Twist in Aboriginal teen's 'suicide' as it's revealed she was allegedly raped hours before she was found dead - as inquest hears her family bleached the house clean
An Aboriginal teenager who was thought to have taken her own life died in 'suspicious' circumstances after she was allegedly raped and her family home bleached clean on the day of her death, an inquest has heard.
Keturah Cheralyn Mamarika, 16, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her Groote Eyland island home, in Northern Territory, in November 2016.
A coronial inquest was launched on Wednesday to look into the death of Keturah as well as Aboriginal teenagers Layla 'Gulum' Leering, 15, and Fionica James, 17.
Each girl was believed to have died by apparent 'suicides' when their bodies were discovered between 2016 and 2017.
The inquest concluded on Friday and was told police should resume the cases and investigate either murder, rape or assault charges, NT News reported.
The body of 'Gulum' Leering, 15, was found under a tree in December 2017, after she got drunk and a 15-year-old boy admitted to taking advantage of her
Deputy Coroner Kelvin Currie told the inquiry police had assumed Keturah had taken her own life despite the circumstances surrounding her death being 'suspicious'.
He said evidence indicated Keturah had been raped between 6.30am and 7am before her body was found two hours later in a locked room on November 22, 2016.
The inquiry heard police visited the property and were told by Keturah's sister the key to the door had been missing for a year and officers failed to investigate the claim further.
'The lock on the door was not examined to see if a key had been utilised in it in recent times,' Deputy Coroner Currie said.
'There was little investigation as to whether the key was in fact missing. In fact, a key sitting on the floor in the room was not examined.'
Mr Currie claimed Keturah's extended family later cleaned the house with bleach and a high-pressure hose, and burned several items of furniture.
Post-mortem examinations found Keturah had once been gang raped by three boys and the court heard she became sexually active at 12.
Layla died next, her body found under a tree in Bulla, near the Western Australian border, in December 2017.
She had vaginal injuries and 'plant material and debris was on her back, beneath her bra and T-shirt, between her buttocks and protruding from her anus'.
The inquest heard Layla was drunk the night she died and argued with her relative Jeremiah Laurie over a bottle of Jim Beam.
After initially lying to police, Adrian Davey, 15, admitted he took advantage of the 'drunk, maybe too drunk' teenager, but denied forcing her to have sex with him.
Her mother Justine Jingles showed up to the inquest at Darwin Local Court, saying she wouldn't rest until she knew what happened in the girl's last hours
Layla had a long history of petty crimes and her family refused to take her back when she was found wandering the streets of Katherine in 2014, and she was put in care.
However, her mother Justine Jingles showed up to the inquest at Darwin Local Court with her other daughters Jasmine and Keely Jingles.
'I really wanted to know how she spent her last hours alive. It was so much for me to handle, it's starting to process in my mind now and I'm waking up to reality,' she said.
'Me and my girls now we just would like to know about the truth — what really happened, because I won't rest until I find out.'
Fionica had a turbulent upbringing as her parents struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and was regularly treated for STDs from age 13.
Her boyfriend Alvester Gurruwiwi told the inquest their relationship was marred by family feuds, threats of violence and jealousy.
He claimed she was so badly beaten by her aunt in 2016 when her family discovered that she was pregnant that she lost the baby.
The stress of this episode led to Alvester unsuccessfully attempting suicide by hanging himself from a tree.
Fionica was treated for numerous injuries in the months before her death and it was suspected she was a victim of domestic violence - though it wasn't clear by whom.
On Christmas Day 2017, she found text's on Alvester's phone from another woman, causing an argument that led to her moving back with her father.
Alvester came to her home carrying a makeshift spear and vowed there would be 'war' if she didn't come back with him, so she did.
Layla's sister Jasmine Jingles was also at the inquest alongside her mother on Wednesday
Fionica was the next morning found dead, hanging from the same tree her boyfriend tried to kill himself on a year earlier.
Detective Superintendent Lauren Hill reviewed each of the investigations and found major shortcomings.
'The superintendent, in her thorough and explicit report, has pulled no punches in her several criticisms of the level of the standard of these investigations, which has precluded, in my view, me from being able to get to the full truth of any of these three deaths,' Mr Cavanagh told the inquest.
The inquest heard the Darwin major crimes unit had heavy turnover at the time, leading to the investigations changing hands many times.
Superintendent Hill's report said detectives failed to adequately collect evidence and contaminated at least one DNA sample.
Families of the deceased teenagers aired their grievances outside of the inquest on Friday.
Layla's mother Justine Jingles condemned the police for failing to properly investigate the circumstances surrounding her daughter's death.
'They had to hold a Coroner's inquest to find out the truth for my daughter and now my mind can rest.
'I feel like she's here with us and she's going to come home with me tonight.'