ALMOST five years after the mysterious death of a prospecting couple in a remote part of Western Australia their family are still seeking justice, telling an inquest the inseparable pair deserved better.
The WA Coroner’s Court is examining the death of Raymond Kehlet, 47, whose body was found down an abandoned mineshaft about 1.8km from his campsite near Sandstone, and the suspected death of his missing wife Jennie, 49, in March 2015.
The couple’s friend and colleague Graham Milne was a suspect but has never been charged, the inquest has heard.
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READ NOWMs Kehlet’s daughter Kelly Keegans wept as she read a statement in court on Tuesday, describing her mother as “full of life”.
“If the loss of someone leaves a hole in our lives, then the death of our parents is a gaping wound that never seems to heal over,” she said.
Ms Keegans remembered her mother as a creative artist, who made people feel calm and safe.
“She deserved so much better than what has happened to her,” she said.
“She was excited for her adventure of prospecting.”
Ms Keegans said her mother and stepfather should have grown old together.
“Their love showed us what love really looked like,” she said.
“The world feels smaller, colder and darker in the wake of their loss and it can never go back to the way it was again.
“They should both still be here.”
Mr Kehlet’s brother also read a statement, saying the family was desperate for answers.
“The years have taken a heavy toll on our family,” he said.
He said Mr Kehlet was a proud working class man, who loved working on the land and had an uncanny sense of direction.
“Ray and Jennie were always together and were an inseparable pair,” he said.
Family members wept in the public gallery as the statements were read out, particularly when it was noted the couple had never had the opportunity to meet their grandchildren.
“Mum wanted to be a grandma and that was taken from her,” Ms Keegans said.
The court also heard Mr Kehlet’s parents had been too unwell to attend the inquest.
Mr Kehlet had injuries to his face, neck and right hand, but his cause of death could not be ascertained.
Mr Milne was granted immunity so his evidence cannot be used against him in any future criminal proceedings.
He testified the last time he saw the couple they were chasing after their dog, Ella, on March 21.
Mr Milne said he spent 18 hours prospecting alone, then returned to the campsite in the early hours of March 22 and drove home.
Coroner Ros Fogliani foreshadowed she would make a finding that Ms Kehlet was dead.
“I’m sorry to have to say that,” she said.
Ms Fogliani will formally hand down her findings at a later date.
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