A tragic and avoidable death has been laid bare by an independent investigation into police procedures in New South Wales. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission's report into the circumstances surrounding Lindy Lucena's death highlights a stark failure to act with urgency when responding to a 'triple zero' call, which resulted in her being left for nearly six hours before her body was discovered.
The incident, which occurred on 3 January 2023 in Ballina, began with an emergency call reporting a woman being assaulted behind a Salvation Army building. Despite the gravity of the initial report, the two officers who attended the scene remained in their vehicles for approximately three and a half minutes before driving slowly past the location and reporting 'nothing seen'. The Lecc investigation found this decision to be an 'inadequate police response', although it did not constitute serious misconduct or a criminal offence.
The commission's report also highlighted systemic issues that contributed to the delayed and insufficient response. The emergency call was initially logged as a priority 2 job, requiring a broadcast within 90 seconds; however, the first broadcast was made seven minutes after the call was logged due to an administrative error. Subsequent re-broadcasts of the unanswered job were also delayed beyond the required 60-second intervals.
The investigation found that the officers' decision not to exit their vehicles was influenced by the fact that only one person had called, leading them to presume the assault was not serious or had ceased. The report acknowledges that the officers were unaware Ms Lucena was likely deceased or dying within metres of their vehicles, hidden behind a fence.
Robert Huber, 69, Lindy's partner, was convicted of manslaughter in July 2025 and sentenced to almost 13 years in prison after being acquitted of murder. Justice Stephen Rothman found that Ms Lucena likely died from a combination of factors, not solely the wounds from the beating, at or around 7:20 pm or just after 9:30 pm on the night of the incident.