Mystery deepens after Australian mum’s body is found being eaten by a dog

The grieving family of a young Aboriginal mother of two whose decomposing body was found eaten by a dog in the family garden may finally get answers at a coroner’s inquest as their fierce fight for justice comes to an end. continues.

Barkindji woman Lasonya Dutton, 31, had been missing for several days when her body was discovered just four meters from the kitchen window of her home in the remote town of Wilcannia, northwest New Zealand. -South Wales, in March 2022.

Lasonya’s uncle, Merle Dutton, was horrified to find the mother’s decomposing body in the family garden.

When he came out, he initially thought the dog was eating a kangaroo.

“I didn’t think anything of it until I got a little closer and then I realized it was a human being. I ran out screaming and screaming,” he said.

Merle says police never received an official statement from him or other family members who could have provided information about Lasonya’s final days of life.

He said the only time he spoke to police was “when they asked him to leave” the house after the grim discovery.

Her tragic death shook the small town of fewer than 750 people, but, nearly 18 months later, her devastated family is no closer to knowing how or why she died.

Police ruled Lasonya’s death a suicide before a coroner said in an autopsy report that “third party involvement” could not be ruled out and found the circumstances of Lasonya’s death suspicious.

The New South Wales Coroner’s Court has since taken over the police investigation and is currently working on a coronial inquest.

The Adelaide Advertiser reported that the coroner had requested documents and interviews from the newspaper as part of an investigation into Lasonya’s death.

This comes after the Advertiser recently looked into Lasonya’s unexplained death as part of a podcast series.

Among the documents requested by the coroner are the publication’s interviews with Lasonya’s father, Keith Dutton, the uncle Merle Dutton who discovered his niece’s decomposing body and a neighbor who says she saw two people trying to kill each other. breaking into Lasonya’s house the night before her body was found.

“No court dates have been scheduled for this investigation at this time,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

“Coronary investigations are ongoing. »

The family claims police “poorly investigated” Lasonya’s death and that key witnesses who could have provided information were not interviewed.

Keith Dutton remains more determined than ever to obtain justice and answers for his daughter.

Mr Dutton, who received the autopsy report almost a year after Lasonya’s death, insists his daughter did not kill herself because she loved life and her two children.

Many questions remain unanswered 18 months after discovery of Lasonya Dutton’s body

“I don’t know how the police come to the conclusion that a thorough investigation was carried out,” he said. Adelaide Advertiser last month.

“I’m horrified, to be honest with you. My family knows it, and half of Wilcannia knows it… I’m ready to explode.

Wilcannia Lasonya Dutton was found dead in her family’s backyard in March 2022

Mr Dutton is perplexed as to how his daughter could lie in the garden for so long without her family seeing her, especially when the house was a “welcome centre” for residents.

There were also rumors that people saw Lasonya being attacked on the Friday night she was last seen, and a bloody knife was found at the local oval.

Neighbor Ingrid Bugmy remembers seeing two people appear as if they “wanted to come in” to Lasonya’s home the night before her body was found, two days after she was last seen.

“I just thought it was just strange. It was really strange to me that someone was standing on this side of this window… and the next day they found a body there,” Ms Bugmy told the newspaper.

Mr Dutton went to police with the claims he had heard, but the alleged officers “didn’t want to hear them”.

New South Wales Police insist they have explored various lines of inquiry as part of the task force established to investigate Lasonya’s death and have spoken to the family several times. repeated during the investigation, a claim Keith refutes.

If you or someone who knows needs help, contact 13Yarn (13 92 76) or Lifeline on 131 114.

The New South Wales Coroners Court is currently investigating the tragic death of Lasonya Dutton and preparing an inquest to provide answers for her grieving family.