A worker who allegedly shot and killed his neighbour as she drove up to his house had been living alone after losing both his parents and his brother in separate tragedies.
Plumber Ryan Geoffrey Cole, 31, allegedly shot his neighbour Natalie Jane Frahm, 34, in the head and chest outside their Robb Place home in South Mackay, central Queensland, on June 19.
Cole is also accused of shooting good Samaritan James Trevor McGill, 66, who ran to Frahm’s aid after being alerted to the incident.
The two girls who were inside Ms Frahm’s car at the time fled the vehicle before Mr McGill arrived to assist them.
He suffered chest injuries and was rushed to hospital in a serious condition.
The horror occurred on Cole’s 31st birthday and just days before the anniversary of his brother Jakob’s death.
Cole’s devastating family life may now be laid bare, with court documents obtained by the mail revealing that Jakob died from a gunshot wound to the head in 2012, aged 20.
Jakob’s death was not treated as suspicious.
The devastating family life of Ryan Geoffrey Cole (pictured), who allegedly shot dead his neighbour Natalie Jane Frahm last month, can now be revealed.
Just six months later, his father Dylan “Robin” Cole, who was also a plumber, died of a stroke.
Cole was dealt a third blow when his mother Christine died in December of last year from an unknown cause.
The only family he has left is his older half-sister.
Daily Mail Australia understands the South Mackay property where Cole lived was owned by his late mother.
Cole allegedly fled the scene, prompting a massive lockdown as police searched the area.
He was arrested by police at around 7.45pm that day outside a service station on the Bruce Highway, near Hilton Street, about 2 kilometres away.
Cole and Ms. Frahm are known not to have known each other, despite living on the same street.
Police allege Cole used a .22-caliber pistol to shoot Ms. Frahm while she sat inside her car.
Officers searched his home the day after the incident and allegedly found three guns and the pistol police say Cole used when he allegedly shot Ms. Frahm.
Ms Frahm, 34 (pictured), was allegedly shot in the head and chest as she sat inside her car outside her home in Robb Place in South Mackay, north Queensland.
Police also reportedly found an air rifle and a long-barreled weapon.
Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski revealed at the time that Cole had his gun licence revoked in 2021 and that police had seized 11 firearms from him.
“As a result of his conduct, his weapons were taken away and his license revoked,” he explained.
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that Cole himself survived a near-death experience after being bitten on the foot by a coastal taipan in 2008.
Cole was jumping into the Burnett River in his hometown of Mundubberra, about 390 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, when the venomous snake attacked him twice on the foot.
Jakob and several friends ran to his aid and pulled him out of the water hole, bandaged his foot with a T-shirt and called triple-zero.
Cole allegedly fled the scene, prompting a massive lockdown as police searched the quiet street in South Mackay (pictured)
Cole was given a litre of anti-venom to save his life, the terrifying experience being his second encounter with a snake.
Ms Frahm moved to Mackay several years ago from her hometown of Mount Isa in outback Queensland.
His family is well known in the small town where they run local businesses.
Cole was charged with murder and attempted murder.
He remains behind bars and will appear in court again in September.
The death came as dozens of 50 family members and friends gathered in Mackay to pay their last respects to Ms Frahm.
Mourners traveled across the country to attend the funeral, while those abroad unable to attend the service watched it online.
Mourners remembered Mrs Frahm as a “devoted and loving mother” who was full of life.
“Natalie was very enthusiastic about life; she was a spontaneous, outgoing person who was always willing to try anything,” said Ms. Frahm’s uncle, Robin.
Ms Frahm was applying to college to become a paramedic and had several hobbies, including skateboarding and boxing.
‘Natalie was tragically taken from us too soon, but there are so many wonderful memories that will live on forever… you touched so many lives,’ Robin said.