Friend sheds new light on baffling disappearance

THE man at the centre of one of Queensland’s most bizarre disappearances has broken his silence.

Jayden Penno- Tompsett, 22, went missing during a road trip along a lonely highway that snakes through Queensland’s northern interior.

In his first ever interview, the last known person to see Mr Penno- Tompsett alive, Lucas Tattersall, 19 told about the lead up to his mate’s disappearance. The two friends left Newcastle, north of Sydney, for a 2300km trip to a New Year’s Eve party in Cairns. About 3am on December 31, 2017, they pulled into a service station on the Flinders Highway. CCTV at the Charters Towers servo provides the last images of Mr Penno- Tompsett.

Mr Tattersall said that on the long drive both men were using hard drugs that contributed to an argument spiralling out of control after being in the car together for 20- plus hours.

The argument escalated and Mr Penno- Tompsett pulled off the highway on the isolated Stockroute Rd.

Mr Tattersall said Mr Penno- Tomp- sett had lost the drugs. “He started freaking out badly about what these people would do to him if he wasn’t to pay the money,” Mr Tattersall said.

Mr Penno- Tompsett stopped the car and got out saying he wanted to “clear his head” for 15 minutes or so.

After 20 minutes Mr Tattersall began looking for his friend but couldn’t find him.

“I walked around for an hour, going in different directions yelling out his name,” he said. “It got way too hot … it was already 40C at 7am. I progressed to drive all through dirt roads and around town to try find him and did that for about six or seven hours.”

Mr Tattersall said that after contacting Mr Penno- Tompsett’s friends he was advised to make his way on to Cairns and not to involve police.

“I wanted to go to police but they said Jayden had a warrant out for his arrest and that because he was bringing drugs it would bring attention,” he said.

Mr Penno- Tompsett’s family has denied there was a warrant out for his arrest.

Mr Tattersall has been criticised for his decision to drive on to Cairns, but police have said they are more than satisfied with his help. Mr Tattersall said Mr Penno- Tompsett’s disappearance ate at him every day.