She Walked Away After An Argument That Night And Twenty Years Later The Truth Still Refuses To Be Found

She Walked Away After An Argument That Night And Twenty Years Later The Truth Still Refuses To Be Found

In this group, there is a young German tourist, Simon Strobble, 25 years old. These were his last minutes of life because his naked body would be found, hidden under palm leaves just a few dozen meters from a campsite in the city center, where the small group had been sleeping.

The case has deeply shocked the local community. Within days, hundreds of residents gathered for a candlelight vigil near the site where the body was discovered, in homage to the young woman.

 

 

Residents express their sadness, shame, and incomprehension that such a tragedy could have occurred in their community .

The emotion is all the more intense because Simon had come from abroad to discover Australia, like thousands of other foreign students.

The devastated Ismor community is even spontaneously mobilizing to financially support Simon’s relatives. A local fundraiser raised over $6,000 to help Simon Tobias’ boyfriend and other travel companions return to Germany.

What happened that night? Who killed Simon Strobble? For what reason? What do some witnesses say?

Simon Monica Strobble is therefore this young woman originally from Bavaria in Germany. She was a young, friendly, and adventurous kindergarten teacher, 25 years old at the time .

At the beginning of 2005, she embarked on a backpacking trip across Australia with her then-partner Tobias Suxuel.

He is 24 years old. There is also Tobias’s sister, Catherine Sufell, 28, and a mutual friend, Jens Martin, 25.

Make a note of his first names because they are very important for what follows.

The four young Germans have a one-year working holiday visa and plan to travel along the coast of Australia while working to finance their trip.

On February 11, 2005, after several months of travel, their van took them to Lismor, a quiet little town in northern New South Wales.

In the late afternoon, the group settled into the Lismor Tourist Caravan Park. It’s a campsite in the city center.

He parks the van in one of the spaces. That same day, Simon noted in his diary his excitement at discovering this rural region of Australia.

But in her diary, when you read what she actually wrote on February 10th and 11th, you understand that the atmosphere is not great in the group and especially with Tobias, her boyfriend.

It rained all night and the morning was as gray as gray. After begging Toby to let Katy and me get in the van with him, he completely lost it .

This is the worst vibe between us since we’ve been in Australia. [ __ ] off, we spent the day apart like this .

Caty and I are in the van and the others are in the tent. Despite everything, I had a lovely day with Katy.

In the afternoon, I caught my first fish in the river. He could even have been eaten, but Katy and I set him free.

Not bad. Toby didn’t say a word all day and I was very surprised that he came to sleep in the van.

But still not a word. What a shitty day! The same story is told in Tobias’s diary, also on February 10th.

Simi, that’s Simone, his girlfriend. Not a nice day. Actually, it was a shitty day.

Simi annoyed me from the morning onwards. I wasn’t even fully awake. This is getting way too much.

This cannot continue. In short, it was n’t a good day. I barely spoke with Simi and remained very introverted.

As a result, the group’s atmosphere suffered. In addition, it rained all day. Jesus in the tent and the girls in the van.

We went fishing and Simi caught her first fish. And a big one at that .

I also had two little ones. We had a good meal and a very enjoyable barbecue.

This day was absolutely stupid. In addition, Kitty behaved in a completely strange way. I can’t understand her.

On February 11, according to the logbooks, the day started as it ended. Today started as badly as yesterday had ended.

My mood is still at its lowest and I don’t even know what will happen in the coming days.

On the evening of February 11th, to celebrate their arrival in Lismor, the four friends decided to go out in town.

They begin the evening at the Métropole Hotel. They are a local people where CCTV cameras, moreover, captured them around 8:33 p.m.

Leaving the establishment. The atmosphere seems festive. A little while later, Simon, Tobias, Catherine and James enter another iconic bar in the center of ISMOR, the Golan Hôel.

They continued the evening there, drinking and enjoying the music. Security footage from the Golan Hôel shows the small group attacking.

According to testimonies from the time, the group consumed quite a lot of alcohol. At approximately 10:56 PM, a CCTV camera in the city center captured a fleeting scene outside the Golan Heights.

In his grainy night images, Simon is dressed in a black top, a red Marc Roxy skirt with a white petticoat showing, and white pants under the skirt.

This is exactly the outfit that his relatives would later describe in the missing person notice.

