Police reveal new details in case of missing Tauranga man Julian Varley

Julian Varley hasn't been seen since January 23. Photo / Supplied

The disappearance of Tauranga father-of-two Julian Varley has taken a sinister twist as police reveal bullet holes were found in his burned-out car.

The case featured on Police Ten 7 on Thursday night, as police try to find out what happened to Varley, who has been missing from the Tauranga area since January 23.

The last confirmed sighting of Varley was about 3pm that day, when he was captured on CCTV driving his blue and silver 1998 Nissan Pulsar at the Poike roundabout on State Highway 29A, Tauranga.

About 1am on January 24, a passer-by found Varley's car on fire on Oropi Rd near State Highway 36. The car was totally destroyed by the fire.

Police revealed on Thursday night that bullet holes were found in the car.

Julian Varley hasn't been seen since January 23. Photo / Supplied

Varley had not accessed his bank account or used his cell phone since the day
he was last seen, and he has had no contact with family - including his two
young children - or friends.

As well as having two children, his partner is pregnant with their third child.

Police said in the statement on Thursday afternoon they held serious concerns for Varley and have a number of detectives working to establish what happened to him.

"We are committed to finding answers for Julian's family and friends, and we
believe the community can help us with that," the statement said.

Anyone who can help is encouraged to call the Police Ten 7 Information Line
on 0800 107 4636.