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David Keogh, one of Henry’s brothers, lived next door to his mum’s flat. During the evening she knocked on the window and rang the bell, which was their signal to each other. She reminded him about his washing which she did for him. She said Henry had been over and had just left.

It was after midnight that a policeman and policewoman came, asking for his mother. He asked them if anything was wrong. They preferred to speak to her. He thought that they probably left without doing so as he didn’t hear her answer the door.

Anna found dead

When Henry arrived home from his mothers’ that evening, he went inside and called out for Anna. No reply. He went through the hallway to the bathroom where the light was on. He found Anna in the bath, sitting at the plug-end, slumped forward on her right side, with her face in the water. He tried to get under her arms from behind and pull her out, but he couldn’t manage it that way. He got her from the front, and managed to drag her over the side of the bath. He laid her on her back on the bedroom floor, near the bathroom doorway.

She had mucous and water around her mouth and nose so he wiped it with some track pants lying nearby, to get a seal for mouth-to-mouth. He tried to do chest compressions. Whatever he did, he couldn’t get her airway cleared. He went to the phone in the hallway and called the ambulance. He went back to Anna and kept trying CPR, but couldn’t get her airway cleared. He only got water coming out. She was blue by this time.

Ambulance officers and police

A person from St John’s Ambulance said they received an emergency call at 9.33 pm; someone had drowned in a bath. He immediately despatched two ambulance crews to the premises. The first crew, Kerry Stevenson and Paul Murgatroyd, arrived at 9.38 pm.

When ambulance or police officers arrive at a scene, they normally send a message to the communication centre to let them know they are leaving the vehicle, so there is normally a fairly precise time of arrival.

There was a dog at the door when they got to the house. They held back for a moment or two, whilst the man put the dog away. They went to the bedroom where they saw a woman on the floor. Stevenson said the man was hunched over the woman crying. She told him to go outside. They connected the equipment. The woman was asystolic (that is, she had no heartbeat) -- clinically dead. They did CPR but got water and vomit from her mouth.

Stevenson said Anna’s hair was ‘damp, but not wet’. The bathroom floor was dry and the bathmat was screwed-up. The man said he’d been doing mouth-to-mouth. The bath was three-quarters full. Stevenson told the man she was sorry, there was nothing further they could do. The man’s hands were over his face. He was crying. She asked if there was anything she could do. The man hugged her and kept his arms around her. Then relatives started coming in. She heard the man say, ‘my back is sore, I hurt it today’ and that he wanted to say goodbye to Anna. 

Five months later, Stevenson made a further statement. She said that she remembered that when they arrived that night, Anna’s body was dry and the carpet was dry. There was no water or vomit on the carpet. When they tried to ventilate Anna, fluid and vomit came up. In her opinion, if a person with first-aid skills had attempted resuscitation, there would have been fluid and vomit in the upper airway. As far as she was aware, ‘this area was clear’. She added that there was water in the bath and it was still warm, ‘but not as warm as I would use for a bath’.

Murgatroyd’s account was much the same as Stevenson’s. They commenced CPR but found the airway full of fluid. They could not get air into the lungs. They stopped resuscitation attempts after ten minutes as they were unable to clear the airway. A short-time later the police arrived and he spoke to them about what had happened.

Some nine months later, Murgatroyd also made another statement. He said that he remembered there was no vomit near the body or on it when he arrived. The hair felt damp; the skin was dry; the towel around her midriff did not seem wet. When the man who was there said he’d been doing CPR, Murgatroyd thought that seemed unusual. He said that on examination, there was ‘water in the mouth’. In his opinion, any attempt at manual compression would have caused vomit and water to spill out; yet there was no sign of any. He had examined the bathroom area but didn’t see any vomit or water on the floor. He said, ‘the bath water was slightly cloudy but there was no sign of vomit in the bath.’

Senior Constable Rex Adams was working in the Communications Room at 9.35 pm that Friday evening. He tasked police officers Williams, Tyson and Horgan to the premises regarding a person collapsed. The ambulance services were on their way. Before the police arrived, the ambulance people had already advised that the woman had died.

Horgan said that at 9.35 pm he was on solo uniform mobile patrol when he attended at the premises to find two ambulances there. Another police vehicle with Williams and Tyson was there. He went inside and saw a woman lying on her back. Her hair appeared to be wet. She was in the doorway of the bedroom ensuite, covered with a white blanket. There was some vomit on the carpet to the left of her head. A man was on her left side, with his head on her chest, crying. The room was neat and tidy. Williams and Tyson began the investigation. Horgan helped by removing the man from the room and keeping relatives away from the bedroom. He said he performed this duty until 11.05 pm, when he returned to base.

