Seven years after her body was discovered, Mozambique’s police have formally classified the death of Australian Elly Warren as a homicide.
Elly’s father, Paul Warren, of Mordialloc, Melbourne, has welcomed the long-overdue discovery and is optimistic that an Australian inquest would produce the same results.
“We’re hopeful now, we’re probably more hopeful than we’ve ever been that somebody might be charged,” the man stated.
There are some suspects, they have.
Two days before she was scheduled to return home, 20-year-old Elly’s body was discovered face down behind a restroom block in coastal Mozambique in 2016.
In the seaside town, Mr. Warren undertook his own investigations.
After Australian Federal Police traveled to East Africa at the coroner’s request, he was informed of the homicide inquiry.
Charlie Bezzina, a retired homicide detective, has studied the case for years.
Elly’s death was deemed “violent” in the original Mozambique report, and sand was discovered in her lungs at a South African autopsy.
Bezzina is certain despite an unclear examination finding.
He declared, “This is a murder; this was a homicide, and it needs to be investigated properly with the Federal Police watching over the shoulders of the Mozambique authorities.”
A statement from the seasoned investigator will be included in the Victorian inquiry.
“It’s based on factual evidence on what’s already been produced in the photographs, witnesses that have come forward, and now the acceptance of the Mozambique police,” he declared.
From an Australian standpoint, it’s crucial that we support Mozambique and that this issue isn’t ignored.
Seven years after her body was discovered, Mozambique’s police have formally classified the death of Australian Elly Warren as a homicide.
The coroner will hear three days of testimony from Elly’s family, friends, medical professionals, and investigators starting on Tuesday.
Her family is hoping that it will result in an official Australian request for Mozambique to turn over the case file.
In a manner, Mr. Warren added, “If there’s any chance we find the people who killed my daughter, then that would be closure.”
Because I know for a fact that she would do it for me, it’s crucial that I do this for her.
