Police search Cranbourne bushland for missing man Brendon Farrell who is feared dead
A new clue has led police to search bushland for a forklift driver feared dead who vanished more than a month ago after a ‘significant, violent’ event.
New information has led police to bushland in their search for the body of a Melbourne forklift driver who vanished after a “significant, violent” incident more than a month ago.
Missing persons squad detectives launched a search of parkland off Cemetery Rd in Cranbourne on Tuesday as they investigate the suspicious disappearance of Doveton man Brendon Farrell.
Mr Farrell, 32, was last seen by a friend about 12.30pm on May 31 at his home in Kidds Rd, Doveton, where he lived in a rear bungalow behind the main building.
Missing persons squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said police believed a “significant, violent event” involving weapons took place at the property the same day Mr Farrell disappeared.
He was reported missing by family two days later but has not been seen since.
Police said his bank account and phone had not been used since May 31 and his bike, which he used to get around, was also missing.
Inspector Stamper said Mr Farrell had a difficult life, marred by problems with the drug ice and was surrounded by poor company.
Detectives scoured thick scrub and open parkland near the Cranbourne Dandenong Pistol Club with the help of drones and officers from the public order response team and the mounted branch.
Inspector Stamper wouldn’t reveal what exactly had led them to search the area, other than it being information gained during their investigation.
On Tuesday afternoon, he said police hadn’t found what they were looking for yet but would continue the search.
“I’m hopeful that we might find Brendan, that’s the number one thing,” Inspector Stamper said.
“Hopefully, we’ll find some answers for Brendan’s family. We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t reasonably hopeful that we were going to get some answers.
“We don’t back away from the fact that Brendon made some bad choices in his life, but he loved his family, his family loved him, and he deserves our full attention to try and find the answers about what happened to him.”
Inspector Stamper said there was evidence of a “violent altercation” at his house in the days after he went missing, but detectives hadn’t yet been able to track down anyone involved in the incident.
“The fact that Brendon hasn’t been seen since that time, and we know that he was a man that kept in regular contact with his family, we know that he was mixing in some pretty bad circles, that’s what leads us to the sad hypothesis that he’s met with foul play,” Inspector Stamper said.
“We’ve had various accounts of what happened, but the important thing for us is to get a bigger picture from more people.”
His family joined police last week to plead for information about what unfolded at the address, who was there and where Mr Farrell might be now.
Inspector Stamper said Mr Farrell’s family were “hanging off any word” of what might have happened to their brother and son.
“Some of the company that he kept, we knew he was on drugs, we knew he could come across people in the traps that aren’t so nice,” Mr Farrell’s sister Simone Hellyer said.
“He wouldn’t have just gone missing for the sake of doing a runner, he wouldn’t be away from us for this long, he wouldn’t go this long without contacting us or seeing his niece, so that’s what’s made me think it’s definitely something bad.
“We fear that the worst has happened but we can’t move on either, we don’t have that closure. He’s not actually anywhere to be seen, so we don’t know what to think.
“I hear my mum cry herself to sleep every night and it’s hurtful.”
Ms Hellyer said her brother had a heart of gold, was family orientated and adored his baby niece.
Inspector Stamper said police were still keen to speak to anyone with information about the altercation at the Kidds Rd address on May 31 or may have knowledge of who was there at the time.
Mr Farrell has been described as being about 168cm tall with a slim to medium build and shaved reddish hair.
It’s believed he was wearing a black tracksuit at the time he was last seen.
Anyone with information about his disappearance has urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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