Father of Melbourne man missing for 16 years pleads for information
The heartbroken dad of a Melbourne man who vanished in 2003 said he just wants to know his son is safe and well, and delivered a simple message: “Sorry, I blew it. I let you down.”
Police & Courts
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The heartbroken dad of a Melbourne man missing for 16 years just wants to know his son is safe and well.
Detectives yesterday renewed their appeal to find Paul Wright, who was last seen in Rosanna in September 2003.
Nick Wright said his son vanished without a trace when he was facing charges over a domestic disturbance with an ex-girlfriend.
“Paul is not a saint,” father Nick Wright said.
“He is certainly not a bad person. He had colourful friends.
“He was really kind, really lovely. I would be surprised if he was missing and alone.”
Mr Wright Snr said the hardest part of his son’s disappearance was no longer receiving text messages at Christmas time.
“Losing a person this way is just so vacuous,” he said.
“We can’t go to a gravesite, we don’t know.
“We’re very hopeful, I’m an eternal optimist. I just want to know he’s all right.
“Some people say it’s been 17 years, let sleeping dogs lie, but you never let it go.”
He and wife Jenny received a tip about a reported sighting of Paul at a QLD Aldi store from an “amateur sleuth” in December.
The pair travelled to the Aldi and staked out the store for several days before eliminating the regular customer as their son.
“For both of us, there’s not a day that goes by where you don’t think about it,” Mr Wright Snr said.
“You go through every nuance of what you did wrong.”
Mr Wright’s simple message to his son: “Sorry, I blew it. I let you down,” he said.
“I just want to know he’s all right. You can’t have closure with nothing to close on.”
Banyule Crime Investigation Unit detectives said Mr Wright would now be 43 years old and may be living under the name Brien Hunter or another alias.
They believe he may be working in the security industry.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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