In short:
Former detective Graeme Eaton has told a coronial inquest he worked to three possibilities while investigating the 1998 disappearance of Joanne Butterfield.
asserted
he → tell → Butterfield
Mr Eaton appeared on national television to appeal for information but within a year, had formed a view the Far North Queensland mother "wanted to disappear".
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mother → appear → view
Two male associates are due to be questioned as witnesses in the inquest.
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associates → question → inquest
A former Queensland police detective who led the initial investigation into the 1998 disappearance of Mossman mother Joanne Butterfield has told a coronial inquest he believed it was most likely she had taken her own life.
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she → lead → life
Ms Butterfield was last seen leaving a home at Mowbray, south of Port Douglas, and hitchhiking late on June 26, 1998.
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Butterfield → see → June
About two days later, some of her personal belongings were found about 160 kilometres away.
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some → find → belongings
A coronial inquest is investigating whether Ms Butterfield has died and the adequacy of the police investigation into her disappearance.
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Butterfield → investigate → disappearance
Graeme Eaton was the lone detective in Mossman when he took carriage of the investigation in July 1998.
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he → take → July
His final report in July 2002 concluded three possibilities — that Ms Butterfield had taken her own life, had travelled south and was still alive, or met with foul play while travelling south.
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Butterfield → conclude → play
Inquest to hear from male associates
Mr Eaton made a nationwide appeal for information on TV program Australia's Most Wanted in November 1998 but by mid-1999 had formed the view Ms Butterfield "wanted to disappear".
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Butterfield → hear → view
Counsel assisting the coroner Peter Ah Gee asked Mr Eaton about the extent to which he investigated Concetto "Con" Tati, who had been described as an "intimate partner" of Ms Butterfield.
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who → assist → Butterfield
The inquest heard a statement was taken from Mr Tati, then 38, and that Mr Eaton had written a note saying, "Con has a reputation of belting women".
However, Mr Eaton did not recall whether he looked up Mr Tati's Queensland criminal history or what other follow-up enquiries were made.
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enquiries → hear → history
Mr Eaton said Mr Tati was "certainly a person that needs to be spoken to" but said he did not stand out as a person of "great" interest.
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he → say → interest
Mr Tati and another associate, Michael O'Donoghue, are due to be examined as witnesses at the inquest this week.
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Tati → examine → inquest
Both men have lawyers representing them during the proceedings.
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men → have → proceedings
Neither is accused of any wrongdoing.
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Neither → accuse → wrongdoing
Mr Eaton told the inquest he was not aware of Mr O'Donoghue during the investigation.
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he → tell → investigation
"Specifically with relation to the foul-play hypothesis, did you identify any persons who required elimination as suspects during the course of your investigation?" Mr Ah Gee asked.
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Gee → identify → investigation
"I don't recall identifying anyone, no," Mr Eaton replied.
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Eaton → recall → anyone
Mr Eaton was asked about a Cairns phone number that was the most frequent to appear on a call charge record from the landline at Ms Butterfield's home, and whether he ever enquired as to whom it belonged.
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it → ask → whom
Mr Eaton said he did not recall looking into it and that if any avenue of inquiry was not undertaken, it was because the investigation was not "swaying that way".
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investigation → say → inquiry
"I can't respond or provide an explanation to it, Your Honour, primarily because I don't recall every enquiry or every avenue of enquiry I made in an investigation 28 years ago," he said.
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he → respond → investigation
Mr Eaton said foul play was never definitively excluded.
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play → say → ?
"The three theories were always considered with greater weight placed on the first two," he said.
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he → consider → two
Items not sent for DNA analysis
Some of Ms Butterfield's personal belongings, including clothing, a resume and identification documents, were found near a lookout along a cane railway at Pin Gin Hill on June 28, 1998.
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Some → send → June
An extensive ground search of surrounding cane paddocks and rainforest took place the following month.
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search → surround → place
Mr Eaton said he would have been "surprised" to find any biological material given the time that had passed.
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that → say → time
Mr Eaton agreed with Mr O'Donoghue's barrister James Sheridan's proposition that the absence of blood or fluids on Ms Butterfield's items would have contributed to a decision not to send them for DNA testing.
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absence → agree → testing
However, he said: "There was a heavy focus on the suicide [theory]."
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he → say → theory
"In my view, discarding those items at such a prominent location would not be the behaviour of someone who has been involved in foul play of a missing person,"he said.
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who → discard → person,"he
A day after reporting her mother missing, Ms Butterfield's daughter, Skye Lemon, received some of her mother's other personal effects in an envelope addressed to her at school.
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daughter → report → school
The envelope, postmarked July 29, 1998, bore Ms Butterfield's handwriting.
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envelope → postmark → handwriting
Mr Ah Gee asked Mr Eaton whether he had considered if someone else could have mailed it.
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someone → ask → it
"I don't recall having that thought process but it wouldn't make sense to me that someone would have posted it on her behalf," he said.
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he → recall → behalf
The envelope was checked for fingerprints but none were found.
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none → check → fingerprints
The inquest continues.
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inquest → continue → ?
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