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Family reject suicide in bizarre Qld death

Police suspect a Queensland man found tied up and gagged inside a sleeping bag killed himself, but his family has told an inquest they can't fathom how that could be possible.

Disability pensioner Karl Robert Wright, 43, was found dead on a mattress in a shed of his family's Sunshine Coast property in July 2013.

Despite being found inside a sleeping bag with his hands cable-tied, a balaclava over his head and cling wrap covering his mouth, police ruled he had killed himself.

His family has argued during a coronial inquest on the Sunshine Coast that it isn't possible for Mr Wright to have taken his own life in such a way.

The intellectually disabled man's wrists were bound with cable ties.

His mother, Paula Wright, also found his bedroom window open, the fly screen removed and bark on the floor near the bed before she made the gruesome discovery in the shed.

The initial police investigation into Mr Wright's death has been called into question.

Mr Wright's aunt, Ruth Gould, has told the inquest officers didn't interview enough people and were too hasty in settling on suicide as an explanation.

The bizarre death has some parallels with a similar, high-profile case involving a British spy in the UK.

In 2010, the body of British MI6 spy Gareth Williams was found naked inside a sports bag padlocked from the outside in a bath in his London home.

Scotland Yard concluded last year that Mr Williams most likely locked himself in the bag despite a coronial ruling in 2012 that Mr Williams was most likely unlawfully killed.

The current inquest, before state deputy coroner John Lock, is investigating the circumstances leading up to Mr Wright's death and will try to determine whether any other person was involved.


  • Anyone seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467