Police are appealing for information about missing man Joe Lloyd-Jones. Photo / Supplied
Police are appealing for information about missing man Joe Lloyd-Jones. Photo / Supplied
Three weeks ago Whangarei man Joe Lloyd-Jones went to visit mates in Morningside, got upset as the evening went on and, after being put to bed by a friend sometime after midnight, went missing before morning.
No one has seen the 33-year old since those early hours of January 28, and family members are desperate to know where their much-loved son, brother and nephew is.
They fear the worst, that Lloyd-Jones is no longer alive. If that is the case, they want to be able to find him and farewell him.
''If anyone knows where he might be, remembers something that might help find him, anything, anything at all, please let us know,'' his father Jack Lloyd-Jones pleads.
He is haunted by thoughts of his ''lovely natured'' boy lying hurt and cold, needing help, lost and alone.
''Or the other. When we had all that rain, I kept thinking of him lying there . . .''
Largely house-bound and challenged by a body that doesn't work very well after a major stroke a few years ago, Jack Lloyd-Jones is frustrated he is unable to look for the man whose loved ones still call him Joey.
And there have been searches. Police set up a search and rescue team on February 2 and scoured a bush reserve on Anzac Rd in Morningside.
They also searched the bush block behind Jack Lloyd-Jones' house at Riverside. '
That was particularly hard to deal with, the anxious dad said.
Joe's mental well-being had been a long-standing issue, which was being treated. He needed daily medication, but he had not taken it with him, his father said.
He has not accessed his bank account or used his phone since the day before he went missing.
His aunt Denise Omar said everything about her nephew's disappearance was out of character.
Police sergeant Jim Adamson and other members of the Search and Rescue squad search bush for missing man Joey Lloyd-Jones. Photo / John Stone
''We are worried for his mental well-being if he is still alive. The worst thing about not knowing is this constant gnawing that nothing can take away,'' Omar said.
''Joe is popular, well loved, and if someone has any ideas where he may have gone, please let us know.''
Police have joined the family in calling for anyone to come forward who may know something about Joe Lloyd-Jones' disappearance, possible sightings or even recollections of conversations that might indicate where he would head to if he wanted to get away.
There are Facebook pages people can message or the information can be made anonymously if people prefer, Senior Sergeant Steve Dickson said. They can call the Crimestoppers hotline, 0800 555111 or Whangarei Police, (09) 430 4500.
''This family is in a limbo, they need to know where Joey is,'' Dickson said.
Joey Lloyd-Jones has not been seen since early on January 28. Photo / Supplied
Jack Lloyd-Jones said hard as it is to accept his son might not be alive, if the worst has happened he needs to say goodbye. He said the family was making this appeal in the hope it might trigger some information.