You can also see, as you can see in these images, the other members of the group, that is to say Simon’s boyfriend, Tobias, there is James and Tobias’s sister.

It really seems like the small group is drunk, since there’s a lot of coming and going.

It seems a little bit like Tobias and Simon are just teasing each other. This is what will precipitate the rest of the evening, since according to testimonies, the owner of the Golan will indeed politely ask them to leave, explaining that the bar is closing, but testimonies will explain that inside the bar, there was a little tension, particularly between Simon and Tobias.

In any case , the four friends set off on foot to return to the campsite located a few hundred meters away.

On the way back, the group is filmed by a CCTV camera at a gas station.

At 11:14 PM, he walks past the gas pumps, heading towards the campsite. This sequence confirms that they are all together at that time, returning home calmly.

A few minutes later at around 11:20 p.m., they reached the Lismort tourist caravan park where their van, remember, was parked.

Between 11:30 p.m. And midnight, that’s when the situation deteriorates at the campsite. An argument breaks out within the group.

According to later testimonies from Tobias, Catherine and Jens, a heated argument took place between Simon and Tobias shortly after returning to camp.

The exact reason for this dispute is unknown. Were they drunk? Was there any jealousy involved?

Couple’s brutalities. In any case, the tone became heated. That’s what the three young people who were going to testify after the tragedy were saying.

A camper who was also camped nearby and enjoying the quiet of the night later reported that she had indeed heard the voices of a man and a woman arguing in the camping area, followed by a calmer exchange, and then noise again.

According to this witness, the woman shouted something like “Leave me alone” or “Why should I have to do this?”

In English. That’s what this witness understood, anyway. While the man, still in his testimony, sometimes spoke in another language, probably German.

It was clear that it was indeed some of the young people in the group.

Shortly afterwards, the same camper reportedly heard nervous laughter and even an incongruous sound from an Aboriginal instrument.

That’s what she says, as if the group or some neighbors were trying to lighten the mood, but the tension remains palpable.

Finally, Simon loses patience around 11:35 PM. Still furious, she decides to walk away from the campsite alone to get some fresh air and calm down.

Tobias and the others let her go, thinking she would return once the storm had passed.

This is the last time his companions, the living voice, dressed only in his little black top, his red skirt and his white pants, Simon disappears into the night.

Barefoot or in flip-flops, without money or a mobile phone, she takes nothing with her, not even her hiking boots.

Alone and upset, Simon heads towards the exit of the campsite on the edge of the road.

That’s what we imagine around midnight, two witnesses, that’s why we’re able to reconstruct a bit of his chronology, will testify.

They’ll see it independently, right? These witnesses don’t know each other. They will spot him in the area.

They will provide the last reliable observations of Simon alive. Here is what the first testimony says.

He is a motorist named Mr. Gross. At that moment, he was travelling near the roundabout at the intersection of Dosson Street and Uralba Street.

Right next to the campsite. Shortly before midnight. He sees a woman matching Simone’s description walking along the side of the road near the roundabout.

The second witness, almost simultaneously, named Mr. Rpin, also reported seeing a young woman staggering near the same roundabout shortly before midnight.

The woman, that’s what this man was saying, seemed disheveled or disoriented. These two concurring testimonies place Simon at around 11:55 p.m.

On February 11, 2005, walking alone near the campsite. If we retain them, it means that approximately 30 minutes elapsed between the group’s return to the campsite and the moment Simon was seen walking away.

Upsetting, this is possibly the last vision of Simon Strubble alive by someone with no connection to the case.

Meanwhile, at the campsite, Tobias, Catherine and Jens gradually realize that Simon is not coming back .

What are they doing according to their statement? They are looking for her. They briefly searched for her around the campsite.

Then, not finding her, they would have thought that she had gone for a walk and that she would come back on her own once she had calmed down.

They end up spending the rest of the night in the van without really paying attention to Simone.

Some evidence suggests that they did not immediately alert the authorities or neighbors, perhaps for fear of revealing their alcohol and cannabis use that evening.

Which they will initially downplay to the police. In any case, no distress call was made that night from the campsite.

It is Saturday, February 12, 2005, around 10 a.m. Simon still hasn’t returned. Worried, Tobias and James finally decide, I want to say, to go to the Lismor police station to report his disappearance.

It is around 10 o’clock when the two men push open the door of the police station.

