The family of a woman whose body was found decomposing in a remote Australian backyard are seeking answers after claiming police conducted a shoddy investigation into her death.
The body of Lasonya Dutton was found by her uncle on family property on March 29, 2022 in Wilcannia, a remote community New South Wales, around 950 miles from Sydney. The body was being mauled by a dog at the time. Dutton was 31 years old.
Merle Dutton discovered her body at the family property when no one else was home. The mother of two had not been seen or heard from in four days when her body was discovered just a few meters from the kitchen window by a clothesline.
"I seen a dog chewing on a kangaroo, but it wasn't a kangaroo," Merle Dutton said. "I just ran out screaming and screaming."
Lasonya Dutton's death is being explored on the Dying Rose podcast, a true-crime show investigating the deaths of Aboriginal women in Australia whose families have been dissatisfied with responses and investigations from the police.
Lasonya Dutton's family have accused police of conducting an incompetent investigation, claiming officers quickly put her death down to suicide. According to the podcast, police said her body had remained in the backyard the entire time. The investigation has now been taken over by New South Wales Coroner's Court.
But Lasonya Dutton's relatives claim it is impossible her body was in the family backyard for several days without being seen. Her father, Keith Dutton, said their house had people "dropping in" regularly. He remarked that there was "no way in the world that my daughter be laying here" for several days.
Keith Dutton also said the police may have an issue with him as he spent "a lot of years in jail". He also claimed police did not take a statement from his Merle Dutton when the body was discovered.
The family also claim a number of people saw Lasonya Dutton on March 25, before her disappearance, with claims she was seen being assaulted on that night. The podcast also stated there were rumors of a knife found in the town and a bloody sheet being discovered at the Wilcannia tip. Newsweek has been unable to independently verify these claims.
Newsweek has requested a copy of the police report from NSW Police Force via email and an autopsy report and update from the Coroner's Court of New South Wales.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
