Coroner's Finding: Butterworth, Lucille
Deceased
Lucille Gaye Butterworth
Demographics
20y, female
Date of death
1969-08-25
Finding date
2016-05-02
Cause of death
Strangulation
AI-generated summary
Lucille Gaye Butterworth, a 20-year-old typist, disappeared from a bus stop in Claremont, Tasmania on 25 August 1969. After extensive investigation spanning decades, Coroner Simon Cooper found that Geoffrey Charles Hunt murdered her by strangulation shortly after 6.15pm that evening. Hunt presented to Miss Butterworth as a stranger offering a lift; she accepted and was driven toward New Norfolk. Between Granton and New Norfolk near the Lime Kilns, Hunt stopped the vehicle, strangled her and disposed of her body in the Derwent River. The coroner noted extensive deficiencies in the original 1969-1970 police investigation, which treated the disappearance as a 'runaway' rather than homicide. Hunt had confessed to detectives in July 1976 but was disregarded due to investigator bias. Hunt's guilt was corroborated by admissions to fellow inmates while imprisoned for another murder.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Geoffrey Charles Hunt's predatory behavior and murderous intent
- Initial police mishandling of investigation—treated as 'runaway' case rather than homicide
- Failure to properly investigate and pursue Hunt's confession in July 1976 due to investigator fixation on John Lonergan as sole suspect
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