On 1 September, 1830, a group of police and soldiers searching for Donahue found him near a creek at Bringelly. Donahue shouted at them to try to capture him. Private John Muckleston fired his rifle and pistol, hitting Donahue in the neck and forehead. He died soon afterward. His body was taken to Sydney. The surveyor and explorer, Sir Thomas Mitchell, drew a picture of Donahue. This is the only known picture of him.