Elly Warren death: Grief-stricken family of Aussie volunteer who died outside a toilet block in Africa remain in the dark about her death after coroner’s ruling
Victoria's state coroner has been unable to decide whether an Australian woman found dead outside a toilet block in Mozambique was raped and murdered.
Judge John Cain announced his findings into Elly Warren's death on Friday, more than seven years after the 20-year-old died in the African country.
The Melbourne woman was volunteering when she was found dead outside a toilet block in the seaside town of Tofo on November 9, 2016.
An autopsy in Mozambique revealed that her medico-legal cause of death was murder, by asphyxiation in sand.
But Judge Cain could not decide whether the 20-year-old's death was a murder.
Elly Warren was found dead outside a toilet block in Mozambique in November 2016
Judge Cain could not decide whether the 20-year-old's death was a homicide or determine whether she had been sexually assaulted
He discovered that the cause of death was asphyxiation by sand, but he could not determine how the sand got into her lungs.
Judge Cain was also unable to say whether Ms Warren's death occurred outside the toilet block or whether her body was moved there.
The coroner could not determine whether the 20-year-old had been sexually assaulted, although it was possible.
Mrs Warren's father Paul Walker (pictured) and her family remain in the dark over her death following coroner's verdict
Judge Cain said it was also possible that a person or more people caused or contributed to her death.
The coroner pointed to the Mozambican authorities' decision not to hand over the letter of evidence as the reason for his limited findings.