The discovery of a cap belonging to a man who has been missing for a week has given his family new hope that he can be found, as police appeal for a camper to be reported.
Jack McLennan, 27, was last seen on Friday, October 4, in the Ficks Crossing area, 175km northwest of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
He was spending time with a friend but is believed to have left on foot between 8 and 10pm that evening.
After he was reported missing on Sunday, a manhunt was launched, which is now in its fifth day.
Inspector Scott Stahlhut confirmed on Thursday that officers had found a pair of shoes believed to have been worn by Mr McLennan at the time of his disappearance.
It has now emerged that search teams have also found a hat near McAlister and McLucas streets in the Flicks Crossing area, believed to belong to Mr McLennan.
Police are also appealing for anyone who witnessed Mr McLennan in the lead up to his disappearance, particularly a person who was camping in the Ficks Crossing area at the time of his disappearance.
“The person police want to speak to was driving a dark-colored vehicle with a roof tent,” police said in a statement.
Mr McLennan is approximately 185cm tall, has light brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts.
Police have found a hat (pictured) in Murgon during a search for missing 27-year-old Sunshine Coast man Jack McLennan
It comes after police released new CCTV footage hours before he was reported missing.
In the footage, Mr McLennan was seen in a bottle shop Lamb Street in Murgon about 1.30pm on October 4 – two days before he was reported missing.
He then got into a car with a friend with whom he spent the next few hours at Ficks Crossing before disappearing.
Inspt Stahlhut said the ‘promising’ discoveries indicated McLennan had not strayed far, but reiterated that police still have serious ‘concerns for his welfare’.
“This kind of behavior is very uncharacteristic,” he said.
The rescue operation had been delayed by heavy rainfall which “affected our ability to move freely”, Inspt Stahlhut added.
New CCTV footage shows 27-year-old Jack McLennan hours before he disappeared at Ficks Crossing, 175km northwest of the Sunshine Coast, on October 4.
Rescue teams found Mr McLennan’s shoe on Wednesday, reinvigorating their efforts
“We’ve had quite a bit of rain here last night and there are some waterway closures, so that’s having some impact on our searches.”
Rescue efforts include specialist divers searching in and around Ficks Crossing, ground search teams and an air operation.
Police confirmed the search will continue this weekend.
Mr McLennan is 185cm tall, has light brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts.
Billboards along the Bunya Highway urge motorists to report any sightings of him in the area.
Locals have also been advised to check buildings and sheds on their properties in case Mr McLennan manages to gain access.
Anyone with information on Mr McLennan’s whereabouts is asked to come forward.
The police would also like to get in touch with people who may have been in or nearby Ficks Crossing between 3 p.m. October 4 and 12 p.m. October 5.
