Chris Deep: Royal National Park search for missing hospital worker

A Sydney hospital worker’s bike and helmet have been discovered at a remote beach nearly a month after he vanished in mysterious circumstances.

Christopher Deep, 36, is still missing after reportedly going for a bike ride in the Royal National Park last month.

UPDATE

Police have made a significant breakthrough in the search for missing Camperdown Healthcare worker Christopher Deep three weeks after he vanished.

Detectives in Sydney’s south have informed Mr Deep’s family they have located his bike and helmet at Wattamolla Beach in the Royal National Park.

It is understood officers located both items while searching the beach for another woman, 54, who also went missing last Thursday.

The bike was found near to the secluded Wattamolla beach in Royal National Park. Picture: Thinkstock

There is now a huge search underway in that area of the national park as police ramp up efforts to find both Mr Deep and the missing woman.

Christopher was last seen at Loftus train station on February 23 in his cycling gear and road bike, leading police to believe he was going for a ride in the Royal National Park.

His phone was reportedly “pinging” off two towers in Cronulla and Coledale that evening but detectives suspended their ground search five days later.

Christopher Deep, aged 36, was reported missing last month.

Officers ruled out the theory he may have been hit cycling along the Princes Hwy after he was not seen on any CCTV.

Police were set to return to the scene on Wednesday in a second attempt at finding Mr Deep with officers expected to ride through kilometres of bush on mountain bikes.

Mr Deep, originally from a small country town, is a keen cyclist and handy rock climber.

His sister Louise said a week after he vanished that it was possible he was going to the beach and not to the park.

EARLIER

By Anton Rose on March 12, 2020

Police will return to Sydney’s Royal National Park for another ground search next week in a bid to locate a much-loved healthcare worker who vanished almost three weeks ago.

It is understood Sutherland Shire officers will use mountain bikes to ride through the trails of the sprawling natural haven next Wednesday in an effort to find Camperdown man Christopher Deep, 36, who was last seen at nearby Loftus station with his road bike on February 23.

The initial ground search concluded on March 3, police said, though his family and friends have been combing over kilometres of bush every single day since in the hopes of finding the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital radiographer.

Chris, 36, remains missing after almost three weeks since he was last seen.

His sister Louise Deep said Christopher’s family and friends have been hurting more and more as the days go by.

Ms Deep and her brother are exceptionally close after the siblings endured the tragic loss of their younger sister at the age of 19.

“We are hurting and worried we will never see Chris again,” she said.

“For our family to lose Chris as well is unthinkable and would be a complete tragedy.

“You hang on to your siblings when you’ve gone through something like that.

“It is unthinkable that I could lose them both now.”

Ahead of police returning to the scene next week Ms Deep called for anyone who had visited the southern areas of the park from anywhere north of Otford to speak to police if they had seen Christopher.

The park is so vast that the southern areas have only been searched by the SES to date and Christopher’s family.

“We’re hanging onto the hope that he’s out there somewhere so we’ll keep searching and hopefully we’ll see something,” she said.

Police initially suspected the 36-year-old’s disappearance could have been misadventure given he was last seen in cycling gear, but almost three weeks after Mr Deep vanished all avenues are still being pursued to find him.

Ms Deep said officers had ruled out the possibility Christopher was hit riding his bike on the Princes Hwy because CCTV showed no sign of him.

The ground search has been concluded by police and SES.

Police are urging people to come forward if they know anything.

His phone was apparently “pinging” off two towers in Cronulla and Coledale on the evening of his disappearance leading to the strong possibility he could be found in the Royal National Park.

Christopher, who lives in Camperdown, moved from the country NSW town of Coonabarabran to Sydney in a bid to pursue a career in healthcare.

He and his sister went to boarding school together and grew up in the small town their parents still call home.

“Inquiries are continuing to locate Mr Deep, who is still considered a missing person,” a police spokeswoman said.

“The ground search for him was suspended after five days on the March 3, however local police are still conducting inquiries to locate him and significant concerns are held for his welfare.”

Anyone with any information relating to Christopher’s disappearance is urged to contact police or CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.

NEWS TIPS: [e-mail]