“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact”: Sherlock Holmes (from “The Boscombe Valley Mystery” – short story, 1891 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
On the totality of the information, it is probable that Christine Coghill likely jumped from a moving car. The reason for her doing so seems to be fairly apparent. The 17-year-old felt somewhat trapped inside a car in the early hours of the morning with a person (possibly a stranger) who was threatening her with imminent violence and / or sexual assault. She made a spur of the moment decision by based on a “flight or survival” response. Christine may have quickly evaluated it was better to take the risk of jumping from the car than staying put within arms-length of her potential attacker…
Surviving a jump from a car: So what is the likelihood of surviving (or being fatally injured) when jumping from a vehicle moving at a moderate rate of speed? This is unclear. The internet is filled with stories and anecdotes about people jumping from cars for any number of reasons. Unsurprisingly the two main variables in surviving appear to be how you land on the road (preferably out of the path of the car you jumped from) and how fast the car is travelling. A third, but just as important factor, would be if you were unfortunate enough to strike an object on or near to the road that is projected from the surface – for instance a rock, some type of guttering, an electrical pole or a street sign, for instance. It makes sense the longer the person can roll unimpeded the better, as a sudden deceleration of a human body will cause significant physical injury.
Balaclava Killer: Gold Coast top cop Det Sgt John Meskell quickly ruled out any connection between the Coghill tragedy and the notorious Balaclava Killer. The prolific but unknown offender had terrorised the region from Dec 1979 till Oct 1980 with a spree of abductions and rapes – and the killing of British man Jeff Parkinson at Tweed Heads West.
Roadside Stops at Broadbeach: Police set up roadside stops on Nerang-Broadbeach Rd, exactly one week later, on the Thursday morning of 18th December 1980, between 3.00am and 4.00am. Det Sgt Bob Cassidy told the Gold Coast Bulletin that “police spoke with eight drivers and some of those (drivers) use the road regularly. But unfortunately none of them could help us”.
Suspect dies in Surfers Paradise brothel: The investigation would take a strange turn early in the new year. A 31-year-old Bundall man Peter Schofield was found dead inside a Surfers Paradise brothel at Cavill Court on Saturday 10th January 1981. It was confirmed that the deceased had been interviewed by detectives only days earlier in regard to the Coghill death investigation. Schofield died from an apparent drug overdose. He came to the attention of police after an anonymous tip-off from a woman to Tweed Heads police earlier in the week about a panel van and its registration details. Detectives quickly concluded after interviewing Schofield and conducting forensic tests on his vehicle, that he was not involved in the Coghill matter. A relative of Schofield would tell the Gold Coast Bulletin the deceased had been a drug addict for 15 years and at times assisted state and federal police as an informer into significant drug investigations. The family relation alleged that Schofield posed a threat to an unnamed crime boss, who in some way, was in the process of taking over the drug and prostitution scene on the Gold Coast. Police stated there were no suspicious circumstances in Schofield’s death. It is believed he died after taking an overdose of the anti-anxiety and pre-anesthesia drug, Nembutal.
Funeral Service: A service for Christine Ann Coghill was held inside the Chapel at Allambe Gardens of Memories at Nerang – on Tuesday 23rd December 1980.