US EditionPolice Identify Human Remains as Missing Man Jayden Penno-Tompsett
Forensic DNA confirmed the identity of Jayden Penno-Tompsett, missing since 2017, after remains were found in October near Charters Towers, police said.
- On 23 January, 2026, Queensland Police confirmed forensic analysis supported that remains found at Breddan on 20 October, 2025 belong to Newcastle man Jayden Penno-Tompsett.
- Mr Penno-Tompsett vanished on 31 December, 2017 after an argument, leaving travel companion Lucas Tattersall's vehicle in 39-degree heat and walking into bushland where he was not seen again despite a January 2018 multi-agency search.
- A 2021 coronial inquest previously concluded he likely died of exposure after leaving his car, and authorities declared a crime scene shortly after discovery, sending remains to Brisbane for forensic testing with DNA evidence as `one component`.
- Police will now prepare a report for the coroner following identification, and Queensland Police contacted Rachel, Mr Penno-Tompsett's mother, while a family community Facebook page expressed gratitude despite the outcome.
- The identification ends an eight-year missing-person mystery as coronial investigators continue inquiries following the travel companion who continued to Cairns after Jayden Penno-Tompsett was not found.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Remains on Queensland farm belong to man who vanished in 2018
Human remains found on a rural Queensland property have been confirmed as those of a man who disappeared more than eight years ago.Newcastle man Jayden Penno-Tompsett, 22, was last seen in the early hours of December 31, 2017, near a roadhouse on Thompson Street in Charters Towers, in central Queensland.An extensive multi-day search in January 2018 followed his disappearance, but he was never found.READ MORE: Bondi hero handed city's highest ho…
Sydney Morning Herald
Police identify human remains as missing man Jayden Penno-Tompsett
A tragic mystery spanning more than eight years has been solved in north Queensland, with police identifying the remains of Newcastle man Jayden Penno-Tompsett.
Update 4: Missing man located deceased, Charters Towers
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner in relation to the death of missing Newcastle man Jayden Penno-Tompsett. Mr Penno-Tompsett, aged 22 at the time, was last was last seen in the early hours of 31 December, 2017 in the vicinity of a roadhouse located on Thompson Street (Flinders Highway) in Charters Towers. An extensive multi-agency land search was conducted over several days in January, 2018 but he was never found. On 20 October, 2025,…
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