Inquest into the Suspected Death of David Benjamin INGRAM

44y · Male·unascertained - may have been injury from fall, drowning, or predation from marine life

David Ingram, a 44-year-old deckhand, disappeared from the cargo vessel Maersk Mover on 24 September 2021 in the Indian Ocean off Exmouth, WA. He had an undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia with a history of anxiety, depression, and previous suicidal ideation, managed with olanzapine since July 2020. Medical records were not disclosed to his employer or ship's officers during induction. In his final days, David exhibited paranoid thoughts, believing he had been drugged, despite no evidence of this and reportedly good crew relations. He became unwell and withdrawn in his last shift, then disappeared in the early morning hours. Footprints found later suggested he went overboard from a precarious area. Clinically, the case highlights the importance of: (1) assessing mental health risk before offshore work, (2) communicating psychiatric diagnoses to occupational health when relevant to safety, (3) recognising decompensation in patients with psychotic illness, particularly when medication compliance is uncertain, and (4) ensuring crew awareness of mental health support resources and escalation protocols.