EXCLUSIVE
The n Defence Force has quietly scrubbed references to an RAAF pilot from their social media pages after his wife died in a mysterious lawn mower incident last week.
Frances Crawford, 49, was found dead at her Upper Lockyer home, in south east Queensland, at 3.40am on Tuesday 30 July after police were called to reports she had been critically injured by a ride-on mower.
Police have deemed the death suspicious, and her husband Robert, who made the triple-0 call, has been assisting detectives with their inquiries.
Daily Mail does not suggest Mr Crawford was involved in his wife’s death, only that he is assisting police.
As detectives continue to investigate the baffling case, the military has swiftly deleted posts on their official Facebook page about Mr Crawford, 47, who is a Squadron Leader based out of Amberley.
The social media posts spruiked the efforts of the armed services in Queensland and featured photos of Mr Crawford on duty along with quotes from him about military projects.
‘Exposure to new ways of thinking and sharing skills with the PNGDF [Papua New Guinea Defence Force] is invaluable for all of us at No. 35 Squadron,’ Squadron Leader Crawford said at the time.
‘We look forward to helping our closest neighbour rebuild their sovereign aviation capability and safety systems.
‘In turn, the PNGDF will help us in our mountainous flying training, airfield facility access and other training exercises in PNG, working side-by-side on future joint humanitarian and disaster relief operations.’
Daily Mail understands Mr Crawford had only returned to from overseas deployment about a week before his wife’s death.
The Department of Defence declined to comment.
Daily Mail can also reveal Mr Crawford was embroiled in court issues while stationed in Adelaide in 2012.
He was charged with abuse of public office after he allegedly manipulated regulations to get a Middle East posting and earn a tax-free bonus.
Mr Crawford requested to subpoena classified documents to prove that he had good reasons to be deployed at the time in question.
The prosecution later dropped all charges against him.
The revelations come as police plead for the public’s help as they work to piece together the circumstances surrounding Ms Crawford’s death.
Ten police vehicles were seen swooping on the rural property last Thursday, including several cars filled with forensic equipment, as detectives ramp up their investigation.
Speaking to media the following day, Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said detectives are still trying to determine how she suffered critical injuries.
‘There are a number of things that we need to understand better to determine what the cause was and how this has actually happened,’ he said.
‘We have not been able to determine a cause in regards to what was discovered at that scene, hence why we are determining this matter to be suspicious.
‘If [you] have knowledge of the woman and you obviously hear this information coming out this week, then we want to hear from them in relation to what they do know.’