Woodford, Australia — Rick Thorburn, the man sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his 12-year-old foster daughter, Tiahleigh Palmer, was found deceased in his prison cell, authorities confirmed. The discovery occurred Saturday night at the Woodford Correctional Centre, where the 64-year-old was housed alone.
According to Queensland Corrective Services, Thorburn was unresponsive when found around 10 p.m. Efforts to revive him by the responding officers, immediately calling upon the Queensland ambulance service, proved futile.
The case has been duly reported to the police, and as per protocol, will be reviewed by the coroner. Following the incident, the officers involved received support from their management and were acknowledged for their efforts in attempting to resuscitate Thorburn.
In a tragic and convoluted case that captured national headlines, Thorburn was convicted in 2018 for the murder of Tiahleigh, a crime committed in 2015. Reports from the court hearing revealed that Thorburn’s decision to kill Tiahleigh was driven by a confession from his son, Trent, who had sexually assaulted her and feared that she might be pregnant.
The fostering arrangement saw Tiahleigh placed with the Thorburn family in January 2015, having been in care since 2010. Upon learning about the sexual assault from his wife, who was informed by Trent, Thorburn orchestrated the murder of Tiahleigh on October 29, 2015.
Authorities found Tiahleigh’s decomposed body six days later, abandoned by the Pimpama River near the Gold Coast, dressed only in underpants. The condition and location of her body indicated efforts to conceal both the murder and the identity of the perpetrator.
A 2021 inquest by a Queensland coroner concluded that Tiahleigh likely died from choking or asphyxiation, countering Thorburn’s claim that her death was accidental. The coroner ruled it a deliberate killing, further deepening the horror of the case.
Adding a grim layer to the narrative, Thorburn had served as a pallbearer at Tiahleigh’s funeral, only to be charged with her murder nearly a year later. The case shed a damning light on Thorburn and his family, leading to convictions of his two sons and his wife for their roles in the aftermath of the murder.
Before his death, Thorburn would not have been eligible for parole until 2038, ensuring a long incarceration reflecting the gravity of his crimes. The entire family’s involvement painted a bleak picture of betrayal and manipulation, culminating in Thorburn’s lonely demise in the very cell meant to serve as penance for his unspeakable acts.