Inquest begins for toddler

Coroner will hear evidence over 15 days into death of Lachie in Gore

The inquest into the death of a toddler who was found dead in an oxidation pond in Gore more than five years ago is set to begin today. Lachlan Jones was 3 when he was found dead late on the evening of January 29, 2019, face up in a council oxidation pond near his home.

A police investigation determined that Lachlan drowned, with no evidence of criminal activity.

However, Lachlan’s father, Paul Jones, believes that his child was murdered.

A 15-day fixture for the inquest, held by Auckland-based Coroner Alexander Ho, will begin at the Invercargill courthouse this morning.

Family and witnesses will be giving evidence about the events of the afternoon and night of Lachlan’s death.

Each witness’ memory will be examined by counsel surrounding the events of that day and evening.

Lachlan’s body was found in a council oxidation pond approximately 1km from his home.

He had been in the care of his mother, who had reported him missing earlier that evening.

Pathologist Dr Roland Lass conducted a post-mortem examination and determined that Lachlan died from drowning.

Police investigated the death and determined that there was no evidence of neglect or criminal liability, with a subsequent police reinvestigation reaching the same conclusion.

Lachlan’s father, Paul, has disputed the findings of the police investigations.

He has obtained two expert reports to support his beliefs. The first, from forensic pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar, suggests that there was insufficient pathological evidence to support Dr Lass’ conclusion that Lachlan died from drowning.

The second, from retired United States crime scene investigator Karen Smith, identifies what she considers to be deficiencies in the police investigations and hypothesises that other individuals had greater involvement in Lachlan’s disappearance than police investigations concluded.

Late last year, police admitted to “missing some steps” in probing the death, with Southern Police District Commander Paul Basham requesting a national investigations overview of police’s handling of the original investigation.

Coroner Ho will consider the criticisms that have been made of the police investigation during the inquiry.

“No way is the fight for justice for my son over,” Paul Jones told the Herald in December 2022 when Gore District Council admitted a health and safety charge relating to the death and inadequate fencing around the ponds.

“Ninety-nine per cent of this town don’t think he walked out there,” he said.

No way is the fight for justice for my son over.

Paul Jones (right), father of Lachie (inset)