Search underway for missing Kaitaia man gone for five days, family urge community to help

Loren Charles Ross-Taylor was last seen near the bridge near Bells Produce in Kaitaia on Wednesday (December 9). Photo / Supplied

Family and friends of Loren Charles Ross-Taylor, who has been missing since Wednesday have done an extensive search operation in Kaitaia and are now asking the community to help.

Ross-Taylor has a mental illness, but he is no danger to the public. His brother-in-law Louis Pretorius who is heading the search operation said the 31-year-old will not harm anyone other than getting confused himself.

"Perhaps a little bit delirious and goes into psychosis and loses understanding of certain things around him."

Ross-Taylor was last seen by his mother on Wednesday at around 4.20 am at their residence.

He was later sighted at the bridge close to Bells Produce, north road of Kaitaia, where some people noticed he may have slipped or fallen into the river. They approached him and he confirmed he had a leg injury.

The individuals contacted 111 and police tried to guide Loren out of the river, but unfortunately, the bank was very steep and he couldn't get out of it from the position he was in, Pretorius said.

Pretorius said his brother-in-law walked off into the distance, as per the police instructions, and they were going to meet him on the other side. However, that was the last sighting of him.

On Thursday, family and friends initiated their own search operation and kayaked the entire southbound river bed all the way through north through town to the area of the incident.

Since then, the team expanded the search and looked everywhere they could but to no avail, Pretorius said.

Ross-Taylor was last seen wearing a 2XL black t-shirt and camo shorts, had no shoes and left his keys, wallet, phone, and everything else behind. He weighs approximately 125-130 kgs, is 185 cm tall.

Pretorius urged anybody who saw Ross-Taylor or suspected it to be him to take a photo and send it to him on 0210481222 or alert number 105 for Loren Charles Ross-Taylor missing report.