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IT was a family tragedy story that will live long in the minds of all who knew her but the case is now officially closed on the brutal murder last year of popular Lithgow doctor Leonie Geldenhuys.
Thirteen months after the events of June 3 2014 the Coroner has dispensed with a full scale inquest into the death of the lady all knew simply as ‘Dr Leonie’.
He also dispensed with an inquest into the death of her husband.
Dr Geldenhuys, 46, was a GP on the team at the Valley Medical Practice.
On the morning of June 3 last year her sons made the gruesome discovery of their mother dead in her bed at their home in Wrights Road.
Their father was missing.
His body was discovered later in the day in a car on the farm owned by the family in the Wolgan Valley.
Evidence later came to light that Jacobus Geldenhuys was also a doctor registered in South Africa but had been unable to gain registration in NSW.
Associates of the family described him as anti social and extremely controlling towards his wife.
It was also reported that in the days before her death Dr Geldenhuys, the mother of a university student daughter and two teenage boys, had been making arrangements to purchase a rural lifestyle home at South Bowenfels.
But in a macabre twist Jacobus Geldenhuys had delivered a floral arrangement with a note in Afrikaan to Dr Geldenhuys’ consulting room.
Next morning he brutally murdered her.
Relieving Magistrate Bruce Williams sitting as Coroner in Lithgow Court briefly opened the inquest to consider the report by the investigating police.
He had only to be satisfied with the place, time and cause of death.
He found that Dr Geldenhuys had died from blunt trauma to the head and severe throat lacerations inflicted by a known person now deceased.
With all of the potential family witnesses now residing in South Africa Mr Williams dispensed with further proceedings.
He also dispensed with an inquest into the death of Jacobus Geldenhuys, finding his death was due to self inflicted multiple factors.
As far as officialdom is concerned, dealing with cold hard facts, that is the end of the matter.
But it will remain an ongoing horror story for those traumatised by the events of 12 months ago including Dr Geldenhuys’s colleagues, her family and anti family violence campaigners.
