Family's push for answers 35 years after Mark Anthony Haines found dead on Tamworth railway tracks

The Tamworth boy was just 17 when he was tragically found dead on railway lines on the outskirts of the city on January 16, 1988.

His uncle Don Craigie has been leading a passionate, decades-long push to uncover what really happened to his loved one.

On Monday morning, on the 35^th anniversary of Mark's death, his family will gather outside Tamworth Police Station with NSW Upper House MLC Sue Higginson.

"We maintain that Mark has met with foul play," Mr Craigie said in the lead-up.

"That was our position 35 years ago and subsequently, nothing has changed our minds.

"What we are seeking is the truth of what happened to Mark."

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Mr Craigie said that while the country was celebrating the 200^th bicentenary of Australia, Mark was lying in a morgue waiting for a second autopsy.

"His family had to ask for this to make sure nothing had been missed," he said.

"The investigation that was conducted into his death has been shown to be completely inadequate and we cannot get the answers or the closure that we need until this is resolved."

Mr Craigie told the Leader last year he hoped 2023 would shed light on Mark's death.

The family welcomed the news in November that Mark's file had been re-assigned to a coroner for review.

A coronial inquest returned an open finding into Mark's death in 1988 and no charges have ever been laid in relation to the case.

A decision is yet to be made about whether another inquest will take place.

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