A coroner has determined a man who went missing on Tasmania’s east coast more than five years ago is dead, but says the cause of his death remains unknown.
John Thomas Norrish, 52, was last seen in the St Helens area in November 2018.
Despite an extensive search on land, in the water and from the air, no trace of Norrish was ever found.
In his findings, Coroner Simon Cooper said that Norrish had an acquired brain injury and was likely in poor physical health when he went missing.
“He was a well-known character around St Helens and seen by many using his bicycle to move around the town, at the local tip shop, fishing from the St Helens wharf and at the Bayside Inn gambling on poker machines,” Cooper said.
“A distinctive figure, Mr Norrish always wore a leather Akubra style hat and was well known for his habit of attempting to ride his bicycle whilst carrying a fishing rod.”
He said something may have happened to Norrish after he left the St Helens tip shop and headed in the wrong direction along Argonaut Road on November 25, 2018.
“What happened to him after that is impossible to determine. There is no evidence that points either way to homicide, suicide, misadventure or death as a result of natural causes,” Cooper said.
“There is nothing to suggest a particular cause of death in the case of Mr Norrish. That is unlikely to change unless and until his remains are located.”
“I convey my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr Norrish.”
