Jeremiah Rivers: Police seek help to find car used in petrol theft

Detectives investigating the suspicious disappearance of the 27-year-old have shifted their focus to a car spotted near Noccundra last month, which police allege was involved in a string of fuel thefts in Miles.

Detectives investigating the suspicious disappearance of 27-year-old Jeremiah Rivers have shifted their focus to a car spotted near Noccundra last month, which police allege was involved in a string of fuel thefts in Miles.

The white Ford Focus bearing Queensland registration 600SZJ was allegedly used in a number of fuel drive-offs at a service station on Murilla Street in Miles between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on October 18.

The same car was then seen leaving a Stafford Street service station in Thargomindah at about 11.50am the following day.

Police searching for Mr Rivers hope the occupants of the car may have information that could assist their enquiries and do not suggest they have harmed him.

Jeremiah Rivers vanished from a campsite in southwest Queensland on October 18.

Detective Acting Superintendent Stephen Blanchfield said at a press conference on November 4 that it was out of character for Mr Rivers to walk off and disappear.

“He is someone who has a fairly high level of skill in this kind of bush area, and for him to have wandered off and to have disappeared is very unusual,” he said.

“He’s a gentleman who has done a lot of time in the bush in the Northern Territory. I believe he was a trained ranger in the Northern Territory, so we understand he has got some skills that would be able to sustain him for a short period of time.”

Superintendent Blanchfield said some of the information provided to police about his disappearance was inconsistent, leading investigators to believe it was suspicious.

“They’ve provided some versions to us and some of the inquiries we conducted as a result of those versions are not quite matching up and so we need to conduct further inquiries about those stories,” he said.

The 27-year-old was last seen near Wippo Creek, which is approximately 20km south of Noccundra on Monday, October 18.

His friends reported him missing when he went for a walk and never returned.

Police are seeking public assistance to identify the car’s occupants or anyone who may have seen them travelling around southwest Queensland, as they may have information that could assist police with their investigation.

The car was found abandoned in Coomera and seized by police last week.

Queensland Police reported that investigators are attempting to identify everyone in the Noccundra area or who travelled through western NSW and Queensland to Noccundra between October 16 to October 19.

Please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 if you have any information.