner Wayne Pennell is expected to present his conclusions at a future date.
The family of Chisholm, who disappeared from the island in July 2022 at the age of 22, expressed that the inquest marks the end of a distressing four-year period, while still holding onto the hope of eventually recovering his body.
Chisholm’s mother, Jackie Burgess, described her son as vibrant and noted that Magnetic Island was a place he cherished, referring to it as “Ben’s island home.”
Measuring approximately 7 kilometers in length and 5 kilometers in width, the island became the site of an extensive year-long search that involved various teams, including SES volunteers, members of the Australian Defence Force, and the use of sniffer and cadaver dogs, drones, helicopters, and water police.
The inquest revealed that police reviewed numerous hours of surveillance footage, particularly from the island’s only port, to determine if Chisholm had taken a ferry off the island, but they found no significant leads.
His clothing was discovered on a rock near a walking track in a bushy area, yet his body remains unfound. At the time of his disappearance, he did not have a working mobile phone, funds, or a bank card.
In the weeks prior to his disappearance, Mr. Chisholm’s sister, Shiralee Rosario, remarked that he exhibited noticeable changes in behavior. “He was not acting himself,” she stated during the inquest, adding that it seemed as if “the lights were on, but no one was home.” She expressed concern that he might have been concealing something from her.
Rosario recounted instances in the fortnight leading up to his vanishing, including finding her brother asleep in her bed and awake at odd hours, suggesting he was uncomfortable in his own living space.
Three witnesses who were among the last to see him alive described him as appearing disheveled and under the influence of something, speaking to himself in the Nelly Bay area. One witness, Sandra Durie, expressed disappointment regarding the delayed police response following her report of Chisholm’s sighting.
Rosario also voiced her frustrations about the police investigation, which she felt lacked the necessary urgency.
According to the island’s officer at the time, all leads were pursued, but no evidence suggested any third-party involvement in Chisholm’s disappearance. Sergeant Brendan Nugent noted that the police were unable to access Chisholm’s social media accounts, including his Grindr profile, due to privacy laws affecting data retrieval from U.S.-based companies.
Academic James Whitehead, who specializes in search and rescue, reviewed the police efforts and deemed them thorough. He mentioned that a “slip mark” had been discovered, indicating a potential fatal fall. He speculated that Chisholm may have removed his clothing and wandered into the bush before suffering a catastrophic fall.
However, Sergeant Kelly Goddard, the officer coordinating the search, stated she was unaware of any slip mark. She described the search area as dense bushland filled with steep cliffs and hazardous wildlife, including death adder snakes, which hindered the deployment of cadaver dogs during the search.
Goddard affirmed that the police had made every effort possible to locate Chisholm, stating, “This is the only person we’ve never located. It weighs on me every day.” Coroner Wayne Pennell will provide his findings at a later time.
