Overview

• Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame determined James Scott Church killed Smith before midnight on August 19, 2012 in a remote area of the Upper Hunter.
• CCTV captured Smith entering Church’s white ute at Tuggerah station, and point‑to‑point cameras recorded his vehicle heading toward the Upper Hunter that afternoon.
• Smith’s body has not been found, with the coroner saying her remains are likely in or near Goulburn River National Park.
• Church died by suicide in July 2022 a day before a judge‑alone verdict was due, leading to the decision being sealed under abatement rules.
• Grahame recommended the NSW Attorney‑General seek a review to allow settled judgments to be released in similar circumstances, as Smith’s family voiced measured relief.