Deceased
Marek PETERA
Demographics
41y, male
Date of death
1999-07-27
Finding date
2020-09-04
Cause of death
suicide by unknown method, either through deliberate self-harm or by placing himself in a situation where he would die from exposure to the elements
AI-generated summary
Marek Petera, a 41-year-old Slovak-born Australian resident, disappeared from Drysdale River Station in Western Australia on 27 July 1999. He had left a suicide note for his daughter in June 1999, describing severe depression and stating his intention to undertake a 'one-way ticket' journey with the wish to 'perish without a trace'. His ex-wife later reported he had experienced lifelong depression, a previous overdose in 1987, and felt his anti-depressant medication was no longer effective. The coroner concluded he died by suicide either through deliberate self-harm or by placing himself in a situation of fatal exposure. The case highlights the importance of recognising suicide risk in patients with chronic depression, previous overdose attempts, and expressed suicidal intent. Early mental health intervention and family notification protocols may have altered outcomes.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
40y · Male·Unascertained
Nathan James Taylor, aged 40, died in Port Lincoln Prison on 24 March 2022 while in custody pending trial on witness interference charges. He had significant medical history including infective endocarditis with tricuspi…
53y · Male·Hanging
PE, aged 53, died by hanging in Parklea Correctional Centre on 3 February 2024, four days after entering custody for the first time on remand. The coroner found PE's death was self-inflicted at a time of emotional turmoi…
41y · Male·Ligature compression of the neck (hanging) and penetrating sharp force injury (s…
Corey Desmond Devree, aged 41, died by suicide in Bunbury Regional Prison on 14 October 2024 through ligature compression of the neck and a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. Key clinical and systemic lessons includ…
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 —