‘It’s never too late’: Fresh leads in suspected cold case murder
Detectives are trawling through fresh leads following the announcement of a $500,000 reward in the suspected murder of a young aspiring footballer 24 years ago.
Police & Courts
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Detectives are trawling through fresh leads following the announcement of a $500,000 reward in the suspected murder of a young aspiring footballer 24 years ago.
Marc Mietus has not been seen since Australia Day in 2000, just days after he moved into a caravan on a property in Booyal, west of Childers, for a “fresh start”.
Police finished a three-day search of the property late Monday and will now begin combing through information that came in through Crime Stoppers.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell said police still wanted to speak with anyone with information on the 21-year-old’s mysterious disappearance.
“Police still need to hear from anyone with any knowledge of Marc’s movements leading up to his disappearance,” she said.
“It’s never too late to come forward. Relationships and loyalties change. People who were once scared may no longer be.”
Marc was last seen alive by friends at the Booyal property on the morning of January 26.
He’d moved there after picking up a hitchhiker during the road trip from his hometown of Melbourne to Queensland.
The hitchhiker lived at the rural property, which was home to various people living in caravans and other makeshift homes.
Det Sen Sgt Kentwell said Marc, who was born and raised in Melbourne, fell in with the wrong crowd after suffering a setback in his football career.
After becoming involved in drugs, he decided to make the move to Queensland for a fresh start.
On January 18, he filled up his car at the Shell service station on the Bruce Hwy at Gympie but left behind his phone and Victorian driver’s licence as security when he’d been unable to pay.
He never returned to collect his belongings.
Friends told police Marc was “distant” and his speech “disjointed” when they saw him on the morning of January 26.
Police know he made three calls to a landline number from a phone at the Booyal Roadhouse around 10am before returning home.
A brown XD Ford sedan was possibly seen at the property that day and police continue to investigate whether Marc left in that car.
“We are appealing for any person who observed or knows anyone in the Booyal Childers area in 2000 who owned or drove a Brown XD Ford sedan with a dull alloy bull bar and standard wheels to come forward,” Det Sen Sgt Kentwell said.
Marc’s father Kris said the family had waited a long time for answers.
“There must be someone out there that knows something about this case, someone knows what happened to my son,” he said.
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
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