Charters Towers, Queensland — The case of Jayden Penno-Tompsett, the 22-year-old Newcastle man who vanished deep in the Queensland Outback on New Year’s Eve 2017, is far from the simple “lost in the bush” story first suggested. New revelations from coronial inquest testimony and long-buried details from his travel companion have brought to light a series of troubling scenarios that continue to puzzle authorities and haunt his family nearly nine years after his disappearance.
Penno-Tompsett was travelling with friend Lucas Tattersall from Newcastle to Cairns to join a group of mates for New Year’s celebrations. The journey north through the harsh and remote terrain of inland Queensland seemed routine, but things took a bizarre turn near Charters Towers, about 130 kilometres west of Townsville. It was there, in the pre-dawn hours of 31 December 2017, that Jayden’s life was last seen on CCTV at a service station along the Flinders Highway — a stretch of road locals sometimes refer to as the “Highway of Death” due to its history of disappearances.
Tension, Drugs and a Heated Argument
Testimony from a 2021 coronial inquest revealed that both men had been consuming illicit drugs — including ice (crystal methamphetamine) and MDMA — throughout the trip. Prosecuting counsel heard that Jayden had become increasingly erratic after cutting sleep short for several days and possibly losing a significant stash of drugs he had intended to sell in Cairns.
According to Tattersall, tempers flared near the remote roadhouse when Jayden accused him of misplacing the drugs, leading to a protracted argument. In the chaos, Jayden reportedly smashed his phone, stormed off into bushland about 31 December, and vanished into the heat-soaked cattle country outside Charters Towers — never to be seen again.
While Tattersall claimed he searched on foot for several hours, police and the coroner later found no evidence of foul play at the scene — a point that has been central to official findings that Jayden likely died from environmental exposure.
A Companion’s Actions Under Scrutiny
But new details reported in the Newcastle Herald paint a more complex and unsettling picture of what happened after Jayden’s disappearance. At the inquest, Lucas Tattersall revealed that after dropping Jayden off near Charters Towers, he continued on to Cairns and attempted to sell his car there, even cleaning it before trying to offload it.
Tattersall also admitted that he had previously threatened Jayden over a drug debt, though he insisted such matters had been resolved weeks before the fatal trip.
Those details — particularly the attempt to dispose of the vehicle and the earlier conflict over drugs — have sparked unease among some friends and family, raising questions about what exactly transpired in those final hours and why Tattersall made no immediate effort to locate Jayden or alert authorities.
Delay in Reporting and Fears of Missed Opportunities
Another thread in this tangled story is the delay in reporting Jayden missing. Although he vanished on 31 December 2017, police were only notified on 3 January 2018, giving investigators precious little time and a wide search area to cover. According to inquest testimony, members of Jayden’s group continued celebrating and did not immediately grasp the seriousness of his disappearance, in part because they assumed he was “doing his own thing” or able to find his way to Cairns on his own.
The delayed report and the remote, unforgiving environment — with daytime temperatures soaring near 40°C (104°F) — made early search efforts difficult and potentially compromised critical early leads.
Official Findings and Family Dispute
In 2021, Coroner Nerida Wilson concluded that Jayden most likely died from exposure to the elements, after walking off into open bushland with no water or phone under extreme heat, while in a drug-affected state. Foul play was formally ruled out.
However, not all close to the case accept that conclusion. Jayden’s mother has publicly disputed the findings, suggesting that more sinister factors may have been at play — and arguing that questions remain about how and why Jayden was left alone in a hostile environment without support.
Closure Amid Lingering Questions
The case took another turn in late 2025 when human remains were discovered on a rural property in Breddan, near Charters Towers, and were confirmed by DNA testing to be Jayden’s in early 2026. Queensland police have indicated that a coronial investigation continues and will inform final determinations about his death.
Even with decades of analysis and weeks of testimony, Jayden’s disappearance and death continue to raise serious questions about what happened in those final hours. Disturbing contradictions in witness testimony, conflicting actions by his travel companion, and the remote Queensland landscape all contribute to a story that refuses to be simple — and which will likely be scrutinised for years to come.