October 11, 2023
An autopsy will be conducted in Brisbane to determine the cause of death – and identity – of a male body found in the back yard of a vacant building in Kingaroy on Wednesday morning.
Detective Acting Inspector Paula Smithard, from Darling Downs District Police, said a detective conducting inquiries about missing man Jayden Usher walked into the back yard of the house and located the body.
It was found between 9:00am and 10:00am, lying outside the building.
The house is the boarded up building on the corner of River Road and Kingaroy Street which was gutted by fire in December 2021.
“There has been no definite determination in relation to any linkages between this deceased male person and the disappearance of Jayden Usher,” Acting Insp Smithard told the media on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are seeking assistance from the public. If anyone has any information in relation to the disappearance of Jayden or the deceased person that we have located this morning, they (should) urgently contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers.”
Forensic police from Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast are currently analysing the area where the body was found.
Acting Insp Smithard said Jayden’s missing blue iPhone 15 Pro had not yet been located.
“We are continuing to search in that vicinity and around that yard for the mobile phone,” she said.
Acting Insp Smithard said the cause of death was not known.
And she could not confirm if police were searching for a weapon.
“I can confirm that we did conduct foot patrols and searches around that area, and at the time we did those searches, that body was not located,” Acting Insp Smithard said.
“We are talking to a lot of people at the moment. They’re not persons of interest. They’re just friends, associates and family (members) of Jayden so we can paint a picture of what happened, reasons for his disappearance.”
Acting Insp Smithard said the investigation was only in its preliminary stages.
“We would like the public to come forward with any kind of information. We’re keeping a very, very open mind that perhaps these two things are not related, or they could be related.”
She said anyone with information from the early hours of October 5 to Wednesday morning should contact police.
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