MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian coroner on Thursday recommended that police further investigate the death of German backpacker Simone Strobel, whose body was found hidden in a park 20 years ago.
Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan concluded a second inquest into the death of the 25-year-old kindergarten teacher from Rieden, Bavaria, whose naked body was found under palm fronds in Lismore in New South Wales state on Feb. 17, 2005.
Her body was found 100 meters (109 yards) from the trailer where she had been staying with her German boyfriend Tobias Suckfuell, his sister Katrin Suckfuell and friend Jens Martin. Her body was found six days after she was reported missing.
Strobel’s boyfriend, who now goes by the name Tobias Moran, was charged with her murder and with perverting the course of justice in 2022. But the charges were dropped the following year. Prosecutors gave no reasons.
O’Sullivan said that Moran's lawyers argued she should find it was “very unlikely” that Moran had any involvement in Strobel’s death.
O’Sullivan found it was unlikely Moran’s sister and Martin were involved in Strobel’s death and that it was unlikely Moran could have acted alone in killing Strobel and disposing of her body.
“I do not, however, accept that the evidence goes so far as to support a finding by me that it is very unlikely Mr. Moran was involved in Simone’s death,” O'Sullivan wrote.
O’Sullivan found that Strobel had been killed. But the coroner could not say what caused her death or who was responsible.
“I conclude that an open finding is the only available finding on this issue,” O’Sullivan wrote.
An original inquest similarly ended in 2007 with a coroner ruling there was insufficient evidence to recommend charges against anyone.
Police offered a 1 million Australian dollar ($650,000) reward for information in 2020.
Moran welcomed the coroner's recommendation that the death be referred to detectives in the New South Wales Unsolved Homicide Team to search for more DNA evidence.
“Her honor’s referral of the case to unsolved homicide gives me hope that this case will be given the fair and unbiased investigation Simone always deserved,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“A review of the case by independent police, with a focus on outstanding DNA testing, is something I have been requesting for years, as I want nothing more than to see the real perpetrators who took Simone’s life brought to justice,” he added.
Strobel and Moran arrived in Australia as backpackers in 2004. He changed his name from Suckfuell in 2012 when he married his Australian wife Samantha Moran.
FILE - In this image made from video provided by CH7 AUS, Samantha Moran, left, stands next to her husband Tobias, while speaking to media in Perth, Australia, on June 14, 2023. (CH7 AUS via AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered in afternoon trading on Wall Street Tuesday as 2025 nudges closer to the finish line.
The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged. The benchmark index is still on track for a gain of more than 17% for the year.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 78 points, or 0.2%, as of 2:55 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%.
The biggest weights on the market remained technology companies, especially those focused on advancements for artificial intelligence.
Nvidia and Apple wobbled between small losses and breaking even. Both companies have outsized values that have a greater overall impact on the market’s broader direction.
On the winning side, Facebook parent Meta Platforms rose 1.3%. The company is buying artificial intelligence startup Manus as it continues an aggressive push to amp up AI offerings across its platforms.
Markets were mixed in Asia and higher in Europe.
With just two trading days left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions and volume has been thin. U.S. markets will be closed on Thursday for New Year's day.
The more notable action was again in the commodities markets. Gold, silver and copper all resumed their ascent after steep declines a day earlier.
The price of gold rose 0.7% and silver prices gained 9.2% after slumping Monday when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals. Prices for both metals have surged in 2025 on a mix of economic worries and supply deficits.
Copper rose 3.6% and is up more 40% for the year on strong demand. The base metal is critical to global energy infrastructure, and demand is expected to keep growing as the development of artificial intelligence technology puts more of a strain on data centers and the energy grid.
Crude oil prices were relatively steady. The price of U.S. crude oil fell 0.1%. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.1%.
Treasury yields mostly rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.13% from 4.11% late Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, held steady at 3.45% from late Monday.
Overall, Treasury yields have fallen significantly through the year, partly because of the market's expectations for a shift in interest rate policy at the Fed. The central bank cut interest rates three times late in 2025, most recently at its meeting earlier in December.
The central bank has been dealing with a more complex economic picture. Consumer confidence has been weakening throughout the year as inflation squeezes consumers and businesses. The continued impact of a wide-ranging U.S.-led trade war threatens to add more fuel to inflation.
Inflation remains stubbornly high while the jobs market slows down. The Fed can cut interest rates to help the economy weather a slower jobs market. But, that could add more fuel to inflation that is still solidly above the Fed's 2% target. Hotter inflation could stunt economic growth.
The Fed has signaled more caution moving forward. Minutes from its December meeting reflect the divisions within the central bank as it deals with uncertainty about the threats facing the economy.
Wall Street is betting that the Fed will hold interest rates steady at its next meeting in January.
Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, delivers a speech as Hajime Moriyasu, left, the head coach of Japanese national soccer team, bows during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock ExchangeTuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Hajime Moriyasu, the head coach of Japanese national soccer team, rings the bell during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses before ringing the bell during a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A dealer watches computer monitors near the screen showing the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won are seen at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
The screens show the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won and the Korean Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A dealer watches computer monitors at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
