The miner who was thought to be Australia’s youngest COVID-19 victim didn’t die from the virus, it has been claimed.
Nathan Turner, 30, was found dead at his home in Blackwater, in regional Queensland, by his fiancee Simone Devon last Tuesday.
Queensland Health stated the coal miner had died from coronavirus in a case that puzzled doctors given he had not left his small town since February.
But Ms Devon, who works at the town’s bakery, has now claimed an autopsy revealed Mr Turner did not have the deadly virus.
‘We have just got word from our staff member, Nathan’s partner, that his autopsy report has come in and Nathan has been CLEARED as COVID 19 NEGATIVE,’ a post on Fairbairn Bakery Emerald read on Monday night.
Nathan Turner, who was thought to be Australia’s youngest COVID-19 victim, didn’t die from the virus, it has been claimed
Locals are seen queuing to get coronavirus tests last week in Blackwater (pictured) after it was reported Mr Turner had died from the virus
Fairbairn Bakery Emerald, where Nathan Turner’s fiance works, on Monday night claimed the coal miner tested negative to COVID-19
‘Now his loved ones can be left in peace and Nathan can finally RIP.
‘Our thoughts are with everyone who has been directly impacted by this whole ordeal, and the little community of Blackwater can now breathe easy.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Health for confirmation of the claims.
Mr Turner had a series of health problems and had been displaying symptoms in the weeks before his death, but was only tested after his body was found.
He had been off work since November after suffering seizures.
After the 30-year-old’s death was made public, Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young denied allegations he did not have the disease.
‘There was a test done … which is a very sensitive test and it came back positive,’ MS Young told reporters.
‘I believe it was a positive.’
Ms Young said Mr Turner had a ‘complicated medical history’ that ‘needs to be worked through’ and did not know the impact of his other medical issues.
Nathan Turner (pictured) was described as ‘a country gentleman’ by his devastated mates after he became the youngest person in Australia to die with coronavirus
Nathan Turner is pictured with his partner Simone Devon, who discovered his body last Tuesday after she returned from work
Mr Turner’s body was discovered in his Blackwater home (pictured) on May 26 after his fiancee returned from work at a local bakery
‘Whether or not COVID-19 was the precipitating cause for his death, that’s how we report it,’ she said.
Since his May 26 death, Mr Turner’s family has maintained they don’t believe COVID-19 caused his death as he also suffered from epilepsy and asthma, and regularly caught the flu.
Mystery surrounded the suspected coronavirus case, after it was revealed Mr Turner had not left the small town in months and there were no other known local cases.
Mr Turner’s death sparked fears of an outbreak in Blackwood and locals were tested en masse last week.
Ms Devon tested negative to the virus three times and more than 500 Blackwater residents also returned negative results.
It was reported a nurse from Rockhampton could have been the source of infection after she broke travel restrictions to drive 195km to Blackwater on May 10.
The nurse, whose name hasn’t been revealed, told authorities she had taken a 400km round trip to ‘watch the sunset’ in the mining town.
She was re-interviewed last Thursday as authorities tried to piece together how COVID-19 reached the town – with the nurse admitting she had been on a recent holiday to Malaysia.
Officials then said it was ‘unlikely’ the nurse was the cause of Mr Turner’s infection because of the timing of her bizarre trip.
Her trip was 17 days before Mr Turner’s death, and he was reportedly suffering symptoms 21 days before he passed away.
Family and friends at Nathan Turner’s Blackwater home where his fiance found him dead last Tuesday
Nathan Turner (pictured) worked as a miner, but had been off work since November, officials said
The nurse insisted that she never left her car during the road trip, and had no contact with other people.
Local Labor MP Brittany Lauga called for the nurse, who is under investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission, to be fined for breaking lockdown rules.
Member for Gregory Lachlan Millar admitted anxiety levels were high in Blackwater and called for calm, saying anyone concerned about their health should be tested.
‘There are a lot of people pointing fingers at the moment, but that isn’t the right way to go about it,’ Mr Millar said on Thursday.
Residents of Blackwater paid tribute to the ‘country gentleman’ at a moving event last Thursday.
‘We are overwhelmed and very grateful,’ Ms Devon’s mother Lorraine said.
Since his May 26 death, Mr Turner’s family has maintained they don’t believe COVID-19 caused his death as he also suffered from epilepsy and asthma, and regularly caught the flu