New research has identified a site near Glen Cairn as the most likely location where Constable Matthew Connolly, Queensland’s first police officer to die in the line of duty, drowned in 1861. The discovery follows more than two years of research by Queensland Police Service Southern Region Chaplain Jeff Baills, local historians and police specialists. Connolly disappeared while attempting to cross the flooded Sandy Creek on horseback on Aug. 29, 1861. He had been carrying medicine from Ipswich to two seriously ill women in the Gatton district. His body was recovered downstream the following day, while the medicine reportedly survived the crossing intact. Researchers examined historical records, police documents, newspaper reports and old maps, with assistance from the QPS Geospatial Unit and the Laidley Historical Society. Their assessment points to the intersection of Sandy Creek and Glen Cairn Road, formerly part of the Old Toowoomba Road, as the likely site of Connolly’s fatal crossing. The location search has renewed efforts to identify Connolly’s grave in Ipswich General Cemetery and establish permanent markers at both the cemetery and the creek site. His great-great-granddaughter, Juanita Keegan, said the finding was significant after years of uncertainty. Researchers are also continuing to search for a confirmed photograph of Connolly, whose name is commemorated on the Queensland Police Service Memorial. Post navigation Motorcyclist Dies in Townsville Crash