Coroner rules woman dead, rejects last man's account as completely unconvincing
Coroner David O'Neil declared Jessica Zrinski dead and referred the case to homicide after rejecting the last witness's testimony.
Jessica Jade Zrinski, 30, vanished on November 29, 2022, after being seen with Paul Jones at a petrol station in the NSW Blue Mountains. When police questioned Jones in January 2023, he denied knowing her, despite surveillance showing them together for hours.
Coroner David O'Neil called his account 'completely unconvincing' and deemed him an 'unimpressive witness'. Minutes before Zrinski was last seen on CCTV, Jones had asked a friend nervously: 'I need help.
Can I trust you?' and mentioned needing to 'get rid of something'.
O'Neil found Jones likely remembered events despite his memory claims. Jones left NSW shortly after with 'great haste' to visit relatives in Western Australia and Queensland.
The coroner declared Zrinski dead and referred the case to the unsolved homicide team. A $500,000 reward remains on offer.
- November 29, 2022
- Date vanished
- NSW Blue Mountains petrol station
- Location
- $500,000
- Reward offered
- Paul Jones
- Last person with her
Why it mattersA missing person case haunting a family for four years has reached official closure, though critical questions remain about what happened in those final hours.
AustraliaThe case demonstrates how Australian coroners investigate disappearances with suspicious circumstances and refer matters to homicide teams when criminal responsibility cannot be ruled out.
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