Sandi Harvey says she has known what happened to her daughter Leisl Smith since the day the 23-year-old vanished in 2012.
Church, who was ultimately charged with Leisl’s murder, died by suicide in 2022 the day before a judge was to issue a verdict.
This meant that the verdict was shelved and has never been revealed.
But now, Sandi said she had answers of a sort.
“At least (coroner Harriet Grahame) said she was a victim of homicide at the hands of James Church, and now I can say he murdered my daughter.
“I just needed to hear that from somebody in the legal business.”
She also praised the coroner’s subsequent recommendation to change the law to allow for exceptions in the shelving of trial verdicts in the event of a death.
Grahame determined Smith had been killed by Church before midnight on August 19 at a remote location in the NSW Upper Hunter region.
Her body has never been found, despite extensive searches spanning more than a decade.
Evidence showed Church was alarmed he could no longer control Smith, who had the potential to affect his standing in the community and his relationship.
She complained the then-42-year-old had previously been physically aggressive and threatened to kill her.
Sandi told 2GB she continued to hold out hope of finding her daughter’s remains, but that it “won’t be closure”.
She urged anybody who knew something, or who remembered something, to get in touch.
“I don’t care if they’re embarrassed, don’t be embarrassed, if you feel guilty, don’t feel guilty. Contact us and let us know,” she said.
