Schoolgirl cold case inquest seeks to solve five-decade-old mystery

A new inquest into the 1972 disappearance of Mackay schoolgirl Marilyn Wallman is seeking to uncover the truth behind the five-decade-old mystery. The coronial hearing is expected to hear from 20 witnesses over the next three weeks. Noel Morris, a relative of the Wallman family by marriage, has been identified as a person of interest and will appear as a witness at the inquest.

Counsel assisting the Coroner revealed that Morris was implicated in the teen's death through conflicting accounts from other members of his family. A supposed deathbed confession from Morris has also been mentioned, though his nephew denied these claims. Rex Wallman, who was eight years old at the time, recounted seeing Marilyn's bike on the roadside and her carry-all with her bag on the ground.

He also heard voices coming from the nearby cane field, which included a girl's voice saying she had a hurting leg. Rex and his brother David tried to search for Marilyn but found no signs of her. Years later, Rex and his mother recounted the events, mentioning that Marilyn had expressed a desire to talk to her mother before disappearing.

The inquest is set to explore these and other details in an attempt to solve the long-standing case.