This article contains references to suicide among the trans and gender diverse community.
Within 36 hours of her sister's disappearance, Angela Pucci-Love had spoken to seven different police at four locations about what they were doing to find her.
Pucci-Love told a that three days after her sister Bridget Flack went missing in late 2020, an officer informed her "no more could be done".
She tried to get police to search Flack's Flemington flat, but was told to call firefighters "and just say there's been smoke".
Police did not conduct their own search for the 28-year-old, despite family raising concerns over her mental health and suicide risk, the inquest was told on Monday.
"I don't believe they (police) understood the level of risk," Pucci-Love said.
"I remember saying, by nature she's more vulnerable in public - she's more vulnerable to assault, she's more vulnerable to violence in public - and I was just astounded that initially it wasn't taken seriously."
Instead, Melbourne's LGBTIQ+ community rallied and began their own search for Flack - printing posters, organising media coverage and spreading awareness about her disappearance - with about 6,000 people joining a Facebook page.
Flack was found dead on 11 December 2020 by two members of the LGBTIQ+ community who were searching in bushland near Kew.
A detective admitted at the inquest "we should be doing better".
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Coroner Ingrid Giles is investigating the deaths of five young trans or gender diverse people in 2020 and 2021, including Flack.
According to court documents, evidence indicates all five people had experienced mental ill health, and took their own lives.
They had also all affirmed, or were on a journey of affirming, their gender identity as female. Some were known to each other.
Pucci-Love said her sister's serious risk of suicide and vulnerability as a transgender woman was not taken seriously by Victoria Police.
"I think that when you've got a cohort who is, by data alone, more susceptible to suicide and harm from public, that there needs to be an overlay of that," she said.
Detective Senior Constable Dan Garside said he found Pucci-Love's evidence hard to listen to.
"I wanted to sink into my chair, to be honest," he told the inquest.
"It's a sister trying to find her sister, we should be doing better than that."
Police could have entered Ms Flack's property themselves instead of the fire brigade becoming involved, Garside said.
"I think common sense applies with things like that, and you just do it ... They could've got through that door however they needed to," he said.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson admitted the search for Flack was lacking.
"There are ways that the ground search for Ms Flack could have been managed a lot better, that should not have led to members of her community finding her deceased," he said.
Counsel assisting Gemma Cafarella made clear in her opening that the coroner was not making a link between identifying as transgender or gender diverse, and psychological distress or mental illness.
"The aim is instead to investigate the commonalities between these deaths and to hear from the experts to see if any prevention opportunities can be harnessed to avoid future similar deaths," she said.
The inquest continues.
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
LGBTIQ+ Australians seeking support with mental health can contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or visit .
also has a list of support services.
