Three men walked into Western Australia’s vast bushland seven years apart, and were never seen again

Guido Michel, Wayne Parker and Nicholas Pavlidis were all very different men.

Michel was an electrician in Fremantle and had two children living in Spain.

Parker was a beloved “homebody” grandfather who lived in Mount Barker. And Pavlidis was an avid reader who had recently paid off his house.

Yet, separate coronial inquests have found all three men met the same fate.

Their cars were found abandoned in some of Western Australia’s thick and wild bushland, and they were never seen again.

The WA Coroner’s Court recently delivered its findings into the presumed deaths of all three men, and found they shared more similarities than differences.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has previously laid out the common factors in its own research.

In 2023, an estimated 17 per cent of Australian males aged 15 and over were experiencing social isolation.

The institute also found 43 per cent would experience anxiety or depression at some stage in their lives – and seven out of nine people who died by suicide every day were men.

Wayne Parker

According to the coroner’s findings, Wayne Parker was last seen alive by his wife at their home in the Great Southern town of Mt Barker in 2023, after leaving a note saying he was going to a vintage car event with a friend.

When he didn’t come back, his wife searched through his belongings and found a handwritten note.

“[It] suggested Wayne may have been experiencing suicidal ideation due to childhood trauma he associated with his local church,” the coroner’s findings read.

It wasn’t something he had ever expressed to his wife.

His car was found abandoned at the Mount Magog hiking trail in the Stirling Range National park two days later.

Despite a large-scale search, no trace of him was found.

“I have concluded that Wayne is deceased. I understand his wife and other family members have already reached the same conclusion,” the coroner found.

“Sadly, this inquest has not been able to give Wayne’s next of kin any more information than what was discovered soon after he disappeared; namely, that he had deliberately gone off into the bushland of Mount Magog and never returned.”

Parker was 61 years old at the time of his disappearance.

Guido Michel

Meanwhile, Guido Michel was 54 when he went missing a few months earlier.

Michel was reported missing by his employer when he failed to come to work.

He lived alone after the breakdown of his marriage and jumped from job to job, while looking to study at university.

Michel had attempted suicide a number of times and had once gone missing for a protracted time before he disappeared in 2022, suffering stress and an inability to rein in his impulsive behaviour.

Just before he went missing, Michel dropped an unfair dismissal claim he had had going in the Fair Work Commission, had withdrawn from his university course, and was dealing with a significant credit card debt that stopped him from going overseas to see his two children.

A few hours before he was last seen, Michel also bought camping supplies before he took off in the direction of the Flint Forest.

Once again, a large-scale search failed to find him.

“Not long before his disappearance, Guido had told his psychologist that he felt he had no good friends,” the coroner found.

“I am satisfied from the evidence before me that Guido made a deliberate decision to leave most of his possessions behind and go on his own into the bush near Flint.

“I am satisfied he intended to return home eventually, but he also accepted that he was consciously placing his life at risk and there was a significant likelihood he would die while out in the forest.”

Nicholas Pavlidis

And even before Guido, there was Nicholas Pavlidis, 48, who was last seen in 10 years ago.

The coroner’s court heard Pavlidis was an anxious and organised man, who refused to use computers and mobile phones.

Pavlidis had a steady life, some friends and a good job – but he too was plagued with mental health issues.

His psychiatrist observed he had come increasingly paranoid over time and was worried people at his work were “laughing at him”.

“[His psychiatrist] considered Mr Pavlidis’ anxiety levels had escalated and noted he was “not sleeping or eating, living on coffee and cigarettes” by the end of June 2015,” the coroner found.

“He was very isolated, with only one or two friends. He essentially spent much of his time alone, especially as he was no longer working.”

In October 2015, 10 days after anyone had last seen Pavlidis, his car was found near the Yanchep pine forest.

It had been stripped for parts and had gun shots in its side, and despite a search, there was no sign of Pavlidis.

“It was very clear from the overall evidence that Mr Pavlidis’ friends and family have held out hope over the years that he simply made a choice to go ‘off grid’ and live an alternative lifestyle,” the coroner said.

“However, as time has passed, that option has become increasingly less likely.”

Indeed, in October last year, the coroner said new evidence had come to light.

“A hiker walking in bushland in the Yanchep National Park noticed an object, which she initially believed to be an emu egg, off the path,” the coroner said.

“When the hiker left the track to take a closer look, she found that the object appeared to be a partial human skull with a number of bones around it. She reported her discovery to WA Police.”

The inquest found while forensic work was unable to link the remains to Palvidis, the key to his car and a number of ID cards around the remains suggested they were likely his.

“Although some might consider going on an unplanned walk without a good preparation to be akin to act of suicide, there is no evidence that Mr Pavlidis had ever experienced any suicidal thoughts or made any attempts,” the coroner said.

“He had certainly been anxious and despondent at times, and was increasingly paranoid about the conduct of others, but there is no evidence to suggest he was contemplating ending his life.

“However, he had indicated to Mr Barnes that he might be reckless as to whether he would be able to return.”

Out of all three men, only Pavlidis has been found.

Support is available from Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636, Lifeline, 13 11 14, or MensLine on 1300 78 99 78.

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