Rodney Stevens

Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of a woman who went missing while camping at Brooms Head in 2020 after the NSW Deputy State Coroner found she died close to where she went missing after going to amenities less than 200 metres from her camp.

Annmarie Jeffery was last seen around 9am on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, at the Lake Arragan campground near Brooms Head.

The findings of Deputy State Coroner Magistrate Harriet Grahame obtained by the CV Independent detail the results of the coronial inquest into Mrs Jeffery held at the NSW Coroners Court, Lidcombe on March 24, 2023.

Magistrate Grahame found Mrs Jeffery, 73, of Coffs Harbour went camping with her husband David and a group of friends, with whom they shared a campfire and enjoyed a meal together the night before her disappearance.

“On the morning of 25 August 2020, they were preparing to go for a walk through the beautiful coastal area where they were staying when Annemarie left the group to go briefly up to the amenities block,” Magistrate Grahame found.

“Tragically she did not return.

“Unfortunately, the exact circumstances of her disappearance remain mysterious.”

This was the second time that morning that Mrs Jeffery had gone to the amenities block, Magistrate Grahame found, and a friend they were camping with went to the same amenities block 10 minutes after Mrs Jeffery and returned to camp without seeing her.

When David realised their friend returned but not his wife, Magistrate Grahame found he searched the amenities and carpark, before driving around all surrounding roads searching for his wife and alerting the campground manager.

After searching for Annemarie at the lookout and power station, as suggested by the campground manager, Magistrate Grahame found they contacted police, who were alerted to the situation at 11.30am.

A large-scale air, land and sea search was conducted for Mrs Jeffery over several days involving officers from the Coffs Clarence Police District, SES volunteers, National Parks and Wildlife personnel, the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter and Yamba Surf Club members equipped with a drone.

“While searching commenced almost immediately, Annemarie was never found and over two years later there is still no firm evidence to indicate exactly what happened,” Magistrate Grahame found.

In her background to the case, Magistrate Grahame revealed Annemarie, was a senior nurse at a rehabilitation hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, met David Jeffery when he was a post-graduate student and they married in 1974.

The couple had two children, Renee and Stephen, who were born in small, remote African towns, before they decided to move to Australia in 1978 to bring up their children.

In 2013, Annemarie was diagnosed with epilepsy after experiencing her first seizure and was prescribed medication to control seizures.

Then in 2019, when Annemarie went to a neurologist where she was diagnosed with a mild cognitive impairment, which was expected to develop into Alzheimer’s disease.

When she suffered another epileptic seizure between November and December 2019, Mrs Jeffery’s medication was increased.

The court heard Annemarie had suffered a gradual deterioration of her mental health, which for a woman as capable and vibrant as she was proved difficult.

“David told the court that she understood what was happening and it caused her distress, frustration and at times periods of sadness and depression,” Magistrate Grahame found.

Magistrate Grahame found the search for Annemarie “In my view, given the resource restraints, the searching conducted was adequate.”

“It commenced very soon after Annemarie went missing and it remains a mystery that she was not found.”

In determining if Annemarie was still alive, Magistrate Grahame explained police had made enquiries into her bank accounts, business records, telephone records and medical records.

“No activity has been detected which suggests suspicious activity or points to any suggestion that Annemarie is still alive,” Magistrate Grahame found.

“Having weighed up all the evidence before me, I am able to make the formal finding that Annemarie Jeffery is dead.

“I make that finding, “on the balance of probabilities” knowing that Annemarie’s remains have not been discovered.

“Unfortunately, I am unable to know or record the medical cause of her death.

“I am also unable to record the circumstances or manner of her death.

“However, there appears to be no evidence currently before me which would indicate either a suspicious death or a death that was intentionally self-inflicted.”