Long-term missing Mt Barker grandad Wayne Michael Parker, formally declared dead after coronial inquest

A Mt Barker grandfather who went missing at Mt Magog in Stirling Range National Park in June 2023 has formally been declared dead, after a coronial inquest into his disappearance. Acting State Coroner Sarah Helen Linton formally declared the death of Wayne Michael Parker after an inquest held on August 20. Ms Linton said she was “satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt” that the 61-year-old, originally from Gnowangerup, had died on or around June 3 at Mt Magog in the Stirling Range National Park from an unknown cause, noting it was “very likely” he took his own life. Mr Parker was officially reported missing to WA Police on June 4, having last been seen alive by his wife Caroline at their Mt Barker home the previous morning. Police commenced a five-day search, during which his unoccupied Nissan Navara ute was found in the carpark of the Mt Magog hiking trail. Members of the public reported it had been there since June 3. No trace of Mr Parker has been found since. In her report, Ms Linton noted that his wife did not note any suspicious activity in the days or weeks prior, saying that he “appeared his usual self” despite his increasing pain due to a degenerative spinal condition and the stress of helping her look after her ill mother who lived with them at the time. Caroline returned home from her nightshift at the Gnowangerup Hospital at 8.30am on June 3, just before Mr Parker left to go into town for the paper with his two dogs — an activity he did every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. She was still asleep when he returned home at 9.30am to return the dogs and leave the paper, as reported by his mother-in-law. Caroline awoke at 6pm to see a note from Mr Parker indicating he had gone out to watch vintage cars — a fact she thought was “a bit strange”, but assumed he had gone to a car show being held in Albany. When he did not return home or respond to any text messages or calls, Caroline began checking in with neighbours and the local pub, before driving to Albany, checking along the roadside and local hospitals to ensure he was not in a crash. She reported his absence to police, who elected not to search that evening due to a lack of welfare concerns. At 7am the following morning Caroline found Mr Parker’s mobile phone and a handwritten note expressing “suicidal ideations” due to childhood trauma associated with his local church. A ranger located Mr Parker’s vehicle at the Mt Magog carpark on the afternoon of June 5, following a Statewide alert for the car and Mr Parker. Other members of the public reported having seen the car there as early as 11.30am on June 3. Police searched the vehicle and found a blister pack of oxycodone tablets with 18 of the 20 tablets missing, though they could not confirm when they had been taken. A multi-agency search, including State Emergency Service crews, DFES, police, drones and members of the public, commenced in the near-freezing conditions around the Mt Magog hiking track from June 5 until it was suspended on June 8 when no trace of the 61-year-old emerged. A second search was launched using K9 trackers in July, to no avail. A carpenter by trade, Mr Parker had been unable to work for the past decade due to his degenerative spinal condition — a fact that his wife said weighed on him as he “hated” not being the family’s breadwinner. The chronic pain also negatively affected his day-to-day life and left him with a shorter temper towards himself. In her report, Ms Linton concluded that these factors, alongside other “personal stressors” had likely led to Mr Parker choosing to end his own life. “Wayne was described as a homebody who spent his days working on his property,” she wrote. “He had a regular habit of going to buy a newspaper three days a week, but otherwise he could almost always be found at home, tending to the animals or tinkering with a tractor. “That is why his disappearance is so out of character. “Sadly, this inquest has not been able to give Wayne’s next of kin any more information than what was discovered soon after he disappeared; namely, that he had deliberately gone off into the bushland of Mt Magog and never returned. “I express my sincere condolences to Wayne’s wife Caroline and Wayne’s other family members, including his children and step-children, for the loss of a husband, father and grandfather. “Although this finding provides very little in the way of answers, I hope it provides some small amount of closure.” Lifeline: 13 11 14.