Courtney was in a relationship with her partner Ashley Campbell for 11 years. They first met when she was 13, young and vulnerable and were in a relationship by the time she was 17. He was a friend of a friend of her older sisters and had met him when she was away at boarding school. The relationship continued in an off and on pattern until Courtney’s death when she was only 28 on the 1st of April, 2024. 

Courtney died on a lonely stretch of the Bruce Highway in Bajool, Queensland after she allegedly exited a vehicle being driven by her partner. At the time of her death it was deemed by QLD Police that Courtney had taken her own life and no further investigation was undertaken. Courtney’s family has repeatedly stated that she had a positive outlook on life and had a lot to look forward to, in particular her new work traineeship which she felt would set her up well in life.

During her relationship Courtney was slowly but surely isolated from her family and friends by her partner, he never came to family celebrations whether it be a Christmas lunch or a milestone birthday of Courtney’s. Courtney’s parents were concerned, he was always invited but Courtney insisted “Ash just doesn’t do family things”. Since her death Ashley has had no communication with Courtney’s family, only once asking her mother Lee-Ann whether she was trying to “take his dogs away” from him. 

Since Courtney’s death her mother Lee-Ann, Dad Don and step-mum Kristy have become her fiercest advocates, continually calling on the Queensland Government to undertake a proper inquest into her death in the Coroner’s court. This was supported by Attorney General Deb Frecklington and in June, 2025 it was announced that a full inquest would be held and all available evidence would be properly re-examined. At the time of writing Courtney’s family have still not received any update regarding an inquest date. 

After her death Courtney’s parents had many people come forward to them having witnessed repeated abuse towards Courtney by Ashley. Courtney’s step-mum Kristy began investigating and made an excel spreadsheet which showed at least 12 prior instances where Courtney had verbally disclosed domestic violence to Police and medical professionals. Courtney had spoken to her GP, a Psychiatrist, Queensland Ambulance Service, a Queensland women’s service and hospitals - including prior incidents where she had been punched repeatedly by Ashley as they were driving and another when she had been strangled by him. In addition to this she also disclosed during medical appointments experiencing coercive control as well as emotional financial and physical abuse. Courtney had stated that during arguments Ashley would repeatedly take her phone and car keys rendering her unable to get any help. Diving into Courtney’s medical records, her step-mum Kristy discovered up to 11 other instances where she had received medical treatment for assault related injuries - all which coincided with the timeline of abuse disclosures made by Courtney.

Hours before her death, Courtney had a phone call with her sister where she stated that she was walking away from her house, she was done with the relationship and Ashley had taken her car keys and purse to stop her from leaving. After her death, the car was found to be full of all of Courtney’s belongings (including most of her clothing, shoes, toiletries, makeup, hair and beauty , music equipment and at least 100 CDs) - none of Ashley’s items. Courtneys phone was turned off and was located in the drivers footwell, out of reach and apparent to her family that he had taken it from her again.  It was apparent to Courtney’s family that she had packed her things and left him in the hours before her death.

As we have all moved through December, into January and the new year of 2026 Courtney’s family is painfully aware that time keeps moving on, even when the wheels of justice don’t. Lee-Ann, Courtney’s mum in particular has really struggled recently - unable to fully enjoy the holiday season she quietly removes herself from the festivities and takes a breath. Courtney’s dad Don states that he also struggles every day, particularly during the most ordinary moments - such as family get togethers, moments where everyone can reminisce about Courtney and the fact that she should still be here. With no Courtney anymore and no inquest date set - it can feel like accountability may never come. Courtney’s family and loved ones are serving a life sentence and Ashley Campbell continues on with his life. Only two people know what had happened in the vehicle in the lead up to Courtney’s death - and only one is able to speak about it now.

Courtney did not just fall through a single crack, her repeated disclosures of abuse has made clear the issues Australia has with information sharing and domestic violence. Courtney fell through many cracks at the hand of systems that were supposed to protect her - Queensland Police, Queensland Ambulance Service, Hospitals, Women’s centres and many medical professionals. 

The Justice for Courtney campaign is not only about holding one person accountable for her death, it is about holding whole systems accountable. So far, the data is making one thing painfully clear — systems are not connecting. Courtney is not a one-off case. This is happening to hundreds of women, every single day. We already have linked systems through MyGov — the ATO, Medicare, health records, Centrelink, Child Support, the NDIS. The government can link every part of your life when it benefits them.

So we ask the obvious question:

If a system exists to track money, services, and compliance — why doesn’t a system exist to link domestic violence agencies to share information and save women’s lives?

If you would like to take part in our survey, please send a private message to Kristy via the Justice for Courtney page, and the link will be shared with you directly. Please continue to share this petition and Courtney’s story.

You can hear more about Courtney’s story here, or listen to her story on the She Matters Podcast by Sherele Moody, which is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

This update was penned by an Australian Femicide Watch researcher on behalf of Courtney’s family and runs with their approval.

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