The early police response to the disappearance of Queensland boy Daniel Morcombe did not pay enough attention to his murderer Brett Peter Cowan as a suspect, a coroner says.
Findings have been handed down by state coroner Terry Ryan on Friday, just over 15 years since the 13-year-old disappeared at a bus stop on his way to buy Christmas presents for his family in 2003.
Mr Ryan noted Cowan was a known child sex offender and admitted being in the Sunshine Coast area where Daniel disappeared.
"I agree with the submissions from family and counsel assisting that more could have been done to focus on Mr Cowan in the early stages of the investigation," Mr Ryan said.
He said claims made at the inquest by two police officers - that they were rebuffed when they raised Cowan as a suspect - could not be proven.
Brett Peter Cowan. Source: AAP
Former police officer Dennis Martyn told the inquest he concluded Cowan had abducted Daniel soon after interviewing him.
He said he told the then head of the homicide squad Mike Condon it was Cowan but was told to "f*** off".
His former police partner, Kenneth King, also testified he had considered Cowan a key suspect, but the major incident response team did not immediately pursue their lead.
Mr Condon told the inquest the conversation with Mr Martyn never took place.
Mr Ryan said on Friday the immediate police response was adequate and in line with policy.
Given Daniel was likely killed within an hour of his abduction, his death could not have been prevented by police, he said.
Inquest timeline
The long-running inquest began in 2010, but was adjourned in 2011 as police continued their investigations.
Police charged Brett Peter Cowan with murder among other offences in August 2011.
In the same month shoes and bones found belonging to Daniel were found in bushland at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast.
A jury found Cowan guilty of murder among other offences in March 2014 and he was sentenced to life in prison.
By December 2016, the inquest reopened after Cowan exhausted his options to appeal the decision.
Morcombe family 'grateful' for coronial inquest
Daniel's family say they will be forever haunted by the chilling description of the kidnap and murder by the "repulsive pedophile" who killed their son.
But they are grateful for the coronial inquest that began in 2010 and ultimately led to Daniel's body being found, and life in jail for the killer, Brett Peter Cowan.
Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise Morcombe and their family said in a statement they recognise the extraordinary efforts of police whose covert operation extracted a confession and re-enactment of events.
"The repulsive pedophile's callous description of what took place that day and what he did to our much loved Daniel is chilling to say the least," they say in the statement.
"His words have scarred us and will haunt us all forever."
"Today, collectively as a family we move on but individually we never forget," they said ahead of the coroner's findings.
Cowan, now serving life in jail for Daniel's murder, was arrested in 2011 after confessing to undercover officers in the elaborate police sting.
Daniel Morcombe went missing from a bus stop near his home on the Sunshine Coast in 2003. Source: AAP
The inquest was put on hold while Cowan faced criminal proceedings, was convicted in 2014 and then exhausted his appeals.
It resumed again in 2016, hearing about the police handling of the case.
Former police officer Dennis Martyn told the reopened inquest he concluded Cowan had abducted the 13-year-old soon after interviewing him.
He said he told the then head of the homicide squad Mike Condon it was Cowan but was told to "f*** off".
His former police partner, Kenneth King, also testified he had considered Cowan a key suspect, but the major incident response team did not immediately pursue their lead.
Mr Condon told the inquest the conversation with Mr Martyn never took place, a claim he reiterated outside court.
The inquest also heard Maroochydore police did not appreciate that Daniel's disappearance was out of character, treating it as a teenage runaway.
The coroner heard their actions were consistent with police policy at the time.
The inquest also heard Cowan had been incredibly lucky in managing to coax Daniel away without leaving any forensic evidence or being identified in a more definitive manner.
Daniel's family say that from the "dark place" they have endured, they have managed to generate a momentum of hope and their son's legacy lives on with the Daniel Morcombe Foundation set up to keep children safe.
