Kyle Coleman: Inquest into disappearance told spent shotgun casing may hold the key

A SPENT shotgun casing may hold the key to what really happened to a teenager who went on a hunting trip with his best mate and never returned.

Shotgun case key to teen mystery

A SPENT shotgun casing may hold the key to what really happened to Kyle Coleman on a hunting trip with his best mate James Coleman.

Before James Coleman took his own life, days after Kyle (no relation) was reported missing, he had told friends, family and police a version of events that started to unravel yesterday at the inquest into Kyle’s dis­appearance in Mount Isa.

James’s father Michael Coleman took the stand yesterday and was pressed by ­barrister Dennis Lynch about what weapons and ammunition the pair had taken on the hunting trip to the remote Undilla Station.

INQUEST: Father believes Kyle was shot

Mr Coleman said James had taken a rifle and a shotgun, along with ammunition that had a four marked on casings, days before the pair left for Undilla on Friday, February 21, 2014.

Several shotgun shells with a four marked on them were found at Undilla Station, about 20km past a river James had told family, friends and police he and Kyle had not crossed. Mr Coleman was shown several spent casings found at ­Undilla and agreed they likely were ones he had marked himself with the number four.

“I wrote that (the four on the shells) … I marked them so I didn’t get them mixed up,” Mr Coleman said.

Kyle Coleman

The visibly upset father told the inquest his son was “depressed” in the days following Kyle’s disappearance.

“I tried to talk to him and he was really down on himself and sad. I’m assuming it had a lot to do with the police … they were questioning him.”

He said he did not know what happened to Kyle, but that he had lost two sons in the span of a week in February 2014.

“He was part of our family … those boys were closer than brothers.”

James’s mother Anne Coleman broke down on the stand talking about her son’s suicide.

“I went round to the house (on Sunday afternoon) and James was upset,” she said.

“He was under a lot of pressure. I just gave him a cuddle (and he broke down).”