Tobias looks distraught. Jens is just as concerned. They explained to the officers that their friend left the campsite abruptly during the night following an argument and she did not return.

They then describe the outfit Simon was wearing that night. Tobias talks about his black top and white pants, but at no point does he mention the famous red skirt that is over the white pants.

This is not a minor detail and it will be important for the rest of the investigation.

He couldn’t have missed that red skirt since he was with Simon all evening. The CCTV footage proves it.

You can clearly see that she has a red skirt over her pants. You will understand why this element is important.

The ISMOR police will react quite quickly. Although young backpackers can sometimes disappear for a few days to party elsewhere, the fact that Simon abandoned his belongings and that his friends turned up worried prompted an active search.

People are starting to talk about the disappearance of this young German woman in Australia, which means that the German police are also being alerted.

The European press began to take an interest in the case between February 12 and 16, so for 4 days there was intensive research.

Volunteer police officers from the State Emergency Service, residents of ISMOR, and dogs are searching the area.

There are divers inspecting the banks of the nearby river. There are helicopters flying over the surrounding fields and forests.

On the vacant lot, Jtan, the campsite. Behind an old pub that also serves as a local gym.

The investigators searched through fairly dense bushes but found nothing. Every hour without news of Simon increases the anxiety.

Local media are reporting on the appeal for witnesses. Simon’s clothing description is broadcaSt. Police are asking the public if anyone has found her abandoned clothes anywhere.

In fact, at that time, it was suspected that Simon had been the victim of a crime.

The attacker, according to the police, could have gotten rid of his clothes. A detail that will make perfect sense a little later.

Meanwhile, what are Tobias, Catherine, and James doing? He remains at ISMOR, and in any case, he is officially participating in the journalists’ research.

Tobias’ film on several occasions. With a closed face and an exhausted look, he stuck small posters with Simon’s smiling photo on shop windows.

The community feels compassion for these young tourists. A wave of solidarity is being organized.

A local travel agent even launched a fundraising campaign to support them financially so they could extend their stay there during the investigation.

Or perhaps even finance their return to Germany. The residents feel concerned and upset by this mysterious disappearance.

We arrive at Thursday, February 17, 2005, in the late afternoon after 6 days of searching.

On that day, a police dog handler who was patrolling around the campsite for the umpteenth time decided to enter the grounds of the Lismor Continental Club.

I started to tell you about it earlier, it’s this sports club which also acts as a local people’s place sometimes, which is adjacent to the campsite, that has already been searched.

Remember, I told you about the bush of bushes that were searched. Well, this Continental Club has a small botcher’s pitch.

It’s Italian-style pétanque played outdoors. The dog handler goes through a hole in the wire fence that separates the campsite from this club.

His dog suddenly became excited near a hedge bordering Botchet’s property. Behind a small piece of aluminum foil, under dried palm fronds.

I have a concealed body. This body belongs to Simon Strobell. It is a horrific discovery since the corpse is naked and in an advanced state of decomposition, indicating that death occurred several days ago.

No obvious traces of blood or injuries from bladed weapons or firearms are visible. The fact that the body was carefully hidden under foliage suggests a desire to conceal it.

Investigators quickly noted that the scene appeared to have been staged. Simon clearly did not bury herself under her flippers.

This supports the hypothesis of a murder followed by the removal of the body. Moreover, the detectives concluded from the outset that Simon was not killed at the place where she was found.

Bcher’s property was probably used as a temporary hiding place chosen by the perpetrator(s) because of its proximity.

Come on, we’re only a few dozen meters from the campsite. The position of the body is not publicly detailed, but later the absence of any sign of overt violence is mentioned.

The autopsy, carried out quickly despite the condition of the body, revealed no catastrophic injuries or diseases that could explain the death.

The forensic pathologist will note, however, that the advanced decomposition may have erased traces, including those of strangulation or suffocation.

In the absence of a clear indicator, the cause of death remains undetermined. Nevertheless, during the judicial inquiry, the coroner cautiously suggested that Simone, I quote, was likely suffocated with a pillow or a plastic bag.

This hypothesis of suffocation is based on the absence of external injuries. The clothes Simon was wearing the night he disappeared were found a few hours later.

Nearby, we will find her black water and her white pants, but no trace of her red skirt; her red skirt, this is important, will never be found.

