Men tell inquest they had no involvement in missing mum's disappearance
A coronial inquest investigating the suspected death of Joanne Butterfield, who has not been seen since 1998, has heard evidence from two men who lived in the area where she was last seen.
Two men from Mossman, Concetto Tati and Michael O Donoghue, appeared at a coronial inquest into the 1998 disappearance of Joanne Butterfield. The 37-year-old mother was last seen hitchhiking along the Captain Cook Highway, south of Port Douglas. Her personal belongings were found scattered near a rural lookout 160 kilometres away.
Both men denied any involvement in her disappearance and did not claim to have met her. Tati met Butterfield at the Mossman Hotel and slept with her, while O Donoghue said they had gone pig hunting together. They were questioned after police received Crime Stoppers reports. The inquest also heard from retired detective Trevor Perham, who concluded Ms Butterfield was likely no longer alive in 2012.
The inquest is examining the adequacy of the police investigation and the possibility of innocent explanations for how Butterfield's property ended up scattered at the lookout.
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