The sister of a man who went missing in the bush near the Queensland-NSW border in April is calling for experienced hikers and trackers to join her desperate search to find him.
Patrick Liedke, 39, was last seen walking on Piggabeen Road in Piggabeen, west of Tweed Heads on April 23.
His car was found on April 26 on a property at nearby Cobaki, and a coordinated search by NSW Police, SES and VRA was launched the following day.
READ MORE: More than 3000 jobs at risk as mining giant shuts down mega operation
Patrick’s sister Nicole Liedke located fresh barefoot footprints in the mud on Tomewin Mountain Road in Currumbin Valley while searching with family across the border in Queensland on April 28, sparking a search by Queensland authorities the following day.
Both searches were suspended by May 1.
Nicole describes her brother, who has a disability and complex mental health needs, as a kind and gentle person who loves painting and golfing.
She believes he retreated to the bush as a place of solace.
“I don’t believe he chose (to go missing). It pulled him in, in an overwhelming need to be somewhere calm.
“Nature gives us the perfect amount of everything, it’s our natural state.”
Although he is most comfortable in nature, she said, he would have become easily lost and may have disorganised thinking.
“The people who go missing are vulnerable, especially the neuro-diverse,” she said.
“He’s not like a lost hiker who is going to sit around and wave for help.”
She said Google account activity from his phone suggested he may have tried to use Google Maps to orientate himself.
The last person to see Patrick was a farmer, who saw him emerge from the bush covered in mud and looking “disorientated”.
“He said, ‘Are you okay?’ and my brother didn’t respond, he kept walking down Piggabeen Road,” Nicole said.
“He was still so close to his car then.”
Since the official search concluded, Nicole has been coordinating community searches with the assistance of volunteers, local property owners, infrared cameras and trackers with dingoes.
She believes the coordinated searches by authorities were insufficient, given the size of the search area and the rugged nature of the terrain, and were hampered by the “invisible” border between states.
“People think the police search until the person is found but that’s not how decisions are made,” she said.
She said the longer he is missing, the wider the potential search area becomes.
“I’m tired. I’ve been walking every day searching, doorknocking, driving around.
“I’m never going to stop looking for my brother.”
The 13-day community search started on Saturday.
Anyone interested in joining the search can contact Nicole via her Facebook campaign Find Patrick Liedke.
Patrick is described as Caucasian, 183cm tall, with a solid build, brown eyes, brown thinning hair and a bushy red-brown beard.
His appearance may have changed due to time spent in the bush.
NSW Police has urged anyone with information to contact local police in Tweed Heads on (07) 5506 9499 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
links to content on ABC
9News
