Rick Thorburn: Man who killed 12-year-old Tiahleigh Palmer found in 'unresponsive' state in his cell
BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND: A man serving a life sentence for killing his 12-year-old foster child was found in an "unresponsive" state in his jail cell. Rick Thorburn, 62, was discovered unconscious in his cell around 8.30 am on Tuesday, August 22. He was given a lifer in 2018 after murdering her foster daughter Tiahleigh Palmer in 2015.
Thorburn was in a single cell at Wolston Correctional Center, according to the Queensland Corrective Services, and was taken to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital for treatment. He had served only two years of a 20-year sentence.
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Thorburn appeared "well" earlier in the morning, as per authorities. The report said that officers gave him first aid and collaborated with Queensland Health employees to keep him stable until paramedics arrived. Authorities believed that the convicted child killer allegedly attempted to take his own life.
After admitting to killing Palmer to hide the fact that his son Trent had been having sex with her, Thorburn was sentenced to prison. Later, Thorburn dumped Palmer's body on the banks of the Pimpama River in Queensland's northern Gold Coast.
Palmer attended a hip-hop dance class in the hours prior to her death and reported having stomach pains. Trent confessed to his mother that day he had slept with the schoolgirl and was worried that her stomach pains were a sign of being pregnant.
According to the ABC news report posted on June 8, 2021, although Thorburn's wife and her two sons, Joshua and Trent, testified as well, they insisted they were not told how Palmer was killed. "All he said to me was, 'What you aren't told you can't repeat.' He was never going to tell us anything,'" Thorburn's wife said. She added, "He didn't want anybody else to know anything about how it happened."
Joshua testified in court that his father had never even "officially told" him that Palmer had been killed. "He just said she was no longer with us — I was never told how he did it," he said, adding, "I wasn't told where she was buried either until it was shown on the TV." After lying to police about what they initially knew about the murder, all three Thorburns were previously charged with perjury and pleaded guilty. Trent was sentenced to four years in jail and was released on parole after 16 months behind bars in 2018.
Thorburn was on suicide watch following his arrest, and it is believed Tuesday was his second attempt. His condition is yet to be known.
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).