Police hope new drone photos will help find information about a man who was last seen in a pharmacy in the state's central west in 2020.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Newcastle local James Hunter, who was 52 years old at the time of his disappearance, was last seen at a pharmacy on Macquarie Street in Dubbo on Friday, February 28, 2020.
He has not accessed his bank accounts since then and has not been in contact with his friends and family.
Mr Hunter had travelled to the region to work on rural properties at Dubbo, Mendooran and Dunedoo. He was also known to frequent Walgett and Lightning Ridge.
His family last saw him in person in December 2019, when he was in the Newcastle area. He maintained contact with his family for a while but after not hearing from him in several months they reported him missing in July, 2021.
In March 2022, detectives attached to Orana Mid-Western Police District established Strike Force Yurinigh to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr Hunter's disappearance.
In March 2022, his vehicle - a blue 2005-model Toyota Hilux ute was located on a property he was working at in Mendooran, and it was seized for forensic examination.
Police also established the Macquarie Street pharmacy was the last time he was seen in public. No sign of Mr Hunter has been found since then.
But detectives believe a series of high-tech drone shots could make in-roads on the investigation.
On Friday, March 22, 2024 and Saturday, March 23, 2024, police searched 1700 hectares of land north-west of Mendooran using high-tech drones that carried out 52 flights.
With the help of new technology, investigators are now processing the 33,000 high resolution images captured.
Police and family continue to hold concerns for Mr Hunter's welfare, and are renewing their appeal to the community to come forward with any information that may assist detectives with their ongoing investigations.
He is described as being Caucasian in appearance, about 175 centimetres tall, of a medium build with brown hair and eyes.
Anyone who has information in relation to James' whereabouts or of relevance to the investigation is urged to contact Dubbo Police Station on 02 6883 1599 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
