Josh Warneke: Coroner Finds Broome Man Likely Bashed to Death 16 Years Ago

A 21-year-old man found dead by the side of a road after a night out in Broome 16 years ago was likely bashed to death, a coroner has found.

Exactly who killed Josh Warneke has remained an enduring mystery since the man jailed for his killing, Gene Gibson, was acquitted on appeal.

While coroner Ros Fogliani found Mr Warneke was likely murdered, she was unable to identify the person responsible.

Mr Warneke had been drinking with friends at various bars around Broome on the night of February 25, 2010, and was last seen on CCTV footage at the local McDonald's drive-thru.

His badly bruised body was found by the side of Old Broome Road shortly after 3am on February 26.

Publishing her findings on Monday afternoon, Coroner Fogliani found Mr Warneke had been murdered, having suffered a fatal head injury that was the “result of blunt force trauma with a weapon".

She said she would report her findings to the Department of Public Prosecutions for further investigation, opening the possibility of a new police probe into his death.

Police reaction criticised

Mr Warneke's death and the lack of answers over what happened that night shocked the local community, with his mother Ingrid Bishop calling for answers ever since.

A botched police investigation saw Mr Gibson charged with his murder.

The Kiwirrkurra man spent almost five years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2017.

Mr Gibson was awarded $1.3 million compensation, while police officers involved in his arrest were lambasted in a Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry.

Police initially offered a $250,000 reward for information into Mr Warneke's death, before increasing this to $1 million in a bid to crack the case.

Coroner Fogliani was scathing of the police investigations finding not enough resources had been allocated.

Police resourcing was "not to the level that would have been applied in the metropolitan area and, as the investigation became protracted, there was no evident resourcing strategy".

She said forensics had not been called to the scene at the time Mr Warneke's body was discovered and samples were not taken for testing.

Officers had also moved his body and covered it in an unsterile sheet, actions which "risked the forensic preservation of the scene and forensic evidence".

And a series of black marks on Mr Warneke's forearm were not recognised by officers as being relevant to the case, so samples were not taken "and evidence of them was not preserved, when it should have been".

A call for answers

A two-week coronial inquest into Mr Warneke's death was held in September 2024, with hearings in both Broome and Perth.

The inquest heard from 30 witnesses, including people who had seen him on the night he died, police and taxi drivers.

It also detailed the circumstances around Mr Warneke's death.

The tradesman was found with serious head injuries, with the inquiry examining whether he died after being hit by a vehicle, being struck by a hard object, or a combination of both.