Their car got a flat tyre some time after leaving Coonana. They were reported missing on 8 January at Tjuntjuntjara, the next community on their route. The two men died of dehydration. Dawson was also a diabetic, which made him much more vulnerable in the extreme heat. His body was found on 12 January, a little over two weeks after they left Kalgoorlie. It was found close to the car, about east of Kalgoorlie. Woods' body was found a few kilometres further away.