How a mother of three died in a late-night lawnmower incident remains a mystery nearly a week after her death, as detectives continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Frances Crawford, 49, was found dead at her home in Upper Lockyer, south-east Queensland, in the early hours of Tuesday 30 July.
Emergency services were called to the rural property at 3.40am to reports that Ms Crawford had suffered serious injuries in an incident involving a lawnmower, and paramedics arrived to find the local psychologist already deceased.
Police have said they are treating the case as suspicious and have urged anyone with information about Ms Crawford or the family to come forward.
As detectives await a breakthrough in this baffling case, Daily Mail Australia looks at the key questions that remain unanswered.
1. Why did Mrs. Crawford mow the lawn late at night?
Temperatures in the Upper Lockyer region dropped to -5°C during the early hours of 30 July.
Although some farmers mow their grass at night to avoid the daytime heat, doing so in the dead of winter, when it is freezing cold and grass growth is minimal, has left locals baffled.
Frances Crawford, 49, was found dead at her home in Queensland’s Upper Lockyer region last week.
Initial local media reports suggested police had been told Ms Crawford was crushed while moving a lawnmower, however this has not been confirmed by detectives.
Additionally, police have not commented on whether or not they believe Ms Crawford was using the lawnmower at the time she suffered serious injuries.
2. How was Mrs. Crawford injured?
Police have not shared details about their theories on what may have happened and have not revealed the nature of Ms Crawford’s injuries.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said police were called to the property in connection with a matter “relating to a lawnmower” but would not confirm whether police believe the machine caused her injuries.
“That’s part of the investigation,” he said.
“She had suffered serious injuries. There are a number of things we need to understand better to determine what the cause was and how this actually happened.
“We have not been able to determine a cause regarding what was discovered at that scene, so we have determined that this matter is suspicious.”
A police vehicle loaded with forensic equipment is seen on the rural property Thursday morning.
A lawnmower was towed away from the property on Tuesday.
3. At what time was Mrs. Crawford seriously injured?
Police have not confirmed what time they believe Ms Crawford died, only that she was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at 3.40am.
Detective Superintendent Marchesini said she was last seen alive on Monday afternoon and is believed to have attended work that day.
“The man who was in the house discovered the woman at the time and so the police were called. A call was made to emergency services to assist and QPS and QAS attended the scene but sadly she had already passed away,” he said.
What do we know?
Police revealed the phone call to emergency services was made by Crawford’s husband Robert, who, Daily Mail Australia revealed last week, is an RAAF pilot and squadron leader based at Amberley.
Daily Mail Australia understands Mr Crawford had returned to Australia from an overseas deployment about a week before his wife’s death.
Police also revealed that officers were called to the property due to domestic problems in July 2023, but there were no domestic violence orders in place.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Mr Crawford was involved in his wife’s death.
Ms Crawford’s death has left the local community, where she was born and raised, reeling with grief as loved ones remember her for her “gentle character” and “kindness”.
Police spent Thursday searching the home for evidence and 10 different police cars were seen arriving at the rural property, including several forensic vans.
Later that day, police officially declared the case suspicious.
Her husband, RAAF pilot Robert Crawford (pictured), has been assisting police with their investigations.
Detective Superintendent Marchesini said Crawford has been assisting police with their inquiries as they seek to better understand what happened that night.
“We are talking to him and have been doing so since (she) was discovered,” he said.
Detective Superintendent Marchesini also stressed that police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, but would like anyone who may have information to come forward.
“If you have knowledge of the woman and obviously heard this information this week, then we want to hear from them in relation to what they know,” he said.
Daily Mail Australia understands the lawnmower towed from the scene on Tuesday was a Husqvarna, which comes equipped with a safety feature designed to prevent the engine and blades from operating when the driver is not in the seat.
However, this feature can be disabled and it is unclear whether it was operational on the Crawfords’ lawnmower.
