NEED TO KNOW

After vanishing 13 years ago, the death of a 23-year-old woman has been ruled a homicide

A coroner on the case determined that Leisl Smith was killed by her partner, James Scott Church, on Aug. 19, 2012

Church died by suicide in 2022 on the day before a verdict in the murder case was revealed

A 23-year-old woman who disappeared 13 years ago was killed by her partner, a coroner has ruled.

On Monday, Sept. 29, Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame determined that Leisl Smith had been killed by James Scott Church, 42, before 12:00 a.m. on Aug. 19, 2012 at a remote area in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia, per The Sydney Morning Herald , the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and 9 News .

Despite extensive search efforts, her body has still

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