Inquest for indigenous teenager’s death adjourned after emergence of new evidence

For 36 years the family of Mark Haynes have questioned what happened to the Gomorrah teenager on the day he died. Now their wait for answers has become even longer. I am disappointed to say the least. Mark Haynes body was discovered on train tracks South of Tamworth in January 1988. At the time, police concluded the 17 year old was responsible for his own death and a subsequent coronial inquest returned an open finding. This month a fresh coronial inquest was launched, sparked by the ABC podcast Blood on the Tracks 10 days in. It’s now been adjourned for six months. There’s a lot more evidence to go through and it’s quite important that all relevant issues are fully examined. 2 witnesses at the inquest said one of Mark’s close friends, Glenn Mannion, had made admissions about the circumstances of his death. Rodney Lavender told the court on the morning Mark’s body was found. Mr. Mannion told him Stoney is dead. And I think I killed him. Mr. Mannion’s former partner testified that in the mid 1990s he told her about a white towel being placed under Mark’s head and a box being left on the tracks. I’ve never forgotten those things ever. The towel and the box, it’s something you just don’t forget. Mr. Mannion denied both allegations in court. The inquest is set to return to Tamworth for a further 5 days of hearings in late October. But deputy Coroner Harriet Graham has warned the further dates may not be the last. Thank you very much for being with me and my family on this long and arduous journey, a journey with no clear end insight. Max Tillman, ABC News, Tamworth.