On Tuesday, 22 August, Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan found Esmeraldo San Juan died “in or near the waters of Snapper Point, Frazer Beach, Munmorah State Conservation Area, NSW,“ “on 19 March 2016 or very soon afterwards”.
But unable to locate his body, the Coroner concluded “the cause and manner of Esmeraldo San Juan’s death remain unknown”.
San Juan loved fishing and would indulge in his favourite social activity at least once a week. On 19 March, he told his de facto partner he would go fishing overnight at Snapper Point, about half an hour drive from their home.
He reached his destination and was greeted by a Filipino-Australian friend, Edmond Climacosa, who had been fishing but called it a night because of the large waves.
Climacosa saw his friend San Juan for the last time “putting on an orange jacket with reflector stripes”.
According to his partner, San Juan would usually return home about 10 o’clock the following morning. But this time, he never did.
The local police was involved about 3 pm on 20 March and even had search operations over a number of days.
In the inquest, Chief Inspector Rodney Peet of Tuggerah lakes Area Command, “Since 2010 seventeen people have been swept into the water from the rocks around Snapper Point and have died. Around one in three of these bodies have not been recovered".
After the disappearance, two human bones were found later on separate dates in the area, and the Coroner’s Court accepted the bones as belonging to Esmeraldo.
Esmeraldo San Juan was born in 1974, and came to Australia in May, 2012. He became a permanent resident in 2105.