An inquest into the disappearance of Marilyn Joy Wallman, a Queensland schoolgirl who vanished more than five decades ago, has heard evidence relating to an alleged family confession suggesting a relative may have been involved in her disappearance.
Marilyn disappeared shortly after 7:42am on March 21, 1972, after cycling about one kilometre along a dirt road to catch a school bus near Mackay. Despite extensive investigations over the years, her disappearance remains unsolved.
During the current inquest, witness Errol James Morris, 77, referred to a statement he provided to police in 2016 concerning a conversation with his brother, Lionel Morris, known as Joe.
According to Errol Morris, his brother made a remark approximately two decades earlier while drinking.
“He came up to me about 20 years ago when he was drinking and said words to the effect of ‘someone in our family was involved in the disappearance of Marilyn Wallman,'” Errol Morris told police in his statement.
The court heard that Noel Morris, who was related to the Wallman family through marriage, has been identified as a person of interest in the case and is expected to give evidence during the inquest.
Counsel assisting Coroner David O’Connell, John Aberdeen, told the hearing that Noel Morris had been implicated through two separate but similar accounts allegedly provided by members of the Morris family.
“It’s an odd thing to raise, Your Honour, and that’s the reason it’s taken very seriously,” Aberdeen said.
The inquest was also told that Noel Morris reportedly drove a vehicle matching the description of a car police sought to identify during the original investigation into Marilyn’s disappearance.
The proceedings are examining evidence gathered over many years in an effort to determine what may have happened to the teenager, whose disappearance has remained one of Queensland’s longstanding unsolved cases.
The court heard that Noel Morris, who was related to the Wallman family through marriage, has been identified as a person of interest in the case and is expected to give evidence during the inquest.
Counsel assisting Coroner David O’Connell, John Aberdeen, told the hearing that Noel Morris had been implicated through two separate but similar accounts allegedly provided by members of the Morris family.
“It’s an odd thing to raise, Your Honour, and that’s the reason it’s taken very seriously,” Aberdeen said.
The inquest was also told that Noel Morris reportedly drove a vehicle matching the description of a car police sought to identify during the original investigation into Marilyn’s disappearance.
The proceedings are examining evidence gathered over many years in an effort to determine what may have happened to the teenager, whose disappearance has remained one of Queensland’s longstanding unsolved cases.
O’Connell is expected to hear further testimony from witnesses and review historical evidence as the inquest continues.
More than 50 years after Marilyn Wallman vanished, her family continues to seek answers about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the events of that March morning in 1972.
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