Human remains found in the Australian Outback have been confirmed to belong to a man who disappeared on a road trip – bringing a sombre close to an eight-year-long mystery.
Jayden Penno-Tompsett, 22, was last seen running into bushland by a roadhouse on Thompson Street near Charters Towers, North Queensland, on New Year’s Eve in 2017.
He and his friend, Lucas Tattersall, were travelling from Newcastle to Cairns for a New Year’s celebration but Mr Penno-Tompsett disappeared after an argument.
The drive was planned to last three days and end with a reunion with friends.
It has been claimed that Mr Penno-Tompsett was under the influence of drugs at the time of his disappearance.
He was described as behaving in an ‘erratic and unpredictable’ manner because he couldn’t find his drug stash shortly before running off.
A multi-agency land search was established on January 3, 2018, shortly after Mr Penno-Tompsett was reported missing.
However, no trace of the 22-year-old was found for eight long years.
Remains found on a rural property in Breddan have been identified as missing person Jayden Penno-Tompsett (pictured)
Mr Penno-Tompsett was last seen near a roadhouse on the outskirts of Charters Towers on December 31, 2017 (pictured, flowers left at the scene)
A coronial inquest into the case was held in 2021.
Loved ones had feared the closest they’d come to closure was when it ruled that Mr Penno-Tompsett likely died from exposure.
However, Queensland Police on Monday confirmed human remains found on a rural property in Breddan, near Charters Towers, on October 20, 2025, belonged to Mr Penno-Tompsett.
