Mum reveals heartbreaking story behind loved son’s disappearance and death

Mother pays tribute to her “deeply loved son” while warning others her family won’t be the last to lose someone to mental illness, drug abuse

Andrew Davis, the 37-year-old man who went missing from his Gympie home on June 7 and was found dead 21 days later in Gympie bushland. He is being remembered as “a caring person” by his loved ones. ​ Photo: @Qldpolice on Twitter

Andrew Davis, the 37-year-old man who went missing from his Gympie home on June 9 and was found dead 21 days later in bushland, is being remembered as “a caring person” by his loved ones.

Andrew’s mother Jennifer, whose last name has been withheld by request, described her late son as “a good friend to many”, which was highlighted by the number of messages she had received since his disappearance.

“Even the police told me that no one had reported anything bad about him,” she said.

She described Andrew as cheeky, and said his goal as a child was to have fun.

“I remember after his first day at school, he came home and said ‘Mum, I’ve learnt enough, I don’t have to go anymore’,” she said.

However things took a turn in Andrew’s teen years when he became a victim of drug abuse.

“Someone introduced him to drugs, which led to hard drugs,” Jennifer said.

Andrew developed schizophrenia as a result of his drug use, which his mum said had a profound impact on his family as he “became a completely different person”.

“He then became reliant on prescription drugs to function, and they had various side effects including depression,” she said.

Andrew Davis, the 37-year-old man who went missing from his Gympie home on Monday, June 7 and was found dead 21 days later in Gympie bushland, is being remembered as "a caring person" by his loved ones.

Andrew was last seen leaving his Oak St home in Gympie on June 9.

Police started making appeals for public assistance five days later.

His body was found three weeks later in an area off the Victory Trails walk, to the devastation of his family and the community.

Jennifer thanked the SES, Gympie police and volunteers who searched for her missing son, as well as the professionals who helped Andrew with his mental illness.

She said her family would not be the first, nor the last family to deal with the loss of a family member to mental illness.

“My heart breaks for those left behind,” she said.

“Andrew is a member of a huge family,” she said.

“He is deeply loved by his parents and his siblings.

“He is a son, a brother, a grandson, an uncle, a cousin and a nephew.”

A funeral date has not been set for Andrew as his body is still in the hands of the coroner, but Jennifer said he would be buried at a cemetery in Mooloola, where he grew up.

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