The mother of Gold Coast magician Daniel Hidden has spoken publicly for the first time since her son's death, revealing the 26-year-old broke his hip in a fall in remote bushland near Cougal Cascades and died from hypothermia after being unable to move in the rugged rainforest terrain.
Hidden, whose birth name was Daniel Jamshidi, vanished on June 14 after heading into the Gold Coast hinterland. His body was discovered following a massive 10-day search involving police, SES volunteers and Australian Defence Force personnel. His mother, Faronak, has now shared the heartbreaking details of what the coroner told her family about his final hours.
How Daniel Hidden died: a fall, a broken hip, and the cold
According to Faronak, the coroner informed the family that her son had been climbing in the steep, rugged terrain near Cougal Cascades when he fell and fractured his hip. The injury left him completely immobilised in an isolated location off the established walking tracks — a secluded waterfall he had discovered himself and regularly visited.
"He wanted to climb, he fell down and he broke his hip," Faronak said. "Because his hip was broken he couldn't move."
"Because that area was hidden, nobody knew that area, he couldn't move and show himself to anybody. And then after a while, because of the cold weather, he had hypothermia."
Faronak said her son had a profound connection with nature and frequently retreated to remote locations to think through new magic performances and creative ideas. He had even named a favourite spot at The Spit on the Gold Coast "my office" , telling his mother it was where some of his best ideas came to him. The isolated waterfall near Cougal Cascades was another of those personal retreats.
Family camped beside his caravan, refusing to leave
The days immediately following Hidden's disappearance were agonising for his family. Rather than returning home each night, Faronak, her husband and Hidden's wife remained beside his parked caravan throughout the search, clinging to the hope he would return.
"We never left that place where his caravan was," Faronak said. "Me, my husband, his wife, we stayed there for a long time, just in hope he would come back. We thought maybe if he came back, he needs help. He's tired, he's hungry. It was so cold."
She recalled lying awake at night, consumed by the thought of her son in the freezing bush. "During the night I just was telling myself, 'My son is outside and it's very cold'."
Hidden had deliberately left his mobile phone inside his vehicle before setting off — something his mother said he did regularly because he preferred to disconnect from technology in nature. She noted there was no mobile reception in the area in any case, with even those camped near his caravan unable to get a signal.
Gratitude for searchers — and one question still unanswered
Despite her profound grief, Faronak expressed deep gratitude to all those who took part in the extensive search across more than 20 walking tracks spanning dense rainforest near the Queensland–New South Wales border.
"I appreciate the police and those volunteers from SES, military, everyone," she said. "They tried and they did their best. It was a very big rainforest and it wasn't easy. So I understand it wasn't easy to find him."
While learning the cause of death has provided some measure of comfort after weeks of uncertainty, Faronak said one crucial question remains. She has asked authorities how long her son lay injured and suffering before he died — a detail that weighs heavily on her.
"I asked them because it was important for me," she said. "If he died early ... at least I knew he didn't suffer a lot."
The family is also seeking to correct at least one detail about the circumstances of Hidden's death that they believe has been misreported or misunderstood publicly.
