text: The Australian family of a 21-year-old backpacker who disappeared from a Croatian night club in 2008 are hoping to finally find out the truth about how she died. Britt Lapthorne, from Melbourne, was last seen at the Latin Club Fuego in the coastal, tourist town of Dubrovnik where she was partying with about 10 other backpackers. Croatian police never solved the mystery of how the student's body came to be in nearby Boninovo Bay, where it was found almost three weeks after she disappeared on September 18. Her family believes Ms Lapthorne was murdered, her body weighted down and dumped at sea. It has now emerged a Victorian inquest into her death will be closed. Britt Lapthorne, from Melbourne, disappeared in the Croatian coastal, tourist town of Dubrovnik . State Coroner Ian Gray will officially close it at a hearing in Melbourne on Thursday. He will hear a summary of previously unreleased reports prepared by both the Australian Federal Police and Croatian authorities. Then the coroner will prepare his findings, to be released at a later date. In 2009, Ms Lapthorne’s father, Dale Lapthorne, said the only information he would release from one of the reports was that Britt's body was in the water the whole time she was missing. He was confident she had been weighted down before being dumped into the Adriatic Sea because there was no other explanation for her body not coming to the surface. Her parents (pictured) believe Ms Lapthorne was murdered, her body weighted down and dumped at sea . Ms Lapthorne's body was found in nearby Boninovo Bay, where it was found almost three weeks after she disappeared on September 18 . In 2009, Ms Lapthorne’s father, Dale Lapthorne, said Britt's body was in the water the whole time she was missing . 'It's the reason for the rapid decomposition of her body, and the fact it was only found 18 days later in a high visibility area, virtually out the front of a hotel and only a kilometre from the club,' Mr Lapthorne told AAP in 2009. At the time, the coroner confirmed Ms Lapthorne's body should have surfaced within two or three days. The criminal investigation remains open in Croatia, but the Lapthorne family does not have confidence in police there. Croatian authorities suspect Ms Lapthorne died due to 'misadventure', though in 2013 they conceded it was unlikely her death was a suicide. The Lapthorne family, including her mother Elke, father Dale and brother Darren, were not told their daughter was missing for six days after she disappeared, despite Australian officials being aware she had vanished. Britt Lapthorne was last seen at the Latin Club Fuego, in  Dubrovnik, where she was partying with about 10 other backpackers . A media boat pictured where Ms Lapthorne's body was found in a small inlet near Dubrovnik, Croatia . They also suffered the terrible news of being told  a body had been found, only for police to say just hours later that it couldn’t be Ms Lapthorne’s because it was so badly decomposed. Police then confirmed after DNA analysis that it was indeed Ms Lapthorne’s body. Dubrovnik Deputy Chief of Police, Ivan Kukrika, said at the time: 'DNA analysis has been completed in capital Zagreb. According to the analysis, the body found in the sea on October 6th belongs to the missing Australian, Britt Lapthorne. ‘I have to admit that I had, based on the state the body was in, really thought that it was not Britt and that this case would result in a happy ending.’ Dubrovnik Deputy Chief of Police, Ivan Kukrika, said he didn't believe it was Britt's body at first 'based on the state the body was in' Mr Lapthorne said his daughter was 'always smiling, always happy, just having fun, an intelligent, smart girl' The Victorian coroner will prepare his finding over Ms Lapthorne's death to be released at a later date . Speaking hours after the family was told Ms Lapthorne’s body had been found, her father Mr Lapthorne told the Sydney Morning Herald: ‘Assuming it is a crime, and everything is pointing to a crime, it is an absolutely heinous crime of the worst order. 'It is just beyond conception for such a beautiful girl, I don't mean beautiful in appearance, she was beautiful in her ways, always smiling, always happy, just having fun, an intelligent, smart girl … why would somebody do this to such a beautiful girl? ‘For me, Elke and Darren, it's just devastating. We think all the things we planned to do together … all the things we planned have no meaning any more, absolutely no meaning.’
target: Student Britt Lapthorne, from Melbourne, disappeared in 2008 .
  She was last seen at a club in the coastal town of Dubrovnik in Croatia .
  Her body was found almost three weeks after she disappeared .
  She was found badly decomposed in Boninovo Bay .
  Croatian police have never solved the mystery of how she died .
  Her family believes she was murdered and dumped at sea .
  A Victorian inquest into her death will be closed .