Deceased
Richard Lakeman RYALL
Demographics
61y, male
Date of death
1986-11-16
Finding date
2020-03-31
Cause of death
Suicide
AI-generated summary
Richard Lakeman Ryall, a 61-year-old mechanic, disappeared in November 1986 after leaving a letter indicating his intention to end his life due to perceived cancer pain. His vehicle was found abandoned near Lake Muir, Western Australia. Despite extensive searches involving 58 personnel covering 24 square kilometres on foot, no remains were located. The coroner established beyond reasonable doubt that Ryall died by suicide. Medical records revealed he had consulted Dr L. about chest pains (provisionally diagnosed as angina) but failed to follow up with a specialist referral. There was no medical evidence supporting his belief he had cancer. The case highlights the importance of ensuring patients follow up specialist referrals for chest pain symptoms and the challenges of identifying underlying depression or suicidal ideation in isolated individuals with limited social support networks.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Clinical conditions
40y · Male·Unascertained
Nathan James Taylor, aged 40, died in Port Lincoln Prison on 24 March 2022 while in custody pending trial on witness interference charges. He had significant medical history including infective endocarditis with tricuspi…
53y · Male·Hanging
PE, aged 53, died by hanging in Parklea Correctional Centre on 3 February 2024, four days after entering custody for the first time on remand. The coroner found PE's death was self-inflicted at a time of emotional turmoi…
41y · Male·Ligature compression of the neck (hanging) and penetrating sharp force injury (s…
Corey Desmond Devree, aged 41, died by suicide in Bunbury Regional Prison on 14 October 2024 through ligature compression of the neck and a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. Key clinical and systemic lessons includ…
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —