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The search for a missing Bay of Plenty father of two has been called off after an extensive hunt failed to find any sign of him.
Police said Siegfried Newman had been in a "distressed" state since his wife's death last November and his friends said he had deteriorated in recent days.
The 48-year-old was last seen on Lund Rd, Katikati, 35km northwest of Tauranga, about 11am on Monday.
Mr Newman's two sons, aged 7 and 9, were being looked after by friends and Child Youth and Family would be working with the family about their long-term care.
Police were trying to contact Mr Newman's family in Germany and said they were still keen to hear from anyone who may have seen him recently.
Over 30 police and volunteer search and rescue personnel completed an extensive ground search for Mr Newman but failed to locate him.
The police helicopter Eagle was brought down from Auckland yesterday to search for Mr Newman with its infa-red equipment but also failed to find him.
- NZPA
