Inquest into the death of Wayne Campbell

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STATE CORONER’S COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Inquest into the death of Mr Wayne Bruce

Campbell

4 December 2025 4 December 2025

NSW State Coroner’s Court, Lidcombe

Magistrate Carmel Forbes, Deputy State

Coroner

CORONIAL LAW — missing person-finding of death-open findings on cause, manner, and

place of death

2024/00182182

Representation: Mr Danny Winter-Mirenzi Coronial Advocate Assisting Mr Bruce Campbell, son of the missing

person

Findings:

| make the following findings pursuant to section

81(1) of the Coroners Act 2009 (NSW),

Identity The person who died was Mr. Wayne Bruce

Campbell.

Date of death Mr Campbell died on or in the period shortly after 20 August 2022.

Place of death The available evidence does not allow for any finding to be made as to the place of Mr

Campbell’s death

Cause of death The available evidence does not allow for any finding to be made as to the cause of Mr

Campbell's death

Manner of death The available evidence does not allow for any finding to be made as to the manner of Mr

Campbell’s death

Table of Contents

Introduction

This is an inquest into the disappearance and suspected death of Mr Wayne Campbell who was last seen on 20 August 2022 at 11.16pm leaving his residence.

Mr Campbell was 57 years old at the time of his disappearance.

Unfortunately, the exact circumstances of his disappearance remain mysterious.

The role of the coroner in a case such as this is to make findings firstly as to whether Mr Campbeil has died and only if that can be established, to make further findings as to the date of death, place of death, the manner and the

cause of the death.

A two-volume brief, including witness statements, police reports, photographs and CCTV footage has been tendered. It contains the records of the investigative work in relation to Mr Campbell’s disappearance. | will only refer to these detailed records briefly within the scope of these written reasons; however, |

have had the opportunity to review all the documents provided.

The Court also heard oral evidence from the officer in charge of the investigation,

Senior Constable Bradley May.

Background

Mr Campbell was born in Sydney on the 19** of August 1965. He was adopted

from a young age by Betty and Bruce Campbell. He was one of four children

In 1995, he commenced a long-term relationship with Jacquelene Mayall and

had two children. The couple separated in 2006.

In the mid-1980s, Mr Campbell started his own thrash metal band called Mortal Sin, which produced five albums and toured internationally. Mr Cambell is

considered an icon.

In 2000, Mr Campbell was badly assaulted which resulted in him suffering a significant head injury, causing him to have frequent migraines and impacting on

how he functioned in general.

He suffered from the following medical conditions: e ~—s Epilepsy

° hypotension

e = Arthritis/Gout

e —_ Lung nodules

° Inguinal hernia

e Substance abuse

e — Allergies: penicillin

On 19 July 2021, he presented as psychotic to Wollongong Hospital. The hospital notes recorded him as refusing medications, agitated, hostile, threatening, and paranoid. He was initially admitted as a voluntary patient to the Mental Health Unit, however whilst in hospital he became aggressive and hostile requiring restraint and was changed to an involuntary admission for psychiatric medical

attention. He was discharged from the Mental Health Unit on the 21 July 2021.

He had a prior admission in 2018 for a substance induced psychosis.

Circumstances of the disappearance

Prior to going missing, Mr Campbell was living at a Department of Housing Services premises located at 1/1 Churchill Avenue, Warrawong NSW. He had

been living there since 19 October 2020.

On 29 July 2022, Mr Campbell contacted NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Housing Services, informing that he was to be cut off from Centrelink from 4 August 2022. Arrangements were made for him to attend the office to arrange continuation of payments. Mr Campbell failed to show up to

this appointment.

Mr Campbell’s New Start allowance was stopped by Centrelink on 4 August 2022 due to him not attending arranged meetings. He had not made a rent payment

also since 4 August 2022.

On 18 August 2022, Mr Campbell was spoken to by Wollongong Police Transport Command at Wollongong railway station for not holding a ticket and a fine was issued. On 18 August 2022 there was the last transaction of Mr Campbell’s ANZ account at 7:02pm at an ATM located at 45 King Street, Warrawong where a

small amount was withdrawn.

Mr Campbell was last seen on 20 August 2022 captured on CCTV footage outside his residence at 11:16pm. He is shown on the footage walking around outside

the front of a property and on the roadway in an agitated state.