The analyses that will be carried out on, in particular, her black water will reveal a trace of male DNA which will be unknown since it will not match anyone even today in 2026, given that the investigation is still open.

It is not known to whom this DNA trace belongs . Furthermore, near the body, on the fence, investigators found a lock of hair which, likewise, was of unknown origin.

It is also very important to note that during this first autopsy in 2005, no sexual assault was highlighted.

The forensic pathologist who examined Simon’s body found no genital injuries. The news of the discovery of the body is a huge shock to Simon’s family who are in Germany.

His devastated parents, Gabby and Gustle Strobble, flew directly to Australia where they would arrange for the repatriation of the body.

They will have to provide Simon’s dental records to officially confirm his identity, given how badly the body has been altered.

That’s what the autopsy will reveal. The Ismor community is struck with fear and sadness.

An impromptu candlelight vigil is held near Bcher’s field, which has been transformed into an impromptu memorial, covered with flowers, candles, and letters.

Hundreds of locals come to pay tribute to the young traveler who was killed in a foreign land.

Later, as proof of the generosity of the locals, a commemorative granite bench will be installed near the site of the discovery, engraved with a favorite quote of Simon’s in memory of her.

Now faced with a homicide and no longer a simple disappearance, Australian investigators are redoubling their efforts to understand what happened and, above all, to find out who could have done this.

From the outset, the Australian police have worked closely with the German police. The German media are following the case very closely.

They are exerting some pressure to solve the murder of one of their citizens on the other side of the world.

There are three people of interest to investigators in this case. Tobias, Catherine and James are being questioned.

At first, they cooperate willingly, although with some nervousness. Their version of events contains slight contradictions, particularly regarding the precise sequence of events in the dispute and the time Simon left the camp.

It’s not clear. But in any case, on the essentials, he agrees. Simon left in a huff, alone, and we haven’t seen him since.

But as the police pressed them further, they were forced to admit that they had drunk a lot that night and smoked cannabis, especially after returning from the bar.

He admits to having been mentally confused on this point at the very beginning when they were questioned by the investigators, they said “No, no, we drank but not too much and we didn’t smoke.”

They are forced to revisit this. However, they downplay the intensity of the couple’s quarrel so as not to paint a bleak picture.

However, one detail caught the attention of investigators. The description of Simon’s clothing provided by Tobias on February 12th turned out to be inaccurate.

In his initial statement, you know, when he went to the police the day after the disappearance, he omitted Simone’s red skirt, only mentioning white pants and a dark top.

However, on February 15, the police showed Tobias a capture of CCTV footage from the Golan Hotel showing Simon on the night of his disappearance.

She is dressed in her red skirt with a white ruffle and her white trousers.

Faced with the evidence, Tobias corrects his statement. Yes, Simon was indeed wearing that red skirt that evening.

This omission, this initial oversight, casts a shadow of suspicion. Did he really forget that detail, or was he trying to hide something?

It is very important to know that the skirt has not been found. The future will highlight the significance of this lie by omission.

During the investigation, the police will interpret these false indications from Tobias as potentially revealing a sense of guilt, that is, the behavior of someone who deliberately hides evidence following a crime.

Meanwhile, detectives are looking into potential outside suspects. Was it the work of an unknown predator who happened to cross Simon’s path that night?

Or was it a criminal act by one of his traveling companions? Initial speculations tend to lean towards the second hypothesis.

Privately, Australian investigators quickly sensed that the trio of friends knew more than they were letting on.

This intuition is reinforced by the fact that Tobias and Catherine suddenly decide to leave Australia as soon as the law allows them to, that is, once their passports are returned and the interrogations are completed.

Indeed, after the discovery of the body, Tobias Secuel and his sister Catherine cooperated less and less.

For example, they refuse to participate in a reconstruction on site. After a few weeks, they return to Germany.

James Martin remained in closer contact with the authorities and even returned to Australia a few years later to testify, which worked in his favor.

The Lismor community, initially compassionate, as you have seen, is also beginning to have doubts.

Accusatory whispers are emerging. What if the boyfriend was involved in Simon’s death ? After all, criminal statistics often show that in these kinds of cases, the partner is at the forefront of suspects as the weeks go by.

Tobiasuel’s image in the press subtly shifts from that of a heartbroken boyfriend. He becomes a potential suspect.

