The discovery of a cap belonging to a man who has been missing for a week has given fresh hope to his family that he may be found, as police launch an appeal for a camper to come forward.
Jack McLennan, 27, was last seen in the Ficks Crossing area, 175