Coroner refers 1996 crayfish farm death to prosecutors

A south-east Queensland family's decades-long fight for answers over the death of their son has taken a significant step forward. A coroner has found "reasonable suspicion" that two people were involved in the death of Jeffrey Brooks, a 24-year-old aquaculturist who died from a shotgun wound at a Beenleigh crayfish farm in 1996.

The finding, handed down this week by Coroner Donald MacKenzie, represents a turning point after years of uncertainty and a vindication of the family's persistent belief that the death was not accidental, as police originally concluded.

Brooks was working at a property near crayfish ponds when he died, shot in the chest by a 12-gauge shotgun. The initial police investigation concluded he had accidentally shot himself while reaching for the weapon. An inquest in 1998 delivered an open finding — unable to rule out suspicious circumstances — but the case remained effectively closed for nearly two decades.

The reopening of the inquest in 2018, prompted by public interest including a podcast investigating the case, led to a more thorough examination of previously considered evidence. The coroner's decision this week to refer farm manager Johannes Geiger and his wife Regine Kjellerup to prosecutors came after considering statements Brooks had made expressing concern for his life, possible motives, opportunity, and behaviour in the days surrounding the shooting.

MacKenzie was careful to note that finding "reasonable suspicion" is not a finding of guilt. The evidence, he said, pointed to either accidental discharge or "person or persons unknown" as the cause of death. He did exonerate Graeme Lloyd, the farmhand who discovered Brooks' body and alerted authorities, describing his post-discovery behaviour as "consistent with innocence."

The case will now be considered by the Director of Public Prosecutions, which will determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

For the Brooks family, the coroner's referral offers the first real prospect of accountability after 27 years. Lawrence Brooks, Jeffrey's father, expressed gratitude for the finding while acknowledging frustration that the coroner did not strongly criticise the original police investigation. "There needs to be an independent body set up in the Queensland Police Service," he said, raising broader concerns about investigative practices.

Wendy Brooks, Jeffrey's mother, said the coroner's conclusion — that her son may have been unlawfully killed — finally aligned with the family's conviction. "After all this time," she said, "that part was what we were looking for."

The case reflects how community persistence and public attention can challenge initial conclusions and reopen old questions. For Beenleigh and the broader south-east Queensland region, it signals that even cold cases can yield to scrutiny, and that justice, though delayed, remains possible.