Especially since on the other side of the globe, in Bavaria, Germany, German prosecutors openly designated him as the main suspect as early as 2005.6 This official status of suspect in Germany leaked to the Australian media, increasing the pressure on Tobias.

In the absence of direct evidence, no arrests are made immediately. The Simon Strble case became a collective case, an unsolved case despite the enormous investigative work carried out in 2005 and 2006.

In March 2007, a first judicial inquiry was carried out at ISMORT by the State Coroner named Paul McMaon.

This Australian equivalent of a public inquiry aims to examine the circumstances of the death and determine whether charges should be recommended.

During this hearing, Tobia Sefel and his sister Catherine refused to testify in person, invoking their right not to incriminate themselves.

There is no legal way to force them to come from Germany to Australia to give their testimonies.

James Martin, on the other hand, takes the courageous initiative to return to Australia to participate in the hearing and give his version under oath.

His testimony essentially reiterates what is already known. The argument, Simone’s departure, their worry the next day, and so on.

The coroner therefore obtains nothing very new but welcomes James’ cooperation, which seems to clear him of the main suspicions.

However, in his report, the coroner does not hide his strong suspicions regarding Tobias Suckfell.

He writes that suspicion towards a member of the travel group, namely Tobias, is very strong given the circumstances.

Although he cannot explicitly name Tobias as the murderer, he does imply that Simon’s entourage may not have told the whole story.

Thus, in 2007, Tobias Secuel was released, not charged but burdened with a persistent suspicion.

Back in Germany, he kept a low profile. The Strouble family is devastated by the lack of response.

Obviously, we will therefore never know the truth. That’s what his sister Christina says. She was devastated after the hearing.

Simon’s parents sink into a deep depression, becoming, I quote Simone’s sister, shadows of their former selves, overwhelmed by despair.

In the years that followed, Tobias Secuel lived his life away from the cameras while the case remained unsolved.

However, he remains in the sights of investigators who remain convinced, as you have understood, of his role in this affair.

In 2012, Tobias, who had settled in Western Australia, married an Australian woman named Samantha Moran.

On this occasion, he legally changed his name. Tobias Secel becomes Tobias Moran. This seemingly innocuous change of surname, because it is common to take the name of one’s spouse, nevertheless sparks comments.

Some see this as an attempt to erase a name now tainted in a high- profile murder case.

Tobias Moran, that’s what we’re going to call him from now on. So, he settled near Persia.

They start a family, they seem to want to turn the page. They are staying in Australia.

It’s still crazy that this German man, who fled Australia to escape his responsibilities perhaps, would return to live in Australia years later.

In the media, no formal interviews with him appear, but those close to him describe him as a devoted father and loving husband, leading a normal, modest life, far from the image of a carefree partygoer that some had attached to him.

Tobias has never publicly deviated from his course of action. He insists on his innocence in Simone’s death.

According to his Australian wife, Toby always described Simon as an angel on earth, sincerely mourning his passing.

However, the shadow of the Simon Strouble affair constantly hangs over him. In 2014, an event brought the case back into the spotlight .

Australian journalist and writer Virginia Peters publishes a book in search of Simon. The result of 6 years of independent research on the case of Simon Strble.

The book explores several leads and, without formally accusing Tobias, suggests that he remains the prime suspect.

Virginia Peters notably mentions that a trace of Tobias’s DNA was allegedly found on a palm leaf covering the body.

This is a shocking claim that had not been officially confirmed. Tobias Moran reacted strongly upon discovering the contents of the book.

In 2014, he obtained a temporary injunction blocking publication and launched a defamation lawsuit against the author and publisher.

He believes the book defames him by portraying him as Simon’s implied murderer. This legal battle lasted three years until Tobias dropped his lawsuit in 2017.

The problem is that it was later revealed that the famous DNA reference in the book was incorrect in 2025.

The coroner confirmed that the DNA found on the palm fronds did not match either Tobias or his sister Catherine.

In any case, Tobias’s aggressive approach to getting the book censored may have been perceived by some as the act of a man with something to hide, something to reproach himself for, while others saw it simply as the understandable reflex of someone proclaiming his innocence and protecting his reputation.

Years go by, the investigation stalls, due to a lack of new evidence. Tobias Moran, although still watched from afar, does not make any missteps or spontaneous confessions.

Against all expectations, the year 2022 brought a major development to the investigation. After years of frustrating waiting, the Australian police, without it being known exactly on what new basis, decide to take action.

On July 26, 2022, Tobias Moran, then 42 years old, was arrested at his home in Pers, Western Australia.

The arrest took place discreetly at dawn; Tobias was handcuffed in front of his family 17 years after the events.

The main suspect has finally been apprehended. This announcement is making headlines. Authorities initially remained vague about the reasons behind this late-stage raid, whispering that it might have been based on information obtained through the million-dollar reward that was promised at some point.

Someone might have spoken behind the scenes. Or perhaps it was the more advanced DNA that spoke.

Others believe that the persistence of the officers who never gave up on the case finally paid off.

In any case , an arrest warrant was issued in New South Wales and Tobias Moran was immediately brought before a local court in Persia to begin extradition proceedings to the east of the country.

The warrant against Tobias mentions two charges: the murder of Simon Strble and obstruction of justice.

Notably, Australian police are suggesting that they also have arrest warrants for Catherine Secuel and James Martin in Germany for complicity.

In retrospect, Australian authorities believe that the two were complicit in the death of Simon Strobble.

At what level? To what degree? They don’t know. In any case, the Germans are not cooperating.

There is no cooperation from the German justice system, nor is there any solid evidence.

So all of this remains a dead end. Only Tobias is arrested. His arrest was met with emotion by Simone’s family.

Christina, Simone’s sister who is also the family spokesperson, will tell the press that she hopes to finally learn what happened to her sister.

The parents, although relieved to see justice taking action, fear the continuation of the legal process because it promises to be long and arduous for them.

Tobias continues to proclaim his innocence. During the extradition hearing, his lawyer emphasized that he had never had any prior convictions and that he had always been available to answer questions, which is debatable, given his silence, especially at the very beginning of the investigation.

He was transferred to New South Wales at the end of July 2022. He was imprisoned for a time in Sydney awaiting trial.

He was nevertheless granted bail a few months later with a ban on leaving the country.

His wife Samantha then temporarily moved to the east coast to support him. During the procedure.

The 2022 development revived hopes for a resolution, but alas, it fell flat in the legal proceedings.

After a year of procedures and file preparation, on June 14, 2023, the bombshell dropped.

The director of prosecutions decides to withdraw the charges against Tobias Moran. In concrete terms, this means that after examination, the public prosecutor believes there is no reasonable prospect of conviction, right?

These are the terms. In view of the available evidence, the ISMOR tribunal endorses the abandonment.

Despite the prosecution, Tobias Moran is free, cleared in court. The disappointment is immense for Simon’s family and for the investigators; as compensation, know that the justice system will even grant Tobias a reimbursement of legal costs to compensate for his damages.

Tobias and his relieved family declare, and I quote, that it was the right decision and that the past year since the arrest has been, and I quote again, extremely emotionally trying.

Samantha Moran will read a statement in front of the cameras in which she will thank those who supported them.

She claims to be thinking about the Strobble family, but she remains unanswered. In a surprising display of empathy , Samantha stated: “It was the right decision.

The past year since the arrest has been extremely emotionally draining. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Simone’s parents.

I am deeply ashamed that this happened to Simon in Australia. My husband, Toby, is a good man, a loving father, not at all someone living a life of luxury as some media outlets have portrayed him.”

Shaken by this decision but not defeated, Simon’s family and the police quickly requested a reopening of the judicial inquiry.

Thus, during five days of hearings in Sydney between November 11 and 15, 2024, Crown Prosecutor Thesa Sullivan heard numerous witnesses and reviewed the entire case file.

The Strobble family traveled from Germany to attend. Simone’s sister, Christina, testified to the devastating impact this loss had on their parents and themselves.

These few days also provided an opportunity to hear details of aspects that had sometimes been kept silent.

The missing clothes are being discussed again: the red top, the white pants. The lock of hair taken from the fence near the body has never been found.

This was barely mentioned. It’s an unidentified lock of hair. It’s not Simon’s. Traces of male DNA were recovered from Simone’s black tank top.

These two biological clues—hair on the fence and the DNA on the top—have never been matched in the databases.

This leaves the door open to the possibility of an unknown assailant. Tobias’s defense seizes upon this possibility.

And if a prowler had crossed paths with Simon after he left the campsite, that’s also quite plausible.

After a year of deliberation, Thesa Sullivan will deliver her written conclusions on November 6, 2025.

Her verdict is nuanced but provides some important clarifications. She concludes unequivocally that Simon Strobble was killed on the night of February 11-12.

2005. It wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t a trip gone wrong . Someone took Simone’s life, and intentionally.

However, she states that she cannot determine who the perpetrator is. Contrary to what was said in 2007, she rejects the notion of, and I quote, “very strong suspicion” towards the travel companions.

She notes that, under current laws, she does n’t have the right to designate a specific individual as responsible without solid proof.

She even writes that she doesn’t completely rule out Tobias Moran’s involvement , but considers it unlikely that he could have acted alone.

She also believes it unlikely that Catherine Secuel or James Martin were involved in Simone’s death.

In short, if Tobias did something, he would have needed an accomplice outside the initial group.

An intriguing hypothesis possibly involving a third party. But who? She clearly, and she’s the first to put this forward after all these years, leans towards a A sexual motive in this murder.

She believes so, and that’s what she says; she has trouble imagining that there was a romantic motive behind it all, that it was a crime of passion.

She really thinks it might have been due to a prowler, despite—and I want to emphasize this again—no medical examination over the years has provided any evidence of possible rape.

These examinations have neither confirmed nor denied the initial conclusions. You know, those conclusions of the first forensic pathologist when she autopsied Simone, who explained that there was no trace of sexual assault.

The examinations carried out afterward neither confirm nor deny this. So we’re left with a bit of speculation.

That’s why the coroner feels she can say that it could potentially have been due to a prowler, due to someone who crossed paths with Simone that night and sexually assaulted her.

This conclusion is consistent with the absence of an identified bloody crime scene. This could mean the attack occurred outdoors.

It leaves open the possibility of an unknown assailant crossing paths with Simon after he left the campsite.

This theory would effectively exonerate Tobias and his friends. To revive the investigation, the coroner insists on further DNA analysis, particularly on the infamous male DNA profile found on Simon’s black top, which has never been identified, and on the lock of hair found on the fence.

The idea is to take advantage of scientific advancements to try and match these elements with a potential suspect in the future.

Because, as you know, this case took place in 2005. At the time, DNA testing and analysis were not as advanced as they are today.

Science has progressed considerably. She also suggests consulting international experts to reassess the cause of death.

This, too, remains unclear given the atypical nature of the case. No obvious cause despite a criminal death.

Tobias Moran welcomed the findings with relief. Although the report didn’t formally exonerate him , he appreciated that the suspicion surrounding him and his loved ones had lessened compared to 2007.

He was dissatisfied that the case was being handled by a cold, unbiased unit and reviewed by fresh eyes, hoping, and I quote, for a fair and impartial investigation that Simon always deserved.

As we enter 2026, the murder of Simon Strouble officially remains unsolved. More than 20 years have passed since that fateful night in Lismor, and the community has not forgotten.

In February, on the 20th anniversary of his death, a memorial vigil drew many residents to the memorial bench dedicated to Simon.

Jenny Dowell, his former mother, once again spoke of the awful feeling that a young woman who had come from the other side of the world on the adventure of a lifetime had ended it in her own town, and she affirmed that Lismor still carries Simon’s memory within it.

The case is now in the hands of the Sydney Police Department’s Cold Case Unit.

Detectives, unrelated to the initial investigation, are re-examining the entire case with a fresh perspective.

They will reanalyze every piece of physical evidence collected in 2005: the unknown lock of hair, the male DNA found on the clothing, and potentially conduct tests on previously unusable elements such as soil, fibers, and so on.

The hope is that with new DNA techniques, including genealogical research using family DNA and international databases, they can identify a profile matching the unknown suspect mentioned by the coroner.

If such a profile matches a registered sex offender, for example, a new scenario could emerge.

Tobias Moran, for his part, has returned home to Western Australia where he is trying to resume a normal life with his wife and children.

He remains aware, however, that his name will forever be linked to this tragedy. Some people continue to view him with suspicion, even though he has never been convicted or even tried.

The other party acknowledges that to date, no concrete evidence incriminates them and that the mystery may lie elsewhere.

Tobias, however, claims he simply wants justice, both for himself and to honor Simone’s memory.

“I want more than anything for those truly responsible to be brought to justice,” he stated through his lawyer.

For Simon Strobble’s family, the painful wait continues. His aging parents have never received answers to their questions and have been living with unresolved grief for over 20 years .

His sister, Christina, confides that the lack of truth is the worst thing, but she still holds onto hope that one day a forgotten witness will speak or that DNA evidence will prove decisive.

In conclusion, the Simon Strobble case remains a tragic enigma. Was it a murder committed in a fit of rage by a jealous boyfriend?

Aided by his sister and a friend who disguised him? Or was it an opportunistic crime by a stranger taking advantage of a young woman’s vulnerability?

A woman alone in the night? To this day, none of these theories has been definitively proven.

The ISMOR community still bears the weight of this unsolved mystery, a mixture of grief, guilt, and a thirst for justice.

Meanwhile, Simone’s memory remains alive in their hearts, a symbol of the shattered dreams of a young woman who set off on an adventure and was tragically cut down in life.

Usually, I manage to form my own opinion, as they say, on the cases I share.

But in this story, I must confess that I was very conflicted when I discovered Simon Strouble’s story.

From the outset, I focused on the beginning of the investigation into his boyfriend, Tobias, aided by his friend Jens and his sister.

Perhaps they weren’t responsible for his death, but perhaps they helped to disguise and conceal Simon’s body.

But the more we learn, the more the years pass, the more we discover .

Especially this DNA. That we found on Simon’s head, which did n’t match his circle, the people he knew.

Uh, it’s an unknown DNA profile . There’s also this lock of hair found nearby, assuming it’s part of the crime scene.

It too is a lock of hair that doesn’t belong to anyone known, an unknown lock of hair.

And that makes the case very strange. It allows us to deviate a bit from Tobias’s trajectory.

Even though, deep down, if I may give my opinion, I still have this conviction that we’re not far from the truth by focusing on the boyfriend.

But what do you think? There’s also something I haven’t mentioned in this story, something I haven’t shared, something I perhaps should have mentioned at some point.

When I talk about Simon leaving the campsite, you know, there are these two testimonies, testimonies that come in.

Almost at the same time, someone reported seeing Simon at the roundabout near the campsite.

Remember, I mentioned this at the very beginning. There are also other testimonies that came out a little later.

I think there are two more testimonies that explain hearing screams, screams from a woman near the roundabout in question.

So, not in the campsite, and the police initially claimed that Simon was killed in the campsite, perhaps in the van belonging to the group of friends.

However, if we also consider these screams that some witnesses supposedly heard, well, if they were Simon’s screams, she wasn’t killed in the campsite.

She was killed outside the campsite, and possibly all three of them were in the campsite.

That means that Simon might have crossed paths with someone outside the campsite, someone who killed him.

These last testimonies were only reported a few years later. In fact, They were collected by the police during the investigation, but we only learned of these testimonies a few years later, and I think they’re incredibly important.

So, when we consider the whole story without these seemingly minor testimonies that are important, we can indeed focus on the boyfriend and think, “No, the profile of a stranger, a prowler, or a predator falls apart in this case.”

But in this instance, it leaves us with a lot of doubts. That’s why I have many doubts about this story, about the killer or killers.

It’s up to you to tell me what you think could have happened and who you think is responsible for Simon Strubble’s murder.

We obviously put ourselves in the shoes of the Strubble family, who remain in complete uncertainty and struggle to understand.

It’s quite astonishing to think that even 20 years later, we I ca n’t seem to solve these cases.

I hope we’ll finally get to the bottom of this story. Uh, that’s it for this video.

The comments that got the most likes, the ones that are at the top of the comments, the ones that are highlighted, if you prefer.

Uh, that was the story, wait, let me get back to it. Ah, the Delphi murders, the video that trapped the guy on the bridge.

And so I have your comments. I have Fara’s comment, who says, “This story traumatized me.”

The fate of these little girls leads us to believe that this can truly happen to anyone.

That’s true. Fara, I have Babylon’s comment which tells us 65 years x 2 the good side of the stappait taken only 22 years max and even then not sure he will do it.

There’s also Noiru who says, “It’s so hard to see and hear these girls just minutes before being horribly deleted.”

It’s true that the images are chilling. I invite you to discover this story if you are not already familiar with it.