Coroner rules former 2GB host Roman Butchaski killed by crocodile in Far North Queensland

A Queensland coroner has found that former 2GB radio host and angling expert Roman Butchaski was killed by a crocodile after disappearing while fishing on the Olive River in November 2023.

Coroner Christine Roney made the finding on July 30, concluding that Butchaski, 76, likely entered the water and was taken and consumed by a large saltwater crocodile. Butchaski vanished on Nov. 12, 2023, while fishing the crocodile‑infested banks of the remote Olive River at the tip of Cape York, about 600 kilometres north of Cairns.

Search parties found Butchaski’s vehicle, one of his two fishing rods and some personal items, but no trace of the experienced fisherman. A weeklong search that included Torres Strait Rescue’s Rescue Helicopter 700 turned up no evidence of his whereabouts.

Roney said Butchaski was well versed in North Queensland fishing territory generally but not familiar with the Olive River area. Records show he visited long‑time friends at Bramwell Station on Nov. 9 and had been travelling to Olive Crossing each morning to fish. On Nov. 12 he left Bramwell Station at about 8 a.m. and was due to return to Sydney the following day; he never arrived.

The Department of Environment and Science carried out surveys of the area and observed two crocodiles close to where Butchaski was believed to have been fishing. One crocodile was estimated at 2.5 to 3 metres and was sighted about 15 metres from his last known position, while a second was estimated at roughly 1.5 metres. The department did not find a crocodile displaying definitive signs of taking a human, but Roney said the presence of large crocodiles in that section of water made a fatal attack highly probable.

Roney outlined three possible scenarios for how Butchaski could have entered the water: being dragged in during a saltwater crocodile attack, losing his balance while fishing amid snags and riverbank hazards, or suffering a medical episode exacerbated by his age and health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, and by extreme temperatures experienced in the area at the time.

"Once in the water I believe [Butchaski] has been taken and killed, and likely consumed, by a large saltwater crocodile inhabiting the upper reaches of the Olive River," Roney said. She described him as a "happy‑go‑lucky type of bloke and happiest when he was fishing." The coroner recommended that consideration be given to the fact that he is deceased as a result of a saltwater crocodile attack.

The Olive River runs roughly 70 kilometres from the Richardson Range to the Coral Sea, winding through about 43 square kilometres of largely uninhabited estuarine wetlands before meeting the ocean at Temple Bay. The area is known to be inhabited by saltwater crocodiles and is remote, with limited access and few permanent residents.

At the time of his disappearance, colleagues at Sydney’s 2GB expressed concern for Butchaski and his family. Host Ben Fordham said the station's "thoughts and prayers" were with those who knew him and added, "we're hoping that he is out there somewhere." The coroner's finding now supports the conclusion that Butchaski did not survive the incident.

Authorities did not recover remains or definitive forensic evidence linking a particular animal to the death, and the coroner's conclusion rests on the combination of the search results, the observed presence of large crocodiles in proximity to his last known position, the hazardous nature of the river environment and the plausible medical vulnerabilities of the decedent. Local agencies continue to advise caution in crocodile habitat and to follow regional guidance when fishing or travelling in remote waterways.