DANIEL Thomas’ killer has not been revealed, but light was shone on what happened to the toddler immediately before his short life ended.

The inquest on the Myrtleford toddler ended at the Wangaratta Coroner’s Court yesterday before Coroner Jacinta Heffey.

It involved seven days of finger-pointing as blame shifted between his mother, Donna Thomas, who was present for most of the proceedings, and babysitter Mandy Martyn, who refused to appear on the grounds of self-incrimination.

There was evidence yesterday from former friend of Ms Martyn, Madeline Kelly (nee Greene).

She told of her 2008 conversation with Ms Martyn, the day Daniel’s remains were found.

“She said to me she had found Donna strangling Daniel one night,” Ms Greene said.

“She told me Daniel was gone — gone as in dead.”

Yesterday also saw a declaration from Ms Martyn’s elder daughter, now 22 and who has finished studying social work, that she “didn’t agree” with child abuse.

“Anyone responsible for that sort of behaviour should be put in jail for life,” she said.

This came after a week of the court hearing evidence that her mother and Ms Thomas had abused Daniel.

They had tied him to a bed, gagged him, bound him and placed him in a cupboard.

The daughter was the last of her three children to give evidence. The names of all three were suppressed.

“My siblings and I went through a lot,” she said.

“There are things I don’t want to re-live.”

She said she couldn’t recall what happened to Daniel and denied being abused by her mother, but laid blame on Ms Thomas for killing the toddler.

“That is my personal view,” she said.

The detective who investigated Daniel’s death, Detective Sgt Russell Sheather, also gave evidence.

Sgt Sheather spoke of a 10-year investigation that began as an wide-scale search for a missing two-year-old before it morphed into a murder inquiry.

He said there was evidence Daniel had died before Thursday, October 16, 2003 — the day before he was reported missing.

He said police had tracked the movements of Ms Martyn and Ms Thomas that week and Ms Thomas was not home from Wednesday until Friday.

He discounted several theories Ms Martyn had told friends and acquaintances from 2003 to 2008 as to how Daniel went missing.

He said his investigation was laid out openly and extensively before the inquest in the “search for the truth”.

The search continues with Ms Heffey yet to fix a date next year to hand down her findings.