Inquest into the death of Mark JOHNSTON
Deceased
Mark Johnston
Demographics
male
Date of death
1986-09-01
Finding date
2023-03-08
Cause of death
Unable to determine exact cause of death; manner was homicide
AI-generated summary
Mark Johnston disappeared on 1 September 1986 from Paddington, Sydney, after leaving the Bellevue Hotel. An initial 1999 inquest found he likely died that day at Dover Heights, with evidence implicating Arthur Smith. Johnston's remains were discovered at Kurnell in October 2007 during desalination plant construction. Mitochondrial DNA and subsequent familial DNA comparison in 2019 confirmed the remains belonged to Johnston. The 2023 inquest reaffirms that Johnston died on 1 September 1986 at Dover Heights from homicide by known person Arthur Smith. The exact cause of death could not be determined. The coroner closed the inquest after 23 years of investigation.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Remains buried to conceal homicide
- Significant time elapsed between death and discovery of remains
- Condition of remains precluded determination of cause of death
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