Williams said he was on uniform patrol with Tyson when they were tasked to the scene. They met ambulance officers Stevenson and Murgatroyd outside the premises on arrival. They entered the front bedroom and saw a woman lying on the floor. There was a man, very distressed and crying. He was unable to speak because of his emotional state. Williams spoke to Murgatroyd, and then returned to the bedroom to speak to Horgan and Tyson. He then took Murgatroyd to the police car to get a statement from him. Senior Constable Adams arrived.

Williams returned to the house to speak to Tyson and Horgan. Inspector Giles arrived and Williams showed him to the bedroom, along with the officers who had arrived from the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). Constable Walkley from the Coroner’s Office arrived. Later that evening, Williams and Walkley organised the removal of the body from the premises. With Senior Constable Jones, Williams lifted the body and carried it to the driveway, where they placed it on a stretcher. 

Adams (from Communications) said he had been requested to attend at the premises. He arrived at 10.00 pm and had a conversation with Williams, who was then in the police car, talking to the ambulance person. He went inside and was met by Horgan inside the front door. He was shown the body, under a blanket, face up on the bedroom floor. He did not enter the room, but looked from the doorway. By this time, the deceased’s mother, father and brother were in the lounge with the fiancé. Adams went to the street and waited until the three members of the Holden Hill CIB arrived.

Constable Tyson was on mobile patrol (with Williams) when she was tasked to the premises. She met ambulance officers Stevenson and Murgatroyd out the front. In the bedroom there was a man kneeling over a body. He was crying openly and was extremely distressed. She took a statement from him. There was no pulse or respiration of the woman on the floor. There was vomit about her face and on the carpet. The bath was three-quarters full and the water was tepid. There were ‘no other signs of suspicious circumstances’. There was a handbag with tablets in it. The head and body were free of marks, bumps or bruises. The body was warm to the touch. Constable Man and Inspector Giles arrived. Constable Walkley (a police officer attached to the Coroner’s Office) had arrived in addition to officers from Technical Services. Tyson then assisted Williams and Walkley to remove the body. The family doctor, Dr Forbes, was contacted.

Inspector Giles said he attended at the premises. In the street outside he met Detective Sergeant Moulds with Constable Man and Detective Senior Constable Fielding from Holden Hill CIB. He went into the bedroom where he spoke to Tyson and Williams. On the floor was the body of a dead woman. Man and Fielding inspected the body. There was pale vomit on the carpet near her mouth. The hair was wet. There was no visible bruising on the body. There was a shaving scar on her right leg and one scar under each breast. Giles spoke to Williams and Tyson regarding the movements of the deceased and the security of the premises. He spoke to Moulds about Technical Services. He went outside and spoke to Adams, then returned to the bedroom and spoke to Walkley.

Tyson showed him a container of tablets. He looked at the bathroom and saw the bath half full of water. Jones of Technical Services took photographs. Giles and Walkley spoke to Tyson and Williams about their Coroner’s Report. Giles telephoned Detective Chief Superintendent Bartlett. As he was concluding the call, Keogh entered the bedroom, followed by Tyson and knelt down next to the deceased. Keogh held and stroked her hand. Walkely said, ‘Who is this?’ Tyson said, ‘this is Henry Keogh her fiancé.’ Keogh said, ‘I was told I could say goodbye, I touched her when I got her out of the bath’. He was sobbing. A short time later the body was carried to a gurney and put in the Coroner’s van. Giles and Walkley spoke again to Tyson and Williams about further inquiries that night, and about contacting the nightshift and the State Duty Officer if enquiries revealed anything unusual.

Constable Man said that on arrival at the scene he and Detective Senior Constable Fielding went to a house two north of the premises where he spoke with Williams who was phoning from there. Williams said that Tyson knew more. Man was then taken to the house by Williams. Man saw some six or seven people in the lounge-room. He went to the main bedroom. Inspector Giles then appeared in the bedroom. Man spoke to Tyson who said that Keogh and the woman had had a drink at the hotel and then returned home.

The woman took the dog for a walk with her sister-in-law, returned home and decided to have a bath. Keogh was to visit his mother. He returned home around 9 pm and found her in the bath. He did CPR and called the ambulance. They arrived but it was no good. Man examined the body in the bedroom. It was a nude female, mid to late 20s, collar-length dark brown straight, wet hair. There was a metal chain around her neck and rings on her fingers, which appeared clean. There was vomit (food and chips) in her teeth and on the right side of her hair and face. On checking the body there were nil suspicious marks, nil injuries recent, nil wrinkly fingers or feet, clean nails, surgical scars beneath both breasts with light scar down the right shin, old; vomit on the carpet near head next to bed; bra, knickers, tracksuit pants by her head. Man searched her scalp, wearing rubber gloves; nil suspicious. Bed queen-size, unmade. Dark quilt, sheet pulled back, nil fluid or blood discharges.

