Inquest into the death of Douglas Thrift

71y · Male·strychnine toxicity

Douglas Thrift, 71, died from strychnine toxicity on 1 December 2018 at his home in Denman NSW. He had a long history of depression and alcohol use disorder with two prior suicide attempts (1984, 2009). On the day of his death, he played golf and consumed an estimated 12+ standard drinks between leaving golf and being found dead in bed. A bottle of strychnine was discovered on his property in January 2023 with his DNA on the rim. Although he had risk factors for suicide (depression, prior attempts, heavy intoxication on the day), the coroner could not definitively establish whether his death was intentional or accidental, noting he appeared well earlier in the week and had concrete plans for the next day.