Nathan Booth inquest set to start at remote Murrumbidgee River location

Nathan Booth, 40, was found dead in the Murrumbidgee River, south of Kambah Pool, in December 2019.

The Kambah man had been missing for several months, and how he ended up in such an isolated place remains a mystery.

The ACT Coroner's Court is hoping to uncover the answers, with an inquest set to begin in December.

A large number of Mr Booth's relatives attended a preliminary hearing on Monday, when Joe Kellaway, counsel assisting the coroner, indicated the current plan was to open the inquest at the river.

Mr Kellaway said the court planned to take evidence at the river from Paul Yates, who was "significantly involved" in search and rescue efforts, and Senior Constable Shaun Cunningham, the police officer in charge of the investigation.

Anyone not physically present at the river would ideally be able to watch a live stream of the proceedings in a courtroom, he added.

Coroner Ken Archer told Mr Booth's family there had recently been "significant progress" on the investigation into the 40-year-old's death.

This included an aerial analysis of the scene, which had helped narrow down the window of time in which Mr Booth's body had entered the river.

"People have been busy," the coroner said.

Mr Archer said members of the family would soon be able to see this for themselves, with a "sizeable" brief of evidence to be provided to their solicitor by next Monday.

He indicated the brief contained thousands of pages of material, including more than 40 statements and "quite a bit" of expert evidence.

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The coroner said he was still hopeful of obtaining testimony from a "survivalist" and an expert in biomechanics.

The court previously set up an email address, at which anyone with information on Mr Booth's death can contact Mr Kellaway's instructing solicitors.

On Monday, Mr Archer said lines of communication between the court and the public, including the Booth family, remained open.

The matter is due back in court for another preliminary hearing on September 25, when Mr Archer will seek the Booth family's views on a proposed witness list that is set to be distributed 10 days earlier.

Mr Booth's sister, Deanne Booth, previously told The Canberra Times her family believed he was murdered.

"We want some justice for Nathan, so that energy has never flatlined," she said in May.

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