Finding into death of Henry Bennett
Deceased
Henry Eli Bennett
Demographics
33y, male
Date of death
2021-07-02
Finding date
2026-06-16
Cause of death
Unascertained
AI-generated summary
On 2 July 2021, Henry Eli Bennett, a 33-year-old man with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, disappeared from his rural home near Goongerah, Victoria, in a remote bushland area. He had a documented history of becoming lost or disoriented during walking expeditions and frequently wore inadequate clothing for weather conditions. Despite a week-long intensive search involving over 70 people and specialist units, no trace was found. Based on the hazardous terrain with steep valleys, extremely cold overnight temperatures (minimum -1°C), his vulnerability, and complete absence of evidence of survival after 8 July 2021, the coroner concluded Mr Bennett died between 2–8 July, likely from exposure or accident in the bush. The cause remained unascertained and no suspicious circumstances were identified.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- History of becoming lost or disoriented during walks
- Remote and hazardous bushland terrain with steep rugged valleys and dense forest
- Inadequate clothing for cold weather conditions
- Very low overnight temperatures (minimum −1°C)
- Lack of diabetes medication with him
- Poor navigation skills in unfamiliar areas
- Limited survival equipment
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 —