TOWNSVILLE, Australia (9 Oct 2005) -- NEARLY two years to the day, and grieving American parents Tom and Cindy Thomas still have no answers over their daughter Tina's tragic and untimely death in Townsville. A full two years on October 22, and the Thomas family still doesn't know what caused the death of their daughter in an unexplained diving incident at a wreck on the Great Barrier Reef off Townsville. And the family's frustration and ongoing grief finally erupted this week, with parents Tom and Cindy lashing out at the slowness of the investigation, calling on Australian police to explain why the investigation was not yet final and had yielded no results. When contacted, the Queensland Police Service said investigations were continuing and that further inquiries in the United States may be necessary by Townsville detectives. An official statement from the office of Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson read: "The investigation into this matter is continuing. Townsville detectives may be required to travel to the United States to conduct further inquiries. The Townsville coroner has been fully briefed and provided continual updates into the progress of the investigation." Bubbly 26-year-old Christina "Tina" Mae Watson from Helena, a suburb of Birmingham in Alabama, was on her honeymoon in North Queensland with her new husband Gabe, just 11 days after her dream wedding, when her life was tragically cut short. Tina, reportedly a keen but not overly experienced diver, got into trouble during a group dive expedition near the wreck of the Yongala, about 48 nautical miles southeast of Townsville, about 11am on October 22, 2003. She had been diving with her husband off the Mike Ball Dive Expeditions vessel Spoil Sport when she was pulled unconscious from the water. Her parents were told their daughter was probably already dead when she was brought up to another dive boat, where about 45 minutes were spent trying to revive her, before she was transferred back to the Spoil Sport, which returned her to Townsville. An autopsy the next day returned inconclusive findings and Townsville water police, who submitted a report to the coroner for an inquest, said at the time toxicology tests were required. But two years down the track, the family is still waiting for Australian police to set foot on American soil to interview key witnesses. They are still waiting for the results of any official investigation by either Australian or American authorities. Speaking exclusively to the Townsville Bulletin from the United States, Mr Thomas said despite the passage of two years, their grief over the loss of their daughter had not in any way lessened. | | Gabe and Tina Watson Mr Thomas said never knowing where things stood from day to day, and getting their hopes up that answers were finally forthcoming, only to have them dashed time and time again, was only adding to their ongoing distress. "We still miss Tina so badly every day," Mr Thomas said quietly. "Not one day goes past when she isn't in our thoughts. "Losing her has had an horrendous impact on all our lives -- her mom Cindy's health has been badly affected, and it has also been very traumatic for the rest of our family, especially our other daughter Alanda, her husband Bryan and our 20-month-old grandson William. "We still can't accept that she has gone, and it makes it so much harder not knowing how or why she has gone. "Tina loved Australia, particularly the people of Townsville, and because of that, we also feel a very special connection with North Queensland. ''The people there, including the local authorities and police, could not have treated us or our family with more compassion and consideration. "But now, after so many times of being told that the investigation was nearly complete, getting our hopes up that we would have answers and maybe close this horrible chapter in our lives, and then to find out that the investigations have stalled and being given no reasons for it -- we can't take that anymore. "We want to know why the Australian police haven't been over here yet to tie up the investigation. "We want to know why, two years on, we haven't got any answers." RELATED STORY: Mike Ball manager denies negligence in death of novice diver SOURCE - Townsville Bulletin |
