Sixteen years after Josh was murdered, will the case ever be solved?

The WA coroner has ruled Josh Warneke was murdered, but is the case any closer to being solved? Sat 20 Jun 2026 at 10:37am Ingrid Bishop describes her son as the "love of her life". An "incredible young man", she says Josh Warneke brought "energy, kindness, humour, generosity and love" into the lives of those who knew him. Warning: Readers are advised this story contains distressing content. "I still hear his voice, still see his smile and I still expect him to walk through the door," she said in 2024. An apprentice carpenter living in Western Australia's far northern town of Broome, the 21-year-old was a "much-loved" brother and son. Friends remember a good-natured "top bloke", who was outgoing, confident and "always just friendly". The warmth of those memories stand in stark contrast to how Josh was found 16 years ago. A body on the road It was just after 3am, on February 26, 2010, when a taxi driver spotted a shape in the darkness on the side of Old Broome Road. Illuminated in the vehicle's high beams was Josh, lying chest down on the edge of the main road into town. It was Josh, lifeless in the wet season humidity. He was in a position the WA Coroner Ros Fogliani, in findings released this week, would deem "unusual". The positioning of his thongs and small hairs found in his palms were amongst the litany of factors deemed "puzzling" or "hard to explain". Blood pooled around his blonde hair from a severe head injury, found to be the cause of his death. But who delivered the fatal blow is a question that remains unanswered after numerous police inquiries, a wrongful conviction and now a coronial inquest. Forensic mishaps During the inquest held in 2024, witnesses who were with Josh in his final hours recalled him in good spirits enjoying a night out with friends at a couple of Broome's popular venues. He was seen about 2:45am walking along Old Broome Road towards home. Less than an hour later, a volunteer ambulance officer certified Josh dead. The inquest heard Josh's body was turned over and the ambulance officer placed a non-sterile sheet over him to preserve his dignity with consent from police. That, the coroner found, was the first of several forensic mishaps that compromised evidence in the investigation's early stages. Other mishaps included no multidisciplinary forensic team called to the scene that night, lack of samples taken for testing and poor crime scene photographs. Murder inquiry bungled In the immediate aftermath, theories emerged on whether Josh was the victim of a hit and run, but police found a lack of evidence to support it. With homicide the remaining alternative, detectives launched Operation Aviemore, which identified over 700 witnesses. What appeared to be a break in the case emerged in 2012, when Gene Gibson, from Kiwirrkurra in WA's remote East Pilbara, told police he had killed Josh with a vehicle during an interview. Despite English not being Mr Gibson's first language, police interviewed him on multiple occasions without legal representation or an interpreter before charging him with Josh's murder. In her findings, Coroner Ros Fogliani stated a "problematic culture" had developed within Kimberley Police in 2012, where interpreters were often not utilised to assist in the interview of Aboriginal persons for serious crimes. In response to the coroner's findings, WA Police told the ABC reforms had seen standards improve. But the peak body for interpreters in WA this week claimed to still be routinely "shut out" of criminal matters by police. Mr Gibson's police interviews were found to be inadmissible in court, and after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He served almost five before his conviction was quashed on appeal, with a subsequent Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry exposing "systemic failures" in WA Police. In 2017, police reopened their investigation, interviewing over 850 witnesses and delivering a fresh body of evidence to the coroner four years later. But it would take another three years, and tireless advocacy from Ms Bishop, before the inquest began. "It took me years to actually get some attention in regard to having the coronial inquest. Sixteen years later, we finally get it," Ms Bishop said this week. The coroner's findings Having long believed her son was murdered, the inquest saw Ms Bishop's counsel advocate that a sharp weapon had been used. The inquest honed in on a minute detail which backed this theory: the hairs found in Josh's hands. A pathologist had initially deemed them "puzzling" because some were shorter in length and did not appear to have been transferred by blood flow. In 2012, a subsequent forensic report found the hairs were not shed naturally and were "consistent with being cut, broken or sliced by a sharp object or instrument." The coroner, in her findings, ruled out several scenarios driven by the cloud of local rumour and speculation. There was no evidence, Ms Fogliani found, to suggest Josh passed out on the side of the road from intoxication and was hit by a car. After going over three scenarios supported by evidence, the coroner concluded Josh died from unlawful homicide, likely due to blunt force trauma to the head with a weapon. What happens now? Ms Fogliani could not make findings as to who was responsible and potential suspects have been legally suppressed. Her evidence has now been referred to WA's Director of Public Prosecutions for further assessment. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said this week there were "significant persons of interest", but the investigation remained open and a potential million-dollar reward for information leading to a conviction still available. He said it was for the DPP to determine whether a prosecution was possible. "Historically, in cases like this, we know there are people out there who do know something," he said. "All we need is that trigger for that person to come forward." He maintains the case can still be solved. "It hurts me as a police officer, who joined this job to bring justice to people like Josh's mum … I think it hurts us all that we still don't have these answers and we know how much it impacts on his mum," Mr Blanch said. "I think there is a real likelihood that people do know something." Ms Bishop remains hopeful for justice. "It's been 16 years, and it may be another 16 years," she said. "But I'm not going away."