Police testify in WA cyclone death inquest

A woman who disappeared in the Pilbara just before a cyclone hit nearly four years ago might have taken her own life, an inquest has heard.

The body of Tracy Margaret Marshall was only found last year, despite not being far from her abandoned car, which was discovered 50km east of Karratha on the day she went missing in February 2011.

Ms Marshall, 35, was being treated for a mental illness when she left a hospital hours before Cyclone Carlos hit Western Australia's north.

While an inquest in 2013 concluded Ms Marshall had died, a second inquest was held in Perth on Thursday because her body had been found.

The WA Coroner's Court heard Ms Marshall's skeletal remains were discovered by two Rio Tinto employees beneath a powerline tower about 800m from the car, which was not visible from the road.

The court was told "the overall picture" was "consistent with hanging".

Investigating officer Sergeant Stephen Stingemore said the powerline should have been checked by maintenance crews annually but had not been for five years.

The inquest was set down for one day.

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