Family’s search for truth of teen’s death stretches on

It was a rainy January morning in 1988 when the body of Aboriginal teenager Mark Haines was found slumped on a deserted embankment of northern NSW railway tracks.

The Gomeroi teenager was discovered by the crew of a train passing south of Tamworth just after 6am.

He was last seen by his girlfriend two and a half hours ago.

A stolen car that he had apparently crashed or rolled was located far down the line, and police concluded that Mr Haines had placed it on the tracks either deliberately or in a dazed state.

An autopsy showed that he died as a result of a traumatic head injury, but an inquest into his death in 1989 led to no clear finding.

For more than 37 years, the Haines family has tried in vain to find answers to the mysterious circumstances surrounding their 17-year-old son’s fate.

They never believed the initial police findings and have spent the intervening four decades campaigning for further investigations.

In April 2024, a long-awaited new judicial inquest began, tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding Mr Haines’ death and the adequacy of the original investigation.

It’s been a long road for their loved ones, and the journey towards answers still continues; The latest investigation wrapped up eyewitness testimony on Thursday, but its findings have not yet been presented.

“We’re all here for Mark,” Mr Haines’s brother, Ron Haines, said in the final week of evidence.

“All we ever wanted was to catch up a little for our family and our parents who aren’t here today.

“We just want the truth about what happened to our Mark and why.”

Mr. Haines’s uncle, Don Craigie, has led ongoing efforts for justice, arguing that early police efforts were marred by racism.

He told the coroner he believed his family never took suspicions of murder seriously.

Mr Craigie said the car, a white Torana found about a mile from Mr Haines’ body, was left at the scene for weeks.

He recalled deciding to open the trunk himself, finding a vinyl floor mat and spare tire that appeared to have blood on it.

Police did not attempt to take fingerprints from the vehicle.

Numerous items were scattered at the scene of Mr. Haines’ death, and his head lay on a white towel that has since disappeared.

Detective Senior Constable Craig Dunn, who was involved in a later inquest into Mr Haines’ death, told the inquest it was strange that police did not seize the car, but he understood why it was not searched for fingerprints due to the rain that night.

Asked whether Mr Haines was from a prominent Tamworth family and whether the death scene would have been treated differently, he said he could not comment.

Of course, questions remain. What matters is how it gets on the rails.

Mr Dunn shared with the inquest his theory that two similar cars were driving around Tamworth on the night Mr Haines died.

One of the stolen Toranas was found next to the tracks, while the other belonged to local teenager Terry Souttar, who later died by suicide.

“I always believed there was someone involved,” Mr. Dunn said.

The last inquest was due to end in April but new evidence meant hearings would be added another week.

This message came from Jason Cupitt, who said he heard word about the investigation and was asked to call Crime Stoppers.

Specifically, it was the testimony of Mr. Haines’ friend, Glenn Mannion, who said during the investigation that he never drove a white Torana owned by his boss.

Mr Cupitt said he remembered seeing Mr Mannion behind the wheel of the Torana as he was driving home from a friend’s house early one Saturday morning.

Mr Cupitt said Mr Mannion was heading home on his moped when he leaned out of the car window to shout at him.

He remembered the incident years ago while watching a documentary about Mr Haines, but came forward after Mr Mannion’s statement and said he was not sure until then that the incident had occurred on the night of the teenager’s death.

Mr Mannion denied any involvement in Mr Haines’ death.

“I have no idea what happened to Mark or how he got there,” he said in his statement.

“It was 100 percent definitely not me.”

Detective Sergeant Peter Rudens, who examined evidence in Mr Haines’ case in 2023, contradicted these theories and said he believed the young man’s death was most likely a case of misfortune or suicide.

Det Sgt Rudens said of the three theories he was considering – car crash, assault, suicide or misfortune – the third was the most plausible based on the available evidence.

No matter how Mr. Haines fell on these rails, his family’s pain and suffering remains a real reality for 37 years.

Mr Craigie recalled the moment he learned of his nephew’s death.

He was standing at a taxi rank in Moree, 250 kilometers north of Tamworth, when his brother drove.

“He came up and said something like ‘Mark is dead’,” Mr Craigie said.

“I felt something coming at me, I almost fell to the ground.”

Although the testimonies of the witnesses have been concluded, short statements and legal arguments are expected to be heard.

In closing Thursday’s hearing, Coroner Harriet Grahame addressed the family and warned that her findings might not be delivered until 2026.

“This took longer than I thought and it’s not over yet,” he said.

Despite what happened, Ron Haines says he is grateful to the coroner, the court and the family’s supporters.

“It means a lot to finally be heard,” he said.

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