TOWNSVILLE, Australia (28 Mar 2006) -- GRIEF knows no boundaries. And 35,000km is no distance at all to mourning American parents Tom and Cindy Thomas, who have had enough of waiting for answers to their daughter's tragic diving death off the Great Barrier Reef more than two years ago. Mr and Mrs Thomas will arrive in Townville next week in a desperate bid to push stalled police investigations along. "We hoped that our second visit back to Australia would be for a resolution to this whole tragedy," Mr Thomas said yesterday. "But that has not happened ... for the sake of Tina, for our family, and for all the people who loved Tina, we don't want it to get to the third anniversary of her death without a movement towards a resolution. "We need to lay our little girl to rest." It has been an agonisingly long wait for the grieving parents of bubbly 26-year-old Christina 'Tina' Mae Watson, who was on her honeymoon in North Queensland with 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 south-east 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 approximately 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 that toxicology tests were required. The family's frustration first surfaced last October on the second anniversary of their daughter's death, when they lashed out at the slowness of the investigation, and called on Australian police to explain why the investigation was not yet finalised and had yielded no results. At the time, the Queensland Police Service said investigations were continuing, but gave no further clues as to the length of time of the investigation. Five months later, police are still no closer to a resolution, and after 2 1/2 years of maintaining their silence and waiting for the painstakingly slow police investigation to be completed, Mr and Mrs Thomas have had enough of sitting on their hands, tens of thousands of kilometres away from where their daughter died. So instead, a still grieving but determined Mr and Mrs Thomas are making the arduous 35,000km journey from their home town of Birmingham in the south-eastern US state of Alabama, to where their daughter spent her last days, in a last-ditch attempt to find out what is delaying the investigation, and maybe also find some answers. The couple will firstly spend several days in Brisbane, pushing to meet with the upper hierarchy of the Queensland Government and police service, before then flying to Townsville to speak with local detectives and travel by boat to the site of their daughter's death. Speaking exclusively to the Townsville Bulletin yesterday from the United States, Mr Thomas said the family was still waiting for Australian police to set foot on American soil to interview key witnesses. He said they were also still waiting for the results of any official investigation by either Australian or American authorities, and had had enough of staying quiet and playing by the rules. "We have given up several years of our lives being patient, and now is the time for answers," Mr Thomas said. "We have been trying to plan this trip since August last year, but there were constant delays in the investigation, so we kept putting it off. "I was given the impression that the homicide squad would do a review, and the Townsville investigating detectives would travel over here to the States to interview witnesses and finalise the investigation, but that just has not happened. "The US police authorities have bent over backwards to help us, some even at their own time and expense, but the Australian authorities seem to have hit a wall. "So we have made contact with police authorities in both Brisbane and Townsville, and are pushing to meet face to face with them while we are in Australia to finally find out what is delaying this investigation. "I have spoken with Detective Superintendent Mike Condon of the Brisbane Homicide Investigation Unit, and he has agreed to meet with us the day after our arrival in Brisbane, next Wednesday. "He said he had set aside a 2 1/2 block of time in the morning to sit down with us, answer our questions, and help us understand where this investigation is heading. "Our daughter died 2 1/2 years ago, and we are no closer to answers now than when we started. "It has been unbelievably hard on our entire family, not knowing from one day to the next what happened to our little girl, and we have had enough of sitting back waiting for answers - we are here to get those answers." | | Gabe and Tina Watson. Det Supt Condon yesterday confirmed he had been in contact with Mr Thomas, and that he would meet with Mr and Mrs Thomas in Brisbane. "Homicide was asked to overview the case in late 2005, and report back to Northern Region police," Det Supt Condon said. "In that report, which was completed and submitted before the end of last year, we made certain recommendations to Northern Region, on which the coroner can now make an assessment. "There are quite a number of outstanding inquiries yet to be addressed." A spokesman from the office of Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Tina Watson was still continuing. "(Police) understand the family's concerns, and the distress it may be causing them in not having a final outcome," the spokesman said. "However, this case, which is complex, has been given a high priority by the (police) service. "The investigation was reviewed by the homicide squad last year and a number of recommendations from that review are currently been followed up by local police." Queensland Police Minister Judy Spence said Townsville coroner David Glasgow was overseeing the police investigation into Tina's death but that to date no coronial date had been set. "I have previously written to US authorities after the Thomas' had written to them, in an effort to 'speed up' the investigation," Ms Spence said. "I informed them that Deputy Commissioner Dick Conder would appraise them of the situation. "Police have advised me that this is a complex case, and that they must be thorough in their investigation. "I extend my sympathy to the parents. I know that such a police investigation would be frustrating, as it would not be assisting them in achieving some closure." Mr Glasgow said yesterday he shared the frustration of the parents over the long delays in the investigation. "I am very mindful of the parents' frustration, and am extremely frustrated myself at the delays," Mr Glasgow said. "Earlier this year I sought advice from the State Coroner (Michael Barnes) to encourage the police to speed the investigation up by sending the investigating officers overseas to America to complete their inquiries. "But while Mr Barnes supported my recommendation, unfortunately it was not followed up. "And until I receive a complete report from the investigators, a coronial date cannot be set." Mr Thomas said Tina had loved Australia, particularly the people of Townsville, and because of that, he and his wife also felt a very special connection with North Queensland. "We have been in touch with (Townsville Detective Inspector) Warren Webber, who was very eager to help, and he has arranged for a police boat to take us out to the Yongala site, where Tina died," Mr Thomas said. "Det Insp Webber said he would meet with us any time, along with the investigating detectives who have been on the case from day one, Gary Campbell and Kevin Gehringer." Det Insp Webber yesterday confirmed he had spoken with Mr Thomas, and that he intended filling the family in of the state of the investigation when they arrived in Townsville. "We will render any assistance we can," Det Insp Webber said. "I will fill the parents in on where the investigation is at when they get here and what additional investigations will be undertaken. "We are closer to a resolution, but there is still a fair way to go." SOURCE - Townsville BulletinSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
