Coroner's Finding: Slater, Timothy Guy

38y · Male·Unknown - body never located

Timothy Guy Slater, aged 38, disappeared from Fern Tree, Tasmania on 9 June 1987 while on leave from psychiatric inpatient care at Royal Hobart Hospital where he was being treated for depression. He had a history of previous suicide attempts via overdose and self-harm, with two prior episodes of going missing in early 1986 and April 1987. The coroner found on balance of probabilities that he died on or after 9 June 1987, but the cause remains unknown as his body was never located. The case highlights the risks associated with depression, previous suicide attempts, and the importance of mental health follow-up and monitoring in vulnerable patients.