Andrews government urged to guarantee cash to excavate a mineshaft in search for Terry Floyd

The Andrews government is facing calls to fund the search for murdered Avoca schoolboy Terry Floyd and help end the decades-old mystery.

Daryl Floyd is calling on Premier Daniel Andrews to guarantee funding for the final excavation of a mineshaft in the search for his brother Terry. Picture: Alex Coppel

The brother of child murder victim Terry Floyd is pleading the state government for an assurance they will fund the final search of a mineshaft in central Victoria, in a bid to finish a 47 year hunt for his remains.

Terry’s brother Daryl Floyd, who has been hunting for 12-year-old schoolboy’s remains for decades, is asking Premier Daniel Andrews to guarantee he will bankroll the looming project.

A state coroner found Terry had been abducted and murdered in 1975 after he vanished while waiting for a lift on the side of the Pyrenees Highway in Avoca.

His suspected homicide is one of the most high-profile unsolved missing persons cases in Victoria.

Terry Floyd was 12 when he disappeared. Picture: Frank Violi

The state government pledged financial support in 2017 to excavate the Morning Star mineshaft at Bung Bong Hill, where Daryl believes his brother’s remains lie.

However five years later 20 per cent still needs to be searched, with efforts hampered by bushfires and Covid in recent years.

A Herald Sun report last year revealed the case had become caught up in red tape, with Mr Floyd pleading for help to solve the high-profile missing persons investigation.

“Money generously given for the search has enabled us to find items we believe belonged to Terry including a shoe, buttons off clothing and other items,” he said.

“We’re so close to finding Terry and getting those answers we so desperately seek.

“We need this sorted. I don’t want to keep dragging this along.”

“This is taking a toll on me physically and mentally, it is an emotional rollercoaster no one wants to be on.

Missing schoolboy Terry Floyd (middle), Ray Floyd (top) and Daryl Floyd (bottom).

“We need the government to commit to this entirely.”

While the state government has contributed $110,000 to excavating the mine, Mr Floyd said he has sourced quotes for the next stage of the excavation.

Mr Floyd has devoted large sums of his own personal finances to excavate the site, which was filled in several years ago.

He says he can no longer fund the project and despite multiple efforts to reach out to his contacts in government, he had received radio silence.

In a statement, the state government said: “We support Mr Floyd’s dedication and tireless efforts to search for his missing brother, as well as those of the many Victorians assisting him.”

A $1 million reward is currently in place for information that solves Terry Floyd’s disappearance.

The investigation is ongoing.