Markiah Major walked into a ‘dense and impenetrable’ rainforest never to be seen again. Now a coroner has ruled on what happened to him

A coroner has confirmed that a teenager died after walking into a “dense and impenetrable” rainforest in far north Queensland.

Markiah Major’s family from the Yarrabah community near Cairns last saw the 17-year-old in August 2023.

The indigenous teenager was never found and has not had contact with his family or friends since.

On August 19, 2023, Markiah was driving a stolen Volkswagen Polo from Cairns to Yarrabah. He abandoned the car when it ran out of petrol and drove into a nearby rainforest, coroner Stephanie Williams found.

But there was not enough evidence to determine when, how or what caused the teenager’s death, Ms Williams said during the presentation of her findings at the Brisbane Coroner’s Court on Friday.

Markiah left a shoe and a wallet in the car.

About 250 metres from the car, on the bank of Budabadoo Creek, the teenager had thrown away or lost his other shoe and hat, Ms Williams discovered.

“The rainforest that Markiah walked through was dense and impenetrable,” Williams said.

Police have still not found any trace of the teenager, despite several searches in the wooded area around the city, including the diving brigade (pictured) and a sniffer dog for human remains.

‘Budabadoo Creek is disorienting and surrounded by thick vegetation, including wait-a-while trees. It’s difficult terrain.’

She discovered that the teenager had been using drugs before his disappearance.

According to the coroner, Markiah was paranoid and afraid that police were following him or looking for him.

He was described as a well-liked, shy and polite young man who enjoyed playing football, camping and spending time with his family in Yarrabah.

Mrs Williams said the young man was cherished by his family and greatly missed.

“The ambiguous loss experienced by the family of a missing person is considered the most traumatic loss,” she said.

The coroner said Markiah was paranoid and afraid that police were following him or looking for him.

‘The trauma and stress undoubtedly increase when the missing person is young and much about the disappearance is still unclear.’

A youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the inquest that he received a message after Markiah’s disappearance indicating he had ties to motorcycle gangs.

Mrs Williams said there was not enough evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in his disappearance.

According to Williams, there was no other evidence to suggest that criminal motorcycle gangs were involved.