Cannabis crop clue in cold case murder of Brunswick man Nick Falos
A cannabis crop in a state forest could be linked to the 2003 murder of a Brunswick man, with fresh hope a $1m reward will help catch his killers.
Cold Cases
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Police are launching a $1 million reward in a bid to solve the 2003 suspicious disappearance of a Thornbury man who is a suspected homicide victim.
Nick Falos, 58, was last seen on March 24 in 2003 about 8.30am when driving his red Porsche coupe with registration JD 944 along Albion St in Brunswick.
Detectives from the missing persons squad believe he was murdered and are desperate to solve the 18-year-old cold case.
Mr Falos’ luxury car was found burnt out in the Yarra State Forest near Gladysdale three days after he was last seen but his other vehicle, a 1975 Holden sedan, was still parked at his home.
A neighbour reported Mr Falos, also known as Nikolaos Falieros, as missing on April 1 after becoming concerned he had not been seen for several days.
An extensive search of bushland in Gladysdale on May 16 failed to find his body.
In what could be a vital clue for detectives, a phone call was made from a pay phone to Mr Falos on the morning of March 15.
Another key line of inquiry is reported cannabis cultivation in the Yarra State Park at the time of his disappearance but police are yet to determine if this is linked to Mr Falos.
Two elderly men were arrested in August 2018 in regards to the case but were released without charge.
They were a 77-year-old Endeavour Hills man and an 84-year-old Devon Meadows man.
Detective Acting-Inspector Tony Combridge said police believe Mr Falos was murdered and they are searching for answers.
“It may be 18 years since Nick disappeared, however this is very much an active investigation,” Det Combridge said.
“There is the possibility that the person or persons responsible for his death may have spoken to someone about Nick and today’s reward announcement may lead to them finally coming forward with information.
“While Nick is no longer believed to be alive, we are still hopeful of finding out what happened to him.
“It is also our belief that a number of people were potentially involved in Nick’s murder.
“Circumstances change, people may move in different circles, have new friends or partners and information they may not have felt comfortable providing 17 years ago, they can now speak more freely to police about now.
“It doesn’t matter how insignificant you think the piece of information is, it could be exactly what our investigators need to make a breakthrough in this case.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Nick Falos is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Originally published as Cannabis crop clue in cold case murder of Brunswick man Nick Falos
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