Man noticed Walkley in the room. Giles was still there. Ensuite checked. Shower recess dry, glass streaked, appeared not recently used. Handtowel dry over top of glass facing bath, bath slightly less than three-quarters full, not quite clear water; nothing in the bath. Green aluminium double-pane sliding window, fly screen intact, water in track amongst dust. Window half-open or less.

Man and Moulds went with Keogh to the police car where Man had a conversation with him regarding what had happened. Keogh was sitting in the rear seat and Man was in the left rear seat with Moulds in the right front. Man noted that Keogh was distressed, tears, vague wandering thoughts. Keogh was wearing blue jeans with a yellow striped rugby-type top that appeared damp at the front. Keogh claimed he met his fiancée at the Norwood Hotel around 5.30 pm that evening for a drink. He had three white wines; she had four white wines, possibly one more. Both were home by 7 pm. She took the dog for a walk with her sister-in-law. She returned home and they talked for a short while before Keogh went to see his mother. He appeared to dislike her. He returned after about three-quarters of an hour at 9-9.15 pm. He found Anna in the bath, submerged, after calling through the house for her. He pulled her from the bath and attempted CPR. He called the ambulance. He claimed that he was ex-ambulance. The dog was inside the house when the ambulance arrived. Keogh claimed they were about to marry. They didn’t argue. He said he wanted to get back to her.

Man noted that photographs were taken by Jones of Technical Services. Man left the premises at 11.15 pm. After some discussion with the other officers, it was decided ‘nil suspicious’. It had been a case of drinks, then drowned. ‘Await autopsy at weekend’.

Detective Moulds’ statement confirms most of what Man had said. At the end of the evening he had a conversation with Man, Fielding, Giles and Walkley and formed the opinion that the death was ‘not-suspicious’.

Detective Fielding was also from the Holden Hill CIB. He was on duty with Man and Moulds. He was tasked to the premises. On arrival he spoke to Williams. He went to the bedroom with Man and Moulds. Present there were Tyson and Giles. He saw a body on the floor, covered with a blanket. The body was limp and cool, with the eyes fixed and dilated. The mouth was open and there were no cuts. There was vomit on the side of the face and in the hair which smelled of mousse and make-up. There were ambulance resuscitation pads in the breast area. There were no defence wounds, no wrinkling of the skin and no marks to the feet or hands. There was some clothing at the corner of the bed, track pants, shirt, underpants and bra. No signs of a disturbance or a struggle in the bedroom. The bed was unmade. Fielding went to the bathroom.

There were no signs of entry by the window. No signs of a struggle. There were bottles and containers on the shelves. There was water in the bath that was cool to the touch. It was two-thirds full, with no soap or suds evident. The water looked slightly cloudy. The bath mat was soaking wet on the floor and in a dishevelled position. Walkley of the Coroner’s office was there. Fielding liaised with her and with Jones of Technical Services.

Fielding went to the lounge-room and spoke to Keogh, who was wearing a yellow rugby shirt with jeans and brown slip-on shoes. There was no vomit on his clothing. He was visibly upset and crying. He had gone to see his mother at 8.30 pm. He returned at 9.30 pm and found her in the bath. He broke down, crying. He said he found her on her side with her head under the water, facing the shower. He said he couldn’t pull the plug out as she was on it. He dragged her from the bath to the bedroom to attempt resuscitation. He called the ambulance. He said that Anna was not on any medication or drugs. They had had three or four glasses of wine and some chips at the Norwood Hotel.

Fielding spoke again with Man, Moulds, Walkley and Giles. There were no signs of a struggle. He went to the porch with Man and Moulds and then to the bedroom where Keogh was crying and holding Anna’s hand. Fielding liaised with Walkley and Tyson then left, satisfied that the death was not suspicious.

Walkley said she was a police officer stationed at the Coronial Investigation Centre. She had been there for eleven years. She attended at the scene of sudden-deaths and organized the collection of deceased persons. She had commenced duty at 3.30 pm. At 10.12 pm Police Communications tasked her to attend at the premises. At 10.30 pm she arrived and spoke to Moulds and was shown to the bedroom. There was a woman on the floor, with water and vomit around her mouth and the upper part of her body. Walkley spoke to Man and Fielding. She looked into the bathroom and noticed that there was no soap in the bath-holder and no soap in the bath. The bath mat was scrunched up and it was ‘heavy with water’. The body was pale. She spoke to Fielding and noticed that the hair of the deceased was damp. She removed the deceased to the Coroner’s ambulance and went to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Dr Wearne examined the body and declared life to be extinct. Walkley took the body to the mortuary at the Forensic Science Centre in Divett Place. 