On 1, 7, 14, & 21 September 2022, and on the 5 October 2022, officers from DC) Housing Services attended Mr Campbell's premises to talk with him about his

rent. There was no response on each of these occasions.

On 27 September 2022, the Senior Clients Officer Specialist with NSW DC} Housing Services emailed Lake Illawarra Police requesting they contact an officer from the Wollongong Medico-legal Unit in order to make inquiries as to whether

Mr Campbell had been admitted into hospital.

Police obtained information that Mr Campbell had been in Wollongong Hospital

on the 7 July 2022 and discharged after two hours.

On 13 October 2022, DCJ Housing Services and a locksmith attended Mr Campbell’s premises and entry was gained. It appeared to the Senior Clients Officer Specialist that none of his belongings had been touched. Mr Campbell's

mobile phone number was called several times and went unanswered.

About 3:00pm on 14 October 2022, the Senior Clients Officer Specialist

contacted Lake Illawarra Police to report him as a missing person.

Mr Campbell is reported missing

23. Co-ordinated land searches including dogs of large areas of land were conducted

at Port Kembla. CCTV footage and extensive canvassing of the Warrawong area

was conducted. A missing persons flyer was left with surrounding neighbours.

Police made all the regular inquiries into administrative records relating to Mr Campbeil’s bank accounts, business records, telephone records, travel records and medical records. These inquiries are sometimes called “signs of life” checks and are conducted to see if there is any kind of activity which might suggest that a. person is still living. No activity has been detected which suggests suspicious

activity or points to any suggestion that Mr Campbell is still alive.

No one in his family has heard from him since the 20 August 2022. A canvass of neighbours and places Mr Campbell regularly frequented, such as his local pub that he attended daily, were conducted with no signs of life. Homeless hubs were

also canvassed.

The Officer in Charge of the investigation concerning Mr Campbell’s disappearance is Plain Clothes Senior Constable Brad May of the Lake Illawarra Police District. Senior Constable May is of the view that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Camphell’s death. His opinion is that on the night of his disappearance, Mr Campbell was in, what appeared to be, a psychotic state

before walking out of sight and that Mr Campbell is deceased.

Mr Campbell’s daughter stated that she is sure someone in their family would have heard from him if he was still alive. Mr Campbell’s son agrees. He says that his father loved his sister and would have contacted her if he was alive.

Furthermore, his son said that Mr Campbell is so well known in the heavy metal scene in Sydney and that if he was alive, he would have reached out to someone.

He explained that his father was a professional musician who was so proud of his achievements and would be very pleased to know that Mortal Sin have announced a return international tour in 2026 to celebrate the 40" anniversary

of their debut album.

28. Despite a comprehensive Police investigation, Mr Campbell has not been seen

or heard from since 11.16pm on Saturday the 20" of August 2022.

29. Having weighed up all the evidence before me, | am satisfied on the balance of

probabilities that Mr Wayne Campbell died on or shortly after 20 August 2022.

Conclusion

30. While | am able to make a finding that Mr Campbell is dead and that he died sometime shortly after 20 August 2022, other questions remain more difficult to answer. Unfortunately, | am unable to record the place of his death, the cause

of his death or the circumstances of his death.

31. | offer my condolences and sympathy to Mr Campbell’s family and thank his son for participating in this inquest when it has been so sad for him. | hope that in the future the necessary evidence can be uncovered to provide more

information about what happened to Mr Campbell.

32. | thank the investigating officer Senior Constable May for his thorough investigation in this matter and all of those involved in the searches. | thank

Sergeant Danny Winter-Mirenzi for his assistance in the inquest.

33. {close this inquest.

Findings

For the reasons set out above, | make the following findings pursuant to section 81(1)

of the Act:

identity

The person who died was Mr. Wayne Bruce Campbell.

Date of death

Mr Campbell died on or shortly after 20 August 2022.

Place of death The available evidence does not allow for any finding to be made as to the place of

Mr Campbell’s death

Cause of death The available evidence does not allow for any finding to be made as to the cause of

Mr Campbell’s death

Manner of death The available evidence does not allow for any finding to be made as to the manner

of Mr Campbell’s death

Magistrate Carmel Forbes Deputy State Coroner

December 2025

NSW State Coroner’s Court, Lidcombe