Inquest into the death of Kim Mackell
Deceased
Kim Mackell
Demographics
64y, male
Date of death
2016-12-18/2017-04-19
Finding date
2019-10-11
Cause of death
Unknown
AI-generated summary
Kim Mackell, a 64-year-old artist living in the Blue Mountains, disappeared on 18 December 2016 and was found deceased in bushland in April 2017. The cause and manner of death remain unknown; he likely fell from a cliff but decomposition prevented determination of the direct cause. The inquest revealed significant delays in the police investigation, particularly in obtaining critical Opal Card data via iAsk (information request system). Key information came through informal channels rather than official procedures. Police officers lacked awareness of proper follow-up procedures for priority requests. While these delays did not directly cause his death, they could have enabled an earlier targeted search. The coroner emphasised the need for clearer standard operating procedures clarifying who to contact for iAsk follow-up during business hours and after hours.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- Fall from cliff
- Advanced decomposition preventing pathological determination of cause of death
- Delays in obtaining critical missing person information via iAsk system
- Lack of clarity on procedures for following up priority iAsk requests outside business hours
- Police officers unaware of proper escalation procedures
Coroner's recommendations
- That the Commissioner of Police consider amending the Missing Persons Standard Operating Procedures, the Missing Persons Standard Operating Procedures (Blue Mountains), and the iAsk Priority Procedure to include clarification that during business hours the Client Liaison Unit, Information Services of Intelligence Command is the appropriate point of contact for officers to follow up and progress outstanding Priority iAsk requests, and during after hours the appropriate point of contact is the State Coordinator.
- That the Commissioner of Police consider amending the Missing Persons Standard Operating Procedures to provide that in all circumstances where an iAsk request has been made, the iAsk request reference number be included in COPS entries for the investigation, to enable timely follow up by officers other than the investigating officers.
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