Missing 411 Downunder

[Tuckeroo]

I was reading a few posts, where the discussion touched on missing persons and the work of David Paulides.
Also someone suggested an Australian version of Missing 411.
I remember listening to an interview with him; fascinated and saddened by the stories he was telling about people
missing in American parks. It got me thinking; if you did that in Australia where would a researcher start.

I went to the AFP missing persons site. It has information on how they categorise a missing person, as well as photo's;
with a few details of the circumstances.
Surprisingly they claim 35,000 people are reported missing each year but 95 % of these are found. So over a thousand cases
remain open. In most cases, the next of kin do not grant permission to the AFP to publicly display the case on their site.
Because of this only a few hundred cases are listed.

I’m sure a proper researcher would go further into each case and find out more details than what I have done, just using the
web site for research.
I just wanted to know how many cases had something to do with the ‘bush’ ?

There were 463 cases listed and of these I excluded any disappearances that were in cities, towns or villages or on highways,
roads or in any built up areas. Also, I excluded all the cases where someone was assumed missing in the bush but their car
was found burnt out.
This reduced the number down to about 30 cases where it’s seen as a possibility the person is missing in the bush.
Reducing this number down again to 18 where it is assumed the person is missing in the bush.
Roughly 18 out of 463 cases.

Here are a few recent cases amongst the 18.

( I didn’t include the young boy who went missing at Kendall a few years back. Although surrounded by thick bushland he was
at his Grandmothers house in a built up area. If I did, I would also include the 10 year old boy who went missing from his
Grandparents’ shack at Coningham south of Hobart in 1993 ).

In 2005 there was also a 10 yr. old boy, who went missing in Gympie Qld. His bicycle was found in bushland near his home.
Despite police and volunteers searching bushland he was never seen again.

In 2000 a women was last seen at Powers Lookout nor-east of Melbourne. The strange thing about this case is that she
dropped her children at school then drove 270 k’s from the suburbs of Melbourne to the lookout near Whitfield.
Her disappearance was confirmed the next day when her car was found in nearby bushland.

In 2008 a 58 yr. old male went missing in the Yarra ranges despite being an experienced hiker who had a GPS and phone,
food and water. His car was later found abandoned in the Dom Dom Saddle car park.

In March 2010 a 76 yr. old male went missing from a tourist group at Tahunie Air-walk in Geeveston Tasmania.
It is believed he wandered off into nearby bushland and was never seen again.

Also in August of 2010 a 76 year old male went missing in bushland at Grey river WA. He left the camp and was last seen
walking into the bush.

In 2012 a 16 yr. old boy camping with his sister and friends went missing from a camp site in the Murray River Reserve at Echuca.
He hasn’t been seen since.

In April 2012 an 81 yr. old male went missing in bushland near Huonville Tasmania. 6 days after he was reported missing his car
was found on a bush track between Lightwood creek road and Watsons road.

In 2013 in Walpole WA a 40 yr. old male went missing in bushland and later a group of hikers discovered his abandoned camp site.

On 14 th. January 2014 a 46 yr. old male prospector went missing in bushland near Menzies WA. He has not been heard of since.

In March 2014 a 61 year old female was presumed lost in bushland near her home in Western Creek Tasmania.
Despite extensive searching, she was never seen again.

Also in March 2014 a 39 yr. old female went missing from her fathers remote property at Mt Darragh near Merimbula NSW.
She disappeared leaving her wallet, bank cards and phone at the house.

In November 2015 a 51 yr. old males car was found abandoned at the southern end of the Pilliga forest,
after he was reported missing.

These Australian reports, that I know of, do not have some of the unusual circumstances of missing persons that Paulides talks of.
They are still mysterious and distressing to friends and family, to lose a loved one in that way.

I think there would be strange cases of missing persons, and because of their particular details are not listed on the AFP web page.
If any remains of the missing person are found it may then become a murder or suicide investigation.
If this happens the case might be removed from AFP files and end up in a data base that may not be easily accessed by a researcher.

So you can appreciate the dodging and weaving David Paulides had to do, through official red-tape, to bring those stories to the public.


T.

[Yowie bait]

Thats a lot of missing people. Most you listed were over 40. Be hard for the young ones and the 80 year olds to get away if there was a predator after them.

[Neil w]

Whenever i here of people going missing near bushland or in National Parks in Australia, i always think of the missing 411. We are fair game.

[Neil w]

Sorry forgot to say good work Tuckeroo. That must of taken some time.

[VicYowieResearch]

10 steps into the bush and you disappear. Bodies decompose real quick too. There are folks with bad intentions out there to, just check out some of the stories that come from fossickers in the bush, stumbling on armed men guarding crops/ deposits. Makes you think twice.

Then you have the animals. Big cats, Hogs and who knows what else in the wrong place at the wrong time coming across a lone defenseless tasty human they mistake for a threat.

And of course, bogans flying along forestery roads in 4x4's accidentally killing a bushwalker then panicking, disposing of the body elsewhere to make a getaway....