Upper Lockyer lawnmower incident death: Mystery deepens as Defence Force’s act against squadron leader is exposed
- Frances Crawford, 49, found dead in Upper Lockyer
- Her RAAF pilot husband is helping with the investigation
EXCLUSIVE
The Australian Defence Force has quietly removed all references to an RAAF pilot from its social media pages after his wife was killed in a mysterious lawnmower incident last week.
Frances Crawford, 49, was found dead at 3.40am in her Upper Lockyer home in south-east Queensland on Tuesday, July 30. Police were called to reports that she had been seriously injured by a ride-on lawnmower.
Police are treating the death as suspicious and her husband Robert, who made the triple call, is assisting detectives with their investigation.
Daily Mail Australia does not allege Crawford was involved in his wife’s death, but does claim he is assisting police.
As detectives continue to investigate the baffling case, the army has quickly removed posts from its official Facebook page about Mr Crawford, 47, a Squadron Leader based at Amberley.
Frances Crawford, 49, was found dead at her home in Upper Lockyer, south-east Queensland, at 3.40am on Tuesday, July 30, after police were called to reports she had been seriously injured by a ride-on lawnmower.
Her husband Robert, who made the triple-0 call, has been helping detectives with their investigation.
The social media posts highlighted the efforts of the Queensland Defence Forces, showing photos of Mr Crawford in action, along with quotes from him about military projects.
‘Exposure to new ways of thinking and sharing skills with the PNGDF [Papua New Guinea Defence Force] “is invaluable to all of us at Squadron 35,” Squadron Leader Crawford said at the time.
“We look forward to helping our closest neighbor rebuild their sovereign aviation capabilities and safety systems.
‘In turn, the PNGDF will assist us with our mountain flying training, access to airfield facilities and other training exercises in PNG, working together on future joint humanitarian and disaster relief operations.’
Daily Mail Australia reports that Mr Crawford had only returned to Australia a week before his wife’s death after being stationed overseas.
The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
Daily Mail Australia can also reveal that Mr Crawford was embroiled in legal proceedings in 2012 while he was stationed in Adelaide.
He was charged with abuse of power in the public sector, alleging he manipulated regulations to obtain a position in the Middle East and earn a tax-free bonus.
Mr Crawford requested that secret documents be produced to show that he had good reason to be deployed at the time in question.
The Public Prosecution Service later dropped all charges against him.
Police arrive at the Crawford family estate on Thursday.
Detectives collected evidence from the home on Tuesday (including the lawn mower, pictured)
The revelations come as police appeal for the public’s help in investigating the circumstances surrounding Ms Crawford’s death.
Last Thursday, ten police vehicles were spotted entering the estate, including several cars loaded with forensic equipment, as detectives stepped up their investigation.
The next day, Chief Inspector George Marchesini told the media that detectives were still trying to determine how she was seriously injured.
“There are a number of things we need to understand better to determine what the cause was and how this actually happened,” he said.
“We have not yet been able to determine a cause for what was found at that crime scene. That is why we consider this case suspicious.
‘If [you] ‘If they know about the woman and you will of course hear this information coming out this week, then we would like to hear from them what they do know.’