A young man’s death once ruled a suicide is now being treated as a potential homicide, with NSW’s top coroner referring the case to detectives.
The body of 25-year-old Jackson Stacker was found in bushland near Byron Bay in 2021, with a knife lodged in his chest and part of his scalp metres away.
Police initially concluded his death was likely self-inflicted, but State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan said on Thursday she couldn’t determine the cause and manner of death, and has referred the case to the homicide squad.
Mysterious death
In May 2021, Stacker (who was from Melbourne) began travelling through NSW’s Northern Rivers region in a van.
He was last seen on 22 July – the same day he spoke to his family for the final time.
A month later, his van was found abandoned at the Sleepy Hollow rest stop, about 30km north of Byron Bay, prompting his family to file a missing persons report.
On 25 August, police discovered his decomposed body in a paddock nearby.
He was found under a tree with a 30cm hunting knife lodged in his chest. His scalp was located 14 metres away.
In a subsequent search, his mother, Sandey MacFarlane, found one of his teeth, which led police to uncover three finger bones.
The death was initially treated as a suicide, but his family have long maintained he did not take his own life.
Inquest
Coroners investigate deaths that are unusual or unexplained to determine when and how they occurred, but do not assign criminal blame.
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A coronial inquest into Stacker’s death began in February 2024, with family, friends, police and witnesses giving evidence about the events leading up to his death.
More than two years later, TDA was at the NSW Coroners Court when State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan handed down her findings.
She could not confirm the exact date of death, but found it was likely closer to his last sighting on 22 July than the discovery of his body on 25 August.
The cause and manner of death were deemed unascertainable, largely due to the extent of decomposition.
While Stacker appeared distressed in the lead-up to his death, his family told the inquest suicide was “counter” to his character.
The Coroner said there was “no evidence” anyone intended to harm him, but acknowledged concerns about aspects of the police investigation, which his family argued was insufficient.
Family response
“Our position was if there is a door that is left open for us to continue to investigate, for us to now work with homicide [detectives], that would be our holy grail, even though notwithstanding, we don’t have our beloved son with us anymore.” – Jackson Stacker’s mother, Sandey MacFarlane.
What’s next?
O’Sullivan has referred the case to NSW Police.
It will now be assessed to determine whether it meets the threshold for investigation by the Unsolved Homicide Squad.
That unit is responsible for reviewing suspected murders and manslaughters, including cases where deaths were not self-inflicted.
