In a sad end to what has been dubbed a 'tragic love story', 80-year-old Ralph Terry Gibbs and his partner 84-year-old Carol Lisle have died just days apart, following a court hearing where Mr Gibbs appeared for unlawfully removing Ms Lisle from her aged care home in Mandurah.
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The Guardian reported that Mr Gibbs died on February 23, when, in the early hours of the morning, his car collided with another car on Bruce Highway in Queensland.
Mr Gibbs had just been notified of the death of Ms Lisle, who had passed away in her sleep two days earlier at Mercy Place in Mandurah.
The pair sparked an Australia-wide search after Mr Gibbs removed Ms Lisle from Mercy Place while a nurse was busy with another patient and drove away with her in his car, in an attempt to take her back to the home they shared in Queensland.
They were located days later in rural WA after driving for days in a heatwave, with both Mr Gibbs and Ms Lisle being in a distressed state, and Ms Lisle requiring medical attention.
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Mr Gibbs was charged with one count of unlawful custody of persons suffering from a mental disorder, and was sentenced to a seven-month suspended sentence in Perth Magistrates Court, with the Magistrate citing he had "acted out of love", but that his actions put Ms Lisle at risk.
After his court appearance, Mr Gibbs told reporters he wished to be reunited with Ms Lisle because she had dementia and he feared she "may not last much longer".
He said they had been separated while he was in hospital recovering from illness and he had been fighting to get her back.
A restraining order was issued against Mr Gibbs when he was charged which prohibited him from contacting Ms Lisle.
