Police believe Darwin man Richard Roe — missing since November 2016 — has been murdered

TODAY would be Richard Roe’s 42nd birthday and, while it’s not a major milestone, it’s another celebration his family can’t share with him

Darwin man Richard Roe’s abandoned car was found near Lake Bennett in November 2016

TODAY would be Richard Roe’s 42nd birthday and, while it’s not a major milestone, it’s another celebration his family can’t share with him.

Mr Roe has been missing since November 2016 when his car was found abandoned on the side of the road near Lake Bennett.

Richard Roe has been missing since November 2, 2016. Police believe he has been murdered

With links to Darwin’s drug world, police believe he has been murdered.

In response to Mr Roe’s disappearance Operation Zuma was established.

Numerous patrols and drone surveys have found no trace of him.

To date, police have spoken to more than 100 people and have chased up all leads.

Detective Sergeant Tony Henrys said they hoped someone would talk and help police find Mr Roe.

“We’ve pursued every piece of information that we’ve had to date but it hasn’t led us to that one piece of information, that one secret that someone’s got, that’s going to show us where Richard is,” he said.

Sgt Henrys said his family had accepted Mr Roe was gone but needed closure.

“We’re 18 months down the track, they don’t have answers, they’d really like to find out what’s happened to him and they’d really like to find him,” he said.

“I think they accept the idea that he has died, but it’s knowing where he is and how that provides that closure.”

Sgt Henrys said police believed that in the month leading up to Mr Roe’s disappearance something went wrong with either drug debts or a drug deal gone wrong.

“I’m dead set certain. and have been from very early on. that something has happened to him. His lifestyle just leads to him being in all the wrong places at all the wrong times with all the wrong people,” he said.

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Detective Sgt Henrys said Mr Roe wasn’t a king pin in Darwin’s drug world but rather a user of methamphetamine that did drug runs to pay for his addiction.

“While there’s a chance, we don’t believe that it’s just misadventure,” he said.

“His lifestyle, his addiction and involvement in methamphetamine, in distribution and use, he was a reasonably heavy user, it just grows the paranoia and puts him in the same circle of people.”

Mr Roe was last seen on November 2, 2016 and his blue Holden Commodore station wagon was found on the side of Chinner Rd on November 4.

He was known to visit the Lake Bennett area where he would pick up or stash drugs.

“We know he was working in that area around a large volume of amphetamine substance,” Sgt Henrys said.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.