Coroner's Finding: Dunk, Michael & Johnson, Elishka
Deceased
Michael William Dunk and Elishka Dawn Johnson
Demographics
unknown
Date of death
2015-04-08
Finding date
2018-02-05
Cause of death
Michael William Dunk: gunshot wounds to upper abdomen and head. Elishka Dawn Johnson: combined effects of asphyxia due to automotive exhaust gases and mixed drug sedation
AI-generated summary
This finding concerns two deaths arising from a domestic tragedy involving relationship breakdown. Michael William Dunk (46) was shot by his de facto partner Elishka Dawn Johnson (41) on 8-10 April 2015 at their Tasmanian property. Ms Johnson then died by suicide using exhaust gas inhalation combined with sedative drugs. Ms Johnson had been treated for depression in 2014 following relationship difficulties. The clinical lessons centre on recognising risk factors for domestic homicide-suicide: relationship breakdown, untreated or inadequately managed depression, access to firearms, and social isolation. While this case does not involve medical error, it highlights the importance of mental health assessment, firearm safety counselling for patients with mood disorders, and awareness of warning signs in vulnerable individuals.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- relationship breakdown and separation
- depression in Ms Johnson
- relationship infidelity and deception
- access to firearms
- social isolation
- inadequate mental health support or follow-up
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —