A young tradie who is believed to have died after he mysteriously vanished without a trace had accrued drug debts days before his disappearance, a coroner has found.
Zac Barnes, 18, was last seen getting out of a friend’s car and running into bushland in a panicked state near Thornton train station in the NSW Hunter Valley on the night of Sunday, November 13, 2016.
The apprentice didn’t have his phone or wallet and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. His phone and social media accounts remain inactive from that time.
The inquest into his suspected death, which began in 2023, resumed earlier this month after police finalised their investigation.
Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes recently handed down her findings that Mr Barnes died on or shortly after November 13, 2016 but was unable to determine the manner, cause, or place of his death.
‘I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Zac is deceased,’ she said.
‘I am also satisfied on the balance of probabilities that he died in suspicious circumstances.’
She referred Mr Barnes’ disappearance to the NSW Police Unsolved Homicide Team.
Zac Barnes likely died in suspicious circumstances, a coroner has ruled
Zac Barnes (pictured with his mum and several siblings) was last seen alive on the night of Sunday, November 13, 2016
The inquest heard confronting details about the apprentice teen’s drug use, alcohol consumption, troubling behaviour, and accrued drug debts in the months and days before he disappeared.
He missed his older brother’s 21st birthday celebrations a fortnight prior after drinking heavily during a pub crawl earlier in the day.
A week later, he took ecstasy tablets brought on credit from a friend into a music festival in Newcastle.
He was described by numerous friends as being ‘off his head’ at the concert, the coroner noted.
The inquest also heard how he owed money and borrowed $1,200 from his mother and stepfather to repay a drug debt three days before he disappeared.
The inquest findings were scathing of NSW Police in their initial handling of Mr Barnes’ disappearance.
The court heard that a review of the police response found that a formal risk assessment was not completed at the start of the search and that a multi-agency search should have occurred days before it did.
Aerial resources weren’t deployed until eight days into the search.
Zac Barnes would now be 27 if he was still alive today
The findings confirmed what Mr Barnes’s mother Karen Gudelj and stepfather Michael have suspected all along
‘The SOPs that existed in 2016 required a risk assessment to be conducted and recorded. A risk assessment form was provided as a guide,’ the coroner said.
‘There is no record of that being done either at the time Zac was reported missing or as the investigation progressed.
‘It is unfortunate that the prescribed risk assessments were not completed when they should have been.’
Magistrate Forbes also ruled that investigators did not fully comply with Missing Persons Standard Operating Procedures.
‘The evidence suggests that there was not strict compliance with the Missing Persons SOPs in force at the time of Zac’s disappearance and better decisions could have been made,’ she said.
‘This probably hampered the investigation in the very early stages when it was most critical to obtain timely evidence.’
A strike task force focused on Mr Barnes’ disappearance is now underway and investigating new lines of inquiry.
The coroner also noted that newer police systems in place will ensure the prescribed steps regarding missing persons are now taken in a timely manner.
A Missing Persons Registry has also since been established.
The coroner acknowledged the pain the last nine years have had on Zac’s family (pictured with his siblings)
Karen Gudelj (pictured with Zac) believes she’s another day closer to getting justice for him
The coroner acknowledged the traumatic toll on Mr Barnes’ mother Karen Gudelj, his stepfather Michael, three brothers and two younger sisters.
His younger brother Liam, then aged 19, took his own life four years after Mr Barnes vanished.
‘Zac’s disappearance and apparent death is a tragedy, and his family has clearly been deeply affected by his disappearance from their lives and the unanswered questions surrounding his disappearance, Magistrate Forbes said.
‘I acknowledge the painful and persistent uncertainty felt by them in not knowing what happened to Zac and the anguish around not being able to give Zac a proper funeral, burial and farewell.
‘I hope that the inquest has assisted by bringing them some measure of closure, and I hope that in the future the necessary evidence can be uncovered to provide more information about what happened to Zac.’
The inquest findings confirmed what Mr Barnes’ mother has suspected all along.
‘It is a bittersweet moment — relief mixed with the weight of what we’ve always known in our hearts,’ Ms Gudelj posted online
The inquest heard confronting details about the teen’s drug use, alcohol consumption, troubling behaviour and accrued drug debts in the months and days before he disappeared
‘As a family, we never believed the early assumptions — that Zac had simply run away or taken his own life. That was never our truth, and we are grateful it is finally being acknowledged.
‘Our faith in the system has been renewed, thanks to some extraordinary people who stood by us.’
She believes the family is another day closer to finding justice for Zac.
‘It may not come tomorrow, but we truly believe it will come,’ Ms Gudelj said.
‘And that belief brings us peace — knowing Zac has not been forgotten, and that the dedicated homicide detectives will keep fighting for the answers we so desperately seek.’
The family plan to hold a memorial on the anniversary of Mr Barnes’ disappearance in November.
