Inquest into the Suspected Death of Winston Abalona CHAVEZ
Deceased
Winston Abalona CHAVEZ
Demographics
39y, male
Date of death
2009-05-08
Finding date
2022-02-09
Cause of death
Unknown cause. Possible drowning, injuries from fall into water, or predation. Death occurred after departure from Useless Loop, Shark Bay.
AI-generated summary
Winston Abalona Chavez, a 39-year-old Filipino oiler, disappeared from the cargo ship MV Baltic Frontier in Shark Bay, Western Australia on 8 May 2009. He had requested early release from his contract due to his mother's illness but was denied, told he would have to wait until the vessel returned to Japan. He was last seen around 1 pm on 8 May 2009 and discovered missing the following morning. His wallet was found on the poop deck. Despite extensive searches by police, crew, and water police, no remains were found. The coroner concluded he died by unknown cause, possibly by drowning or injuries from falling overboard, with his depressed mental state at the time noted but no definitive evidence of intentional harm. No suspicious circumstances were identified.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Depressed and distressed mental state due to mother's illness and denial of early contract release
- Remote location with difficult rescue conditions
- Vast search area hampering recovery efforts
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