Lloyd Mitchell, son of Albany murder victim Erica Coyne, dies in hospital as broken family make desperate plea

The identities of the Albany mother and son killed in a double murder have been revealed, as their heartbroken family issued a desperate plea on Friday for those responsible to come forward. Much-loved 69-year-old mother of four Erica Coyne was killed in her Spencer Park unit on the afternoon of February 8. Her son Lloyd Mitchell was also found inside the residence with life-threatening injuries. Mr Mitchell had been in a coma since the incident, fighting for his life in Royal Perth Hospital until police confirmed on Friday he had died. Almost a month on from the shocking crime the homicide squad have put out a renewed plea for information as they now deal with a suspected double murder. A family member raised the alarm to emergency services who, upon arrival just after 3pm, found Ms Coyne dead in her Burville Street unit and arrested Mr Mitchell, who had also sustained critical injuries. Homicide squad senior investigating officer Det-Sen. Sgt Steve Cleal said on Friday that when emergency services arrived at the scene, only Ms Coyne and Mr Mitchell were inside the home. Mr Mitchell was transferred to Royal Perth Hospital that evening as a priority one patient. He was placed in an induced coma in the intensive care unit. It is understood he was seen by a neurosurgeon for what is believed to be a critical head injury before a decision to turn his life support off was made on February 28. The Advertiser understands Mr Mitchell turned 51 while in RPH before his death. Jenelle Coyne, Erica’s niece, spoke on behalf of the grieving family, remembering her aunty as an “independent little lady”, who “lived life and loved life”. “Those who knew Erica, they knew that she was a loving, kind person, and her home was her safe place,” she said. “So it’s really tragic that something has happened in a place where she felt that she should be safe.” Ms Coyne said her aunty, who was born in the Great Southern and had four children — Lloyd, Keval, Mary and Paulette, along with many grandchildren — was greatly missed. “She was a home person. She loved gardening. She loved collecting little trinkets,” she said. “She came across as a quiet little person, but she had a sense of humour, and if there was something that she needed to say, that she would say it, but she was never rude and disrespectful to anyone. “She just was a beautiful, beautiful aunty.” Ms Coyne said her family were devastated that Lloyd had also died. “I had a really good relationship with Lloyd as an aunty and a nephew, and he was actually a very happy-go-lucky person too,” she said. “He had a lot of mates, lot of family, and him and his mum just live together in the home. “He has grown children too who don’t live in Albany, and the family in Carnarvon are very upset and shocked at what’s happened, too. “He always showed me love and respect, and I just miss them both, and just can’t believe that something like this has happened to them.” A visibly distraught Ms Coyne made a heartfelt plea for any information that may help solve the crimes. “We’re all really hurting for what’s happened,” she said. “We just wanted to be able to reach out and let anyone know that if they want to remain anonymous with any information they have, that they can ring Crime Stoppers, and they can do it from a public phone box if they don’t wish to be identified. “It would be really appreciated by our family if someone could help to get this case solved so that we can move on and grieve knowing what happened to them both.” Det-Sen. Sgt Cleal said while Mr Mitchell was a suspect in his mother’s death “from the very beginning”, his premature death meant officers had not been able to interview him. He confirmed, however, the matter was not being treated as a murder-suicide, and it “was likely” those involved were in the house with consent. “From here the investigation doesn’t change,” he said. “The only thing that changes is that now we’re investigating two suspicious deaths.” Noting the investigation was one of the more complex ones he had dealt with — and stressing that he was confident police would achieve a result — Det-Sen. Sgt Cleal said it would be a “slow grind” as the results of forensics and pathology analyses came to light. He said there did not appear to be ongoing risk to the community, but those responsible were likely still out there. “This is an unimaginable loss for the victims’ loved ones, and our detectives are determined to uncover every fact and hold whoever is responsible to account,” he said. “Any piece of information, big or small — no matter how insignificant you think it is — could lead us to the answers the victims’ family deserves. “Do the right thing. Be brave, come forward.” Anyone with information or footage can contact Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1800 333 000. CCTV, dash-cam or mobile phone footage can be uploaded directly to investigators via this link: https://wapf.au.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/opyarl