In a significant development, an Australian coroner has called for renewed police scrutiny into the mysterious death of Simone Strobel, a German backpacker whose body was discovered concealed in a park two decades ago. Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, who presided over a second inquest into the case, concluded that further investigation is warranted to uncover the truth behind the tragic incident. Strobel, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher from Bavaria, was found naked under palm fronds in Lismore, New South Wales, on February 17, 2005, just 100 meters from the trailer where she had been staying with her boyfriend Tobias Suckfuell (now known as Tobias Moran), his sister Katrin Suckfuell, and friend Jens Martin. Her body was discovered six days after she was reported missing. Despite Moran being charged with her murder and obstruction of justice in 2022, the charges were subsequently dropped without explanation. O’Sullivan noted that while Moran’s legal team argued his involvement was ‘very unlikely,’ she could not definitively rule out his participation. The coroner also dismissed the likelihood of Moran’s sister or Martin being involved, emphasizing that Moran could not have acted alone in the alleged crime. However, O’Sullivan stopped short of assigning responsibility, stating that the cause of Strobel’s death remains unclear. This echoes the findings of the initial 2007 inquest, which also cited insufficient evidence to recommend charges. In 2020, police offered a AUD 1 million reward for information, and Moran has since expressed hope that the case will receive a ‘fair and unbiased investigation’ following the coroner’s recommendation to refer the matter to the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Team for further DNA analysis. Strobel and Moran had arrived in Australia as backpackers in 2004, with Moran changing his name in 2012 after marrying his Australian wife.
Australian coroner calls for more investigations into German backpacker’s death 20 years ago
