A coroner in Queensland has officially declared Lesley Trotter, a 78-year-old woman from Brisbane, deceased, nearly two years after her perplexing disappearance from her Toowong home. Trotter was reported missing in March 2023, with police discovering that she had likely been inside a wheelie bin that was subsequently emptied by a rubbish truck on March 28. Despite extensive searches, including sifting through approximately 3000 tonnes of waste, her body has not been recovered.
Coroner Donald MacKenzie has ruled Trotter’s death but stated that the cause remains “undetermined.” Investigators have explored multiple theories surrounding her disappearance, suggesting Trotter might have either experienced a medical incident or inadvertently entered the bin, given her known habit of sorting through recycling in her neighbours’ bins.
The coroner’s findings have been communicated to Trotter’s family, and the coronial investigation has concluded without any further details expected to be released.