Heartbroken father pays tribute to 'delightful' son Finn Coyle (21) after body recovered

Finn Coyle, aged 21, was last seen in the Carmel area of Perth on Friday, June 6.

Police in Western Australia confirmed on Thursday, June 12, that Mr. Coyle’s body had been recovered at a property in Carmel about 8.30am local time.

“While formal identification is yet to take place, police believe the male to be missing 21-year-old man Finn Coyle,” a spokesperson said.

Finn’s father Jonathan ‘Joe’ Coyle, who is originally from Derry but lived and worked in Western Australia for decades after moving there in 1988, described the recovery of his son’s body as devastating.

"He was a good guy, a really good guy. He was just a delightful young man.

"He knew everything about Derry and studied it. It was an interest he had. He would know things about Derry we don't know.”

Mr. Coyle contacted the ‘Journal’ on Tuesday to appeal to the large Derry diaspora in Perth to come forward if they had any information about Finn’s whereabouts. He said messages of solidarity received over recent days provided succour at a very difficult time.

“The people of Derry, the amount of support I got from them over the past week, has made me proud to be a Derry man. Whether, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist or whatever. It has been astounding.”

Finn was last seen in the Carmel area of the Perth Hills last Friday. According to police his death is not being treated as suspicious.

Initially it was believed he had gone rambling in the bush which, his father told the ‘Journal’, was something he loved.

“He lived in the bush area. He loved getting out into nature. He knew everything about every animal and every tree. That's what people do there. Especially out in the 'Hills'. It's a beautiful part of the world but it can be very dangerous,” he said.

However, Mr. Coyle said his son also suffered from periodic mental health problems.

Prior to the discovery of Finn’s remains Senior Sergeant Brad Robinson of Forrestfield Police told local media that they were alerted to his missing status last Saturday afternoon.

“He likes being in the bush that’s the type of person he is so we’re concentrating our search efforts at this stage, in and around here,” police said initially following the missing person report.

Mr. Coyle told the ‘Journal’: “Finn was born and raised in Australia but he would have been back in Derry many times and really loved the place.” Finn’s funeral arrangements have not yet been confirmed.

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