In a development that brings back one of Australia’s most disturbing child murder cases, Rick Thorburn—the man convicted of killing 12-year-old Tiahleigh Palmer—has been found dead in his prison cell. He was 64.
Suicide Confirmed After Several Previous Attempts
Thorburn died by suicide at the Woodford Correctional Centre in regional Queensland late Friday night.
Authorities confirmed he was found unresponsive around 10pm while alone in his single cell.
Prison staff immediately called emergency services and tried to resuscitate him, but their efforts were in vain.
This wasn’t Thorburn’s first suicide attempt—he had previously tried to take his life behind bars on at least three separate occasions, with reported incidents in February 2024, August 2022, and September 2020.
A Crime That Shocked the Nation
Back in 2018, Thorburn was sentenced to life in prison for the horrific murder of Tiahleigh Palmer, a foster child who had been living under his care.
The case made national headlines, not just because of the brutal nature of the crime, but because of the tangled web of family secrets that surrounded it.
Thorburn’s motive for the murder came to light during the investigation.
He had discovered that his teenage son Trent, who was 19 at the time, was having an incestuous sexual relationship with Tiahleigh.
Fearing the consequences—especially after suspecting she might be pregnant—Thorburn decided to silence her.
A Disappearance That Ended in Tragedy
On October 30, 2015, Thorburn reported Tiahleigh missing, telling authorities he had dropped her off at school but she never made it inside.
Tragically, her body was discovered six days later on the banks of Queensland’s Pimpama River by local fishermen.
Despite concerns she may have been pregnant, a post-mortem confirmed Tiahleigh was not.
Thorburn later claimed in court that her death was an accident and that he had suffocated her unintentionally.
The courts—and the public—didn’t buy it.
A Family Caught in a Web of Lies
The fallout from Tiahleigh’s murder extended well beyond Rick Thorburn.
His son Trent was sentenced to four years in prison for incest, perjury, and trying to interfere with the course of justice—but he served only 16 months.
Thorburn’s older son, Joshua, received three months behind bars after pleading guilty to similar charges.
Even Rick’s wife, Julene, served six months for her role in the cover-up.
In a scathing inquest report, Queensland’s Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley stated that Thorburn had shown absolutely no remorse for what he did to Tiahleigh.
That sentiment stayed with many Australians who followed the case closely from the beginning.
A Sentence That Was Never Going to Be Served
Thorburn had been eligible for parole in 2036, though few expected he would ever be released.
Given the nature of his crime and the widespread public outrage, it’s likely his future would have remained behind bars.
But now, with his death officially ruled a suicide, the story of Rick Thorburn ends as tragically as it began—for everyone involved.