Sixteen years after Josh was murdered, will the case ever be solved?

Josh Warneke was found dead on a Broome road more than 16 years ago. (Supplied) Link copiedShareShare articleIngrid Bishop describes her son as the "love of her life". An "incredible young man", she says Josh Warneke brought "energy, kindness, humour, generosity and love" into the lives of those who knew him. Warning: Readers are advised this story contains distressing content. "I still hear his voice, still see his smile and I still expect him to walk through the door," she said in 2024. Ingrid Bishop (right) with her son Joshua at the beach in Broome. (Supplied: Ingrid Bishop) An apprentice carpenter living in Western Australia's far northern town of Broome, the 21-year-old was a "much-loved" brother and son. Friends remember a good-natured "top bloke", who was outgoing, confident and "always just friendly". The warmth of those memories stand in stark contrast to how Josh was found 16 years ago. It was just after 3am, on February 26, 2010, when a taxi driver spotted a shape in the darkness on the side of Old Broome Road. Illuminated in the vehicle's high beams was Josh, lying chest down on the edge of the main road into town. It was Josh, lifeless in the wet season humidity. He was in a position the WA Coroner Ros Fogliani, in findings released this week, would deem "unusual". Josh Warneke's body was found on Old Broome Road in Broome. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic) The positioning of his thongs and small hairs found in his palms were amongst the litany of factors deemed "puzzling" or "hard to explain". Blood pooled around his blonde hair from a severe head injury, found to be the cause of his death. But who delivered the fatal blow is a question that remains unanswered after numerous police inquiries, a wrongful conviction and now a coronial inquest. During the inquest held in 2024, witnesses who were with Josh in his final hours recalled him in good spirits enjoying a night out with friends at a couple of Broome's popular venues. He was seen about 2:45am walking along Old Broome Road towards home. In her findings, Coroner Ros Fogliani criticised the original police investigation into Josh Warneke's death. (Supplied) Less than an hour later, a volunteer ambulance officer certified Josh dead. The inquest heard Josh's body was turned over and the ambulance officer placed a non-sterile sheet over him to preserve his dignity with consent from police. Josh had attended the Roebuck Bay Hotel's Oasis Bar, which draws in large crowds with its famous wet T-shirt competition on Thursday nights. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne) That, the coroner found, was the first of several forensic mishaps that compromised evidence in the investigation's early stages. Other mishaps included no multidisciplinary forensic team called to the scene that night, lack of samples taken for testing and poor crime scene photographs. In the immediate aftermath, theories emerged on whether Josh was the victim of a hit and run, but police found a lack of evidence to support it. With homicide the remaining alternative, detectives launched Operation Aviemore, which identified over 700 witnesses. What appeared to be a break in the case emerged in 2012, when Gene Gibson, from Kiwirrkurra in WA's remote East Pilbara, told police he had killed Josh with a vehicle during an interview. Despite English not being Mr Gibson's first language, police interviewed him on multiple occasions without legal representation or an interpreter before charging him with Josh's murder. Gene Gibson was freed in April 2017 after spending five years in prison. (Supplied: Kiwirrkurra CSM) In her findings, Coroner Ros Fogliani stated a "problematic culture" had developed within Kimberley Police in 2012, where interpreters were often not utilised to assist in the interview of Aboriginal persons for serious crimes. In response to the coroner's findings, WA Police told the ABC reforms had seen standards improve. But the peak body for interpreters in WA this week claimed to still be routinely "shut out" of criminal matters by police. Mr Gibson's police interviews were found to be inadmissible in court, and after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He served almost five before his conviction was quashed on appeal, with a subsequent Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry exposing "systemic failures" in WA Police. Ingrid Bishop advocated for Mr Gibson's release with his family. (Supplied) In 2017, police reopened their investigation, interviewing over 850 witnesses and delivering a fresh body of evidence to the coroner four years later. But it would take another three years, and tireless advocacy from Ms Bishop, before the inquest began. "It took me years to actually get some attention in regard to having the coronial inquest. Sixteen years later, we finally get it," Ms Bishop said this week. Having long believed her son was murdered, the inquest saw Ms Bishop's counse

Sixteen years after Josh was murdered, will the case ever be solved?

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