Date Last reported seen 30 October 2015
Remains found 5 November 2015
Remains identified 6 November 2015 Location Logan, Queensland, Australia | ||
Tiahleigh Alyssa Rose Palmer (sometimes known as Tia or Tiah) was a 12-year-old Australian girl who lived in Logan, Queensland. She disappeared on 30 October 2015, her remains were found five days later and her foster father, Rick Thorburn, was charged on 20 September 2016 with her murder.
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Disappearance and death
Palmer's foster father says he drove her to Marsden State High School on 30 October 2015, dropping her off at about 8:10am. She did not attend any classes and was not seen for the rest of the day. On 5 November, police released photos and appealed to the public for information on Palmer's whereabouts in a press conference. Later that day, the remains of a female aged 12–18 were found on the bank of the Pimpama River and, on 6 November, they were officially identified as Palmer's. Police then began a search for Palmer's backpack and school uniform. On 7 November, a vigil was held in Logan for Palmer and, on 14 November, her funeral was held and attended by more than 600 people.
Investigation, arrests and charges
On 4 December 2015, a shoe believed to be Palmer's was found near the location her body was discovered. Police have forensically examined a number of houses and vehicles in connection with the homicide. The investigation has so far failed to find her missing backpack and school uniform. In September 2016 a car formerly owned by Palmer's foster father was seized by police and is undergoing forensic examination.
On 20 September 2016, Palmer's foster parents and their two sons were taken into police custody for questioning. Her foster father, Rick Thorburn, was charged with her murder and with interfering with a corpse. He collapsed shortly after his arrest and was subsequently placed in an induced coma for several days, missing a scheduled court appearance the next day. Police are looking into whether he took pills just before or after his arrest, in a suicide attempt. Palmer's 19-year-old foster brother, Trent, was charged with two counts of perjury and one count each of attempting to pervert the course of justice and incest, and was denied bail. Palmer's foster mother, Julene, and older foster brother, Joshua, were both charged with perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Palmer's grandmother has told reporters that, months before she died, Palmer had declined an option to move in with her mother because she had a crush on Trent, and because she loved the horses on the Thorburn property. In a court hearing on 21 September 2016 prosecutors said that two days before Palmer's death, Trent confessed to a cousin that he had had sex with Palmer on the previous Monday, and that Palmer had told his mother about it. The court also heard that, shortly before her disappearance, Palmer had told a friend that her foster brother would have sex with her when Mrs Thorburn went out, and she had told her foster mother about the abuse. Prosecutors say that Trent now admits he was lying when he had earlier repeatedly denied the abuse to his parents and police.
On 23 September investigators began excavating the Thorburns' rural property in a search for evidence. Rick Thorburn said nothing to investigators, but Julene and Joshua made statements to police. On 10 October 2016, Julene and Joshua Thorburn's lawyer told a court they would plead guilty to all charges and had agreed to be witnesses for the prosecution.