An increasingly paranoid John Peros cuts ties with former friends and records his conversations – a close friend tells police that John is “losing it” under the pressure of the intensifying investigation. John is served with a forensic procedure order and told he must comply. At the police station John is friendly with detectives who take his DNA samples and fingerprints. They photograph and video him. Detectives go to Peros’s flat with an order to revoke his weapons licence and seize his Glock pistol – there’s a brief standoff before John reveals an intricate security system leading to a hidden safe key. Pressure on John mounts as detectives release CCTV images of a vehicle of interest to the media. Some people in Mackay observe that the vehicle looks very similar to John’s.

To contact Hedley Thomas anonymously with any information on Shandee’s Story email here – Shandee@theaustralian.com.au