The family of Simone Strobel, who was murdered during a vacation in northern New South Wales 20 years ago, expressed disappointment after a second coronial inquest did not hear from key witnesses. Strobel's naked body was found under palm fronds at a bocce court in Lismore six days after she went missing on February 11, 2005. At the time, she was staying at a caravan park nearby with her boyfriend, Tobias Moran, his sister Katrin Suckfuell, and friend Jens Martin. They reported that Strobel disappeared after leaving the campground, with her last sighting occurring near midnight on a nearby road.

Following the inquest's findings, State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan concluded that Strobel died from homicide at the hands of an unknown individual. This finding contradicted the previous inquest, which had indicated a strong suspicion that Moran was involved in her death. Christina Strobel, Simone's sister, stated, "Sadly, this inquest brought us no closer to understanding the circumstances of why and how Simone died. The coroner didn't hear from the most important witnesses, and this was surprising and disappointing."

While Jens Martin testified at the initial inquest in 2007, neither Moran nor Suckfuell was required to provide evidence in either inquest. All three had given statements to police at the time, and Moran submitted information during the new inquest. O'Sullivan noted that all relevant witnesses had already provided contemporaneous police statements, suggesting that new evidence could distort memories.

The first inquest, conducted in October 2007 by then-state coroner Paul MacMahon, found insufficient evidence to charge anyone in Strobel's death. However, MacMahon had stated there was a strong suspicion of involvement by Moran and possibly Suckfuell. O'Sullivan, who reviewed a significantly larger volume of evidence than MacMahon, reached different conclusions. She stated, "I accept that such a finding would now be prohibited and, noting the conclusions that I reach elsewhere in these findings, I also express my disagreement with coroner MacMahon in relation to that finding."

O'Sullivan determined that while it was unlikely Moran acted alone in the murder, she could not definitively rule out his involvement. She stated, "It is unlikely that Mr. Martin and Ms. Suckfuell were involved in Simone's death; and secondly, it is unlikely that Mr. Moran could have acted alone in killing Simone and disposing of her body."

In 2022, Moran was charged in connection with Strobel's death, but the charges were dropped the following year, and he was awarded costs. O'Sullivan found that Strobel died from homicide, but there was insufficient evidence to support earlier claims that she died from asphyxiation or smothering. She noted that autopsy reports did not establish a cause of death, with both Australian and German forensic pathologists unable to explain it through injury or pathology. O'Sullivan suggested a possible sexual motive for the crime, which had been dismissed in the first inquest.

The coroner recommended that the case be transferred to the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Team for further investigation, particularly regarding DNA evidence found on Strobel's clothing and a hair sample near her body. The Strobel family acknowledged the efforts of police in both Australia and Germany, stating, "We continue to hope that one day we will learn the truth about what happened to Simone."