A new investigation has been ordered into the 2019 death of three-year-old Lachlan Jones of Gore, with Coroner Alexander Ho calling the initial handling of the case a “shambles.” The coroner’s direction comes after an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the preschooler’s death, which occured when he was found in a council sewage oxidation pond.

While dismissing accusations that Lachlan’s mother and half-brothers where responsible for his death, Coroner Ho highlighted significant unanswered questions and shortcomings in the original police investigations. Paul Jones, Lachlan’s father, has long disputed the initial findings that his son’s death was an accidental drowning.

In delivering his findings in Invercargill, Coroner ho stated that while Lachlan ran towards the sewage ponds on the night of his death, the manner in which he entered the water and the precise cause of death remain undetermined.He cited inadequate supervision of the child and compromised investigations as factors hindering a conclusive determination.

“It would be remiss to overlook the fact that Lachie was able to come to harm as he was not being adequately supervised, or to overlook how the conduct of the subsequent police and medical investigations into this death have compromised my ability to make findings about how a vulnerable three-year-old child came to die,” he said.

The courtroom was filled with family and supporters of Paul Jones, many wearing apparel displaying #Justice4Lachie.

Coroner Ho refuted the theory that Lachlan’s mother was involved in his death, stating it was “inherently improbable” she would have killed her child and then ordered pizza. He also dismissed claims that lachlan’s body had been stored in a freezer.

“I accept that a morally moribund mother who accidentally killed her child in a momentary fit of violent exasperation might well panic and try to cover it up, but I do not think a natural reaction would be for her to pick up the phone and order a pizza with extra aioli,” he said.

The coroner criticized the initial police approach, noting they quickly concluded Lachlan’s death was accidental and relied on unverified accounts. He stated that the possibility of foul play could not be ruled out due to these investigative shortcomings.

“There were frankly astonishing scenes at inquest of two senior police officers each disclaiming obligation for leading the investigation,” he said.

Coroner Ho expressed concern over the two-hour gap between a reported sighting of Lachlan and the discovery of his body in the pond, suggesting ample time for foul play to have occurred. “that is ample time for harm to befall: a push into the pond or a purposeful holding underwater of him would take only seconds,” the coroner said.

Police have acknowledged “missed steps” in the initial investigation, which led to a formal review. Though, a subsequent investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to file criminal charges.

Coroner Ho identified several “shortcomings” in the investigations, including confusion over who was in charge, delays in obtaining eyewitness statements, and a failure to seek expert advice from criminal investigators. He also noted factual errors in the police report submitted to the coroner.

He stated that the police investigation did not accurately detail the events of that night and that the evidence frequently enough contradicted the police’s presented facts. As a result, Coroner Ho has directed police to launch a new investigation into Lachlan’s death.