A coroner has found that a 27-year-old woman, whose death has been unsolved for almost seven years, lost her life at the hands of her de facto partner, describing him as a "habitual perpetrator" of domestic abuse.
Kirra-Lea McLoughlin had more than 100 bruises on her body when she died in 2014, but despite a long-running police investigation, no charges have been laid.
An inquest into Ms McLoughlin's death began in Gympie last year and the findings were handed down in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday morning.
Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley said the inquest found Ms McLoughlin died from swelling of the brain caused by an obstruction of air or blood.
She found Ms McLoughlin's de facto partner, Paul McDonald, now 39, was likely drunk and became enraged when she told him she was leaving him, telling him: "I don't love you anymore."
In her findings, the coroner wrote Mr McDonald likely struck Ms McLoughlin's head with a baseball bat, hit her head on the floor, and possibly pushed her head into the toilet wall of the house they shared.
Ms Bentley found the eventually fatal injuries were likely caused by 11:30pm on July 16, 2014, but Mr McDonald would still fail to call for help until the following afternoon.
Ms McLoughlin was airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital where she died on July 18.
The coroner said she accepted evidence given to the inquiry that Mr McDonald told another person he had "got away with murder".
And while there had been claims that Ms McLoughlin's injuries were caused by a drug overdose, unrelated fight or by striking her head on a shower wall, "all are inconsistent with the medical evidence", Ms Bentley said.
"I find that choking is the most likely mechanism by which her death was caused," she wrote.
"I find that Mr McDonald has a propensity to inflict severe physical violence on his partners and is a habitual perpetrator of severe and domestic abuse, including coercive control of his partners.
The coroner acknowledged the police investigation into Ms McLoughlin's death would continue but declined to refer the matter to the Homicide Squad.
It is likely the information gathered at the inquest will be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Commenting on the findings, Ms McLoughlin's mother, Alison Russell, said anyone could be caught in the trap of domestic violence.
"My daughter was not a girl who could be told what to do, even by her mother," she said.
Family lawyer Peter Boyce said the findings were "strong and clear".
"One would hope now that the Queensland Police Service will read the findings and appoint someone who's experienced in investigating homicides to review the whole file," he said.
Podcaster Jamie Pultz helped create new interest into Ms McLoughlin's death with his series Beenham Valley Road, which explored details of the case prior to the inquest being announced last year.
He said that after meeting Ms McLoughlin while still a police officer, he said the coroner's findings were critical.
"I couldn't let it go. Just thinking that that person who asked for help is now dead."
