‘Extreme Acts of Violence’: Gun-Toting Fugitive Accused of Torturing Abducted Woman Captured on Remote Daintree Road After Tense Far North Queensland Manhunt
- A woman allegedly held against her will for days escaped and flagged down a police car near Mount Molloy, after detectives say she endured “extreme acts of violence”.
- Ryan Symonds, 34, from Feluga, is accused of abducting the same woman twice in less than a week, once at gunpoint.
- When officers caught up with him on Mossman Daintree Road, he allegedly had a sawn-off shotgun, ammunition and a hunting knife. A semi-automatic rifle was allegedly found at an earlier hideout.
- Police believe several people helped him evade capture, and they are now investigating how much those helpers knew.
She ran for her life on a Saturday morning, onto a road in the hills west of Port Douglas, and waved down the one vehicle she needed most: a police car.
By then, detectives allege, the woman had been beaten, choked and held captive for days. Her alleged tormentor had a cache of weapons, and he was now on the run.
What followed was a tense hunt across Far North Queensland’s rugged hinterland. It ended on Monday on a quiet stretch of bitumen in the cane country north of Mossman.
Ryan Symonds, a 34-year-old man from the Cassowary Coast hamlet of Feluga, now faces 20 charges. They include torture, coercive control and deprivation of liberty, all as domestic violence offences.
Police allege the ordeal began on October 26 at a home in Feluga. There, they say, Symonds threatened a woman with a firearm and assaulted her.
She was then allegedly forced into a vehicle and driven to Tully, where she was left.
Four days later, on Friday, October 30, the pair allegedly crossed paths again in Aloomba, south of Cairns. Police describe the encounter as a chance meeting.
Detectives allege she was again forced into a car. This time she was taken north, and the violence allegedly continued over several days.
Officers began searching for both of them that Friday. Acting on information received, a patrol was sent towards Mount Molloy, a small former mining town on the Mulligan Highway.
On Saturday morning the woman broke free and flagged that car down.
Detective Inspector Kevin Goan told reporters the woman had been assaulted repeatedly while held against her will. Police allege that once she was safe, Symonds fled and deliberately dodged officers.
At the Mount Molloy property, detectives say they found several firearms, among them a semi-automatic rifle.
The search ended on Monday on Mossman Daintree Road at Miallo. Police allege Symonds was carrying a sawn-off shotgun, ammunition and a hunting knife when he was arrested.
The charge list is long. It includes two counts each of deprivation of liberty and choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic relationship.
There is one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm, coercive control, dangerous conduct with a weapon and torture, all flagged as domestic violence offences.
He also faces five weapons and explosives-related charges, two motor vehicle offences, common assault, entering a dwelling with intent, and three counts of failing to appear in accordance with an undertaking.
On Tuesday, Symonds appeared in Cairns Magistrates Court. He pleaded guilty to three outstanding charges of failing to appear at Innisfail Magistrates Court in recent months.
Magistrate Kellie Walker recorded convictions but imposed no further penalty, taking his early plea into account.
His lawyer, Kate Brunger, did not apply for bail, and he was remanded in custody. He has not entered pleas to the remaining allegations.
Nine charges will go before the new Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court. Eight will return to the arrest court.
Both matters are listed for January 12, and police must hand over a brief of evidence by December 15.
The case lands at a moment of reckoning for Queensland.
Coercive control became a standalone crime in the state only in 2025, after years of advocacy by families who had lost daughters, sisters and mothers to partners whose abuse had escalated with little warning.
It is one of the charges Symonds now faces.
The specialist court hearing part of this case reflects the same shift. These courts aim to handle domestic violence matters with trained magistrates, dedicated support services and a sharper focus on victim safety.
Analysis: What This Means for Australia
Strip away the courtroom detail and a confronting picture remains. A man with outstanding court matters allegedly moved between properties with a semi-automatic rifle and a sawn-off shotgun.
The second weapon is one almost nobody can legally own in its modified form.
That raises hard questions about gun laws and how illegal or modified weapons circulate in regional areas. Long distances, scattered properties and thin police coverage make enforcement harder.
It also exposes a familiar weakness. Symonds had already failed to front court three times before these alleged offences.
Advocates have long argued that missed court dates and unresolved warrants are red flags that too often go unchecked until something far worse happens.
The communities between Tully and the Daintree are small and close-knit. For many residents, the idea that an armed fugitive was moving through their district, possibly with help, will be deeply unsettling.
The cost goes beyond fear. Days of specialist detectives, highway patrols and intelligence work were needed to find one man.
National figures from the Australian Institute of Criminology have repeatedly put the economic toll of family violence in the billions each year, before the human damage is counted.
Above all, the case is a reminder of the danger women face in rural and remote Australia. Help can be hours away, and an abuser’s network of friends can turn a backyard into a hiding place.
Law enforcement insiders warn that the alleged role of helpers may prove one of the most important threads in the investigation. Detective Inspector Goan said police believe several people assisted Symonds while he evaded capture.
How much they knew about the allegations is still being examined.
Domestic violence specialists say strangulation charges deserve close attention. Research has consistently identified non-fatal strangulation as one of the strongest predictors of future homicide in abusive relationships.
Security analysts note the alleged combination of firearms and domestic abuse is a recurring theme in Australia’s worst family violence tragedies. They say it is why advocates keep pushing for firearm licensing to be more tightly linked to protection orders and police intelligence.
Victim support workers stress one point above all. The woman at the centre of this case survived because she found a moment to run, and because police were close enough to see her.
The allegations against Symonds have not been tested in court, and he remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Anyone experiencing domestic or family violence can contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. Anyone in immediate danger should call Triple Zero (000).
Information about this investigation can be provided to Queensland Police Service via Policelink or Crime Stoppers Queensland.