The family of a missing Canberra skier expressed frustration over the initial police response to their concerns before his body was discovered in the Snowy Mountains, a coronial inquest has revealed.
The inquest into the death of 24-year-old Andrew Keith Seton began this week in New South Wales. Seton had driven from his home in Downer, ACT, to Jindabyne on September 2, 2022, intending to ski in the backcountry of Kosciuszko National Park. He spent the night in his car before setting out alone the next morning, court documents state.
At 10 a.m., Seton sent a selfie to his girlfriend, captioned “Windy up top.” He was last seen by other skiers an hour later at Watsons Crags, a remote area northwest of Perisher.
Seton’s mother grew concerned when he failed to call her at the end of the day, as he always did after skiing. She contacted the police, noting he had a personal locator beacon that had not been activated.
Counsel assisting Jake Harris highlighted that officers found Seton’s car at Guthega at 11 p.m. without any ski gear inside but did not initiate an emergency response or file a missing persons report. Instead, the police conducted inquiries on September 4 and escalated the search later that afternoon. A rescue helicopter surveyed Watsons Crags in the evening, and a full search commenced on September 5.
“The family were frustrated with the police response, about being asked the same questions repeatedly, and because it appeared to them that police were not taking their concerns seriously,” Harris said. “The fact that he had not made contact was out of character and extremely concerning. They did not feel their concerns were being taken seriously.”
Seton’s body was found on a rock down a slope at Watsons Crags on the afternoon of September 5. Harris suggested the evidence would indicate that Seton died from injuries sustained in an accidental fall shortly after his last sighting by other skiers. “His death would have been almost instantaneous,” he noted.
An experienced and proficient skier, Seton had gone on at least 10 backcountry day trips and carried appropriate equipment. However, Harris pointed out that it was initially unclear where he was as he hadn’t filled out a National Parks and Wildlife Service trip intention form, which records the departure and return times and the route for those entering wilderness areas.
Harris emphasized the importance of all backcountry skiers completing trip intention forms to enhance safety. “Andrew died doing something he loved,” he said. “Like many people, he was drawn to an invigorating, demanding, and highly skilled sport, one attended by significant risk.”
The inquest will address several issues, including whether the police should have recorded Seton as a missing person when his mother first contacted them and if the search and rescue operation should have commenced earlier. It will also evaluate whether the regulatory and advisory framework for backcountry skiing is adequate.
Closing statements in the inquest before Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan in Lidcombe are expected on Friday, July 26.
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