Senior Constable Jones worked with police Technical Services. He attended with Moulds, Fielding, Man and Walkley. The deceased was on her back, covered with a white sheet. Her feet were in the doorway to the ensuite. Her hair was wet. There was vomit around her mouth and on the carpet. He rolled her onto her left side. There were signs of lividity along the back and lower body. He examined her head and could see no signs of violence. The bath had water in it, about two-thirds full. Jones took photographs of the deceased and also photos of the water level in the bathtub. Interestingly, no one thought to measure how much water there was in the bath.

Other statements

Anna’s father, Dr Kevin Cheney, said that shortly after 9.30 pm Henry had phoned and sounded very distressed. He said, ‘please come around’. He went to the house. The police and ambulance people were there and he went in. An ambulance officer said, ‘she is dead, she appears to have drowned’. Henry was at the table in the dining area. He had his head in his hands, weeping. Kevin said he was surprised when Joanne (Anna’s mother) went and comforted Henry. Henry said, ‘I want her back’, but made no attempt to speak to Kevin, who then went to the bedroom and saw Anna lying on the floor covered with a rug. He looked at her and then went back to the family room. Kevin said that when he saw Anna, the thing that struck him was that she appeared to have vomit in her hair and on the carpet nearby.

Later that night, Joanne said to him, ‘should someone empty the bath?’ Kevin said the water in the bath was clear, but there were flecks of amorphous material on the bottom of it. The bath was only half-full and this struck him as strange. He said that as he emptied the water (after the police had gone) the plug was hard to get out. He also thought that the fact that the floor was not wet in the bathroom seemed strange.

At some time during the evening Kevin rang Marc and Susan to come over. It was an emotional time. He told Marc, on several occasions, that something was wrong. He could not accept that a fit and healthy person could drown in such a small bath. Then Henry’s father and stepmother arrived. Kevin, Joanne and Henry’s parents asked Henry to come home with them, but he wanted to stay there. Kevin thought that to be extraordinary, but he couldn’t really do anything about it, so they left for home soon after.

Anna’s mother, Joanne, said that she had been shopping and got home around 8.50 pm that evening. At about 9.40 pm the phone rang and they were told to go to Anna’s. When they arrived a police officer said, ‘I’m sorry she’s dead’. The ambulance officer said they had tried to resuscitate her but were not successful. Joanne was inside the house for a few minutes before Henry came out of the bedroom. She said to Henry, ‘she wouldn’t commit suicide?’ Henry said there was no question of suicide. She hugged Henry and he said, ‘I want her back. All I wanted was to be a family’. He said, ‘she loved you’ and Joanne said, ‘she loved you too’.

Joanne asked Henry how Anna was in the bath, ‘was she under the water?’ He said, ‘yes, on her side’. She said, ‘she must have died as soon as she got in the bath with her knees up. She must have just rolled over’. Henry never replied.

Lucinda Reu, a friend of Anna’s, said that late that night, Anna’s sister-in-law had phoned to say that Anna had died. The last time Lucinda had seen Anna was at the Law Society about 4.30 pm that day. They had chatted for about ten minutes. Anna asked her to come for a drink, but she said, ‘no thanks’. Anna seemed to be happy. She had known Henry for three years. She had never known Henry to use force. He could be ‘moody’ at times. He could ‘go quiet’. She had no reason to believe they were anything but very much in love with each other. She arrived about 10.30 pm with her husband, Anthony.

Henry told her had a ‘snog’ with Anna earlier in the evening. She understood this to mean they had sex, as this was what he and Anna sometimes called it. They left between 11 pm and midnight. Henry was crying at first and then he seemed all cried out. He seemed keen to stay on his own and said he was going to try to get some sleep. 

Dr Jack Wearne said that at 11.50 pm he was on duty at the accident and emergency department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He attended at the rear of the Coroner’s ambulance and declared life to be extinct. 

‘… the death was not suspicious …’

Dr Jack Wearne said that at 11.50pm he was on duty at the accident and emergency department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He attended at the rear of the Coroner’s ambulance and declared life to be extinct.

An entry in the Holden Hill Police Station Journal states, in part:

“no suspicious circs, appears drank bottle of wine during evg at hotel, gone home, sat in bath, fallen asleep, drowned. No signs of struggle etc on body at all.”