Search and Rescue Expert Says SAPOL Stupidity May Have Cost a Young Man His Life

Retired Queensland Police senior sergeant Dr Jim Whitehead – a former state search and rescue co-ordinator with four decades of policing experience and involvement in more than 15,000 search operations – delivered a critical assessment of SA Police’s handling of the 2022 search.

Dylan Stuart, 29, and his girlfriend, Danika Thomson, 24, disappeared after their four-wheel drive became bogged near Junction Dam on Stuart Creek Station, about 90km north of Roxby Downs, on February 26, 2022.

Ms Thomson survived the ordeal after a civilian plane conducting an aerial search spotted her two days later. But Mr Stuart was tragically found deceased by a family member on the third day.

Dylan Stuart and Danika Thomson, of Roxby Downs. Picture: Facebook

Dr Whitehead, after examining evidence provided to the court, questioned police for failing to establish a search headquarters at the site and for not deploying a search and rescue co-ordinator to the scene.

“In my experience and in the information contained in the national search and rescue manual, it actually recommends for a land search that a field search co-ordinator or controller should go to the ­actual search location and should set up field search headquarters,” he said.

“It allows the search and rescue controller or co-ordinator to get situational awareness of the actual area that they are searching (and) it allows a large measure of information ­exchange.

Dr Whitehead said “sitting in an office in Adelaide” – as occurred during the search for Mr Stuart – failed to provide crucial nuance.

“I don’t think anything beats a 15-minute drive around the search area to set the mind of a co-ordinator as to what he’s facing and what searchers are facing,” he said. “I will stand by that until the day I die.”

The body of Dylan Stuart was found about 100km north of Roxby Downs. Picture: Supplied

Dr Whitehead also warned that the further a search co-­ordinator was from the search site, the more reliant they became on “written” information.

“I think it’s fraught with danger taking second-hand information from a person who’s not trained to ask search and rescue questions and base your (search) response from that,” he said.

“If the search co-ordinator were to speak to the informant, it might remove some of the ambiguities that arise because police are translating the information … and it comes through four or five hands before (it gets to) a search co-ordinator.”

The inquest awaits recommendations.

Police Told Dylan’s Father They Had a “More Important Job”

In September, Dylan’s father broke down at the inquest after sharing how police cancelled a plane scheduled to search for his missing son because there was “a more important job”.

Michael Stuart detailed to the inquest the challenges he faced when trying to co-ordinate a search party for Dylan and Danika.

Mr Stuart said he made a police statement the following night in hopes it would prompt a large-scale search that would include the extended Stuart family, as well as police and state emergency service volunteers.

However, he wasn’t contacted by police again until the following afternoon by a sergeant who asked Mr Stuart to repeat his earlier made statement.

“He started asking me questions that I already answered like about Dylan’s clothing, Danika’s clothing, my vehicle,” Mr Stuart said.

“That’s when I said I already answered all of these questions last night.”

“(The sergeant) said they weren’t filed and he had no evidence of that conversation.

“That’s when I got cheesed off and I said ‘mate, I got to find my son’ and I hung up the phone.”

A few hours later, Mr Stuart spotted Ms Thomson while aboard a civilian plane.

Mr Stuart also said he only saw two officers “on ground” but claims “they wouldn’t get out of the car because it was too hot and (there were) too many flies”.

Dylan Stuart and Danika Thomson. Picture: Facebook

Dylan Stuart was found on March 1 by an Aboriginal tracker the family had brought out.

A post-mortem exam revealed he died from heat or heat-exposure and dehydration.

In a moment of emotion, Mr Stuart said his son’s death was avoidable.

“I understand that’s why we’re here, we’re trying to prevent this from happening again but I’m here because it shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Stuart said. “I asked for help and no one came.

“The biggest disappointing thing at the time is that after we thought we found Dylan … there were three cops cars with people and I said to (my wife): ‘Now these f*cking c*nts show up?’”

Sources

Search expert condemns police over fatal outback search for Dylan Stuart during inquest. The Advertiser.

Father Michael Stuart details police failures in search for his son Dylan Stuart who died in the outback. The Advertiser.