Family of missing woman Bridget Flack, 28, plea for public assistance to find her
Police have released pictures of a missing woman’s distinctive tattoos in the hope she can be found after going missing 10 days ago.
The sister of Bridget Flack, who was last seen 10 days ago in Melbourne, is pleading for help to find her “beloved” sister as police reveal they’re following all lines of inquiry.
The 28-year-old was last seen in Smith Street, Collingwood, about 10.30am on November 30 after telling friends she was going for a walk along the Yarra River in the Collingwood area.
The woman, described affectionately as a staunch unionist, part-time DJ and a very political member of the LGTBQI community, made contact with a friend later that day but never returned home.
Despite potential sightings since she disappeared, Ms Flack has not been located and her phone has not been used since December 2.
She has made no contact with friends or family and has not accessed her bank account.
Her sister Angela described Bridget as somewhat vulnerable given she was a transgender woman and had recently reached out to family and friends to express she needed “a bit of extra help”.
“Bridget has a very close community of friends. It’s very uncharacteristic for her not to be with friends or leaning on friends if she needs something,” Angela told reporters on Thursday.
“I think you automatically fear the worst but hope for the best. It’s bizarre someone has gone missing without a trace. We are concerned … We are so desperate to know she is safe and for her to know how loved she is.
“She had awareness to know she wasn’t feeling great. We were working hard to get her extra help. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get it before (she disappeared).
“She was very open about her struggles … quick to reassure our family she was safe, just needed a bit of extra help.”
Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit detective Senior Constable Daniel Garside said police were not ruling out foul play but said Bridget could have just gone off the grid or any other situation.
“We are investigating everything at the moment, nothing is being ruled out,” he said.
“There’s nothing to suggest she’s been met with foul play, but we remain open minded.”
Bridget is described as caucasian, about 170cm tall, with a thin build, shoulder-length brown hair and “distinct” tattoos on her arms and legs.
CCTV footage from the day she disappeared shows her wearing a bright pink T-shirt, black shorts and red socks, with a black face mask and light pink backpack.
Bridget was last seen at Dan Murphy’s in Collingwood at about 10am. She is then believed to have walked to the Yarra River walking track, something police say she did daily.
Her last point of contact was with a work friend on social media at 2pm. According to phone records, at that point she was at the Yarra River at Kew near the Eastern Freeway.
A Facebook group has been established to help find Bridget, accumulating more than 3500 members.
Earlier on Thursday, water and air police scouted the Yarra River for any signs of the woman.
“We are asking the public to help us locate her, provide her family with answers,” Constable Garside said.
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