Rick Thorburn, murderer who killed Tiahleigh Palmer to cover up his son’s incestuous relationship, tries to take his own life in jail and is rushed to hospital

Rick Thorburn has attempted to take his own life for the third time after being convicted of murdering 12-year-old schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer.

Thorburn was reportedly found unresponsive in his cell at Wolston Correctional Centre in Brisbane on Thursday morning. 

He was resuscitated by nurses at the scene and taken to the Princes Alexandra Hospital. 

Thursday marks his third suicide attempt, having been found unresponsive while behind bars in August, 2022, and earlier in September, 2020.

Tiahleigh was murdered in October, 2015

Thorburn is serving a life sentence over the murder of Tiahleigh who was in his foster care.

He was motivated to kill Tiahleigh after learning his youngest son Trent, then 19, had an incestuous sexual relationship with her and believed he may have gotten her pregnant. 

Trent was sentenced to four years in prison for incest, perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice, but spent just 16 months behind bars. 

Thorburn reported Tiahleigh missing on October 30, 2015, claiming he dropped her off at school in the morning but she never made it inside the gates. Her body was found six days later on the bank of Pimpama River. 

He also pleaded guilty to sexual offending against a four-year-old child and 11-year-old who were in his wife’s care at the home daycare she ran while they also were fostering Tiahleigh. 

Queensland’s Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley found in her inquest report that Thorburn had showed no remorse for the 12-year-old’s killing.

He pleaded guilty to Tiahleigh’s murder but claimed he accidentally suffocated her. 

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