The Missing Podcast: Potential witness in disappearance of Paul Stevenson claims to get death threats

There are many “unanswered questions” in the disappearance of a Queensland father-of-two, with his wife revealing what she believes happened to him. Listen to the podcast.

A potential witness in the disappearance of a Queensland father-of-two says he has since received death threats, which police have traced to a payphone hundreds of kilometres from where the man went missing.

The man, who asked not to be named, contacted police investigating the disappearance of Paul Stevenson, a diesel mechanic last seen on March 11, 2012.

Stevenson’s wife Julie told The Missing podcast he got up early that morning to ride his motorbike, which was subsequently found in bush off the Gin Gin-Mount Perry Road near the small village of Wonbah.

“Foul play is my answer,” Mrs Stevenson said, when asked what she thought happened to her husband.

“I do believe … that’s what’s happened to him. I’ve always had that gut feeling from the time I was up at Wonbah when they were searching.

“I do believe somebody there, some person or persons know what’s happened to him and knows where he is”.

Stevenson’s body, as well as his jacket and mobile phone, have never been recovered.

Queensland father-of-two Paul Stevenson has been missing since March 2012.

His bike had suffered minor damage, including a broken indicator and some scratches, but nothing to suggest it had been involved in a collision.

Days later, two men who had been driving in the area came forward, telling police they had seen a man walking down the road in the hours after Stevenson went missing.

They drove past but later told police they thought the man was a motorbike rider who had come off his bike.

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One of those potential witnesses told The Missing he now regretted coming forward.

He had since received anonymous phone calls from a person saying ‘I know it was you’ and who also threatened his life.

Paul Stevenson has been missing for more than nine years.

Queensland Police subsequently traced those calls to a public payphone in Rockhampton, around 300 kilometres from Wonbah.

This potential witness said he now regretted coming forward as he felt people now blamed him for Stevenson’s disappearance, though police said there was no evidence to support this.

Mrs Stevenson said her husband went missing the day after celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary and while they were looking forward to the birth of their first grandchild.

As well as the emotional trauma of his loss, she had to sell his bike as well as her wedding ring and other jewellery to make ends meet.

“It was hard. I had the kids, I had to look after them, I still had a car to pay for, I had house payments, so financially it was really hard,” she said.

He was the breadwinner. People never think of all these other things economically, how a family is affected when someone goes missing.’

Missing person Paul Stevenson with his daughter Nikki.

Stevenson’s daughter Nikki was seven months pregnant when her father went missing and said him not being there to become a grandfather was “heartbreaking”.

“I would love to have known what dad would be like with my kids,” she said.

“You’re living through this day in, day out. It’s something that’s always in the back of your mind. And you never stop thinking about it.”

Nikki Stevenson’s father Paul went missing in March 2012. Photo: Mike Knott / NewsMail

Local police sergeant Paul Jorna, who was involved in the search for Stevenson, said officers had considered ‘a number of scenarios’.

“He may have gone to take his own life and left the motorbike for his family. He may have … left to start a new life somewhere else. We don’t know. There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” Sgt Jorna said.

A coroner found Stevenson was dead in March 2016, but was unable to confirm what killed him.

Do you know more? Call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Originally published as The Missing Podcast: Potential witness in disappearance of Paul Stevenson claims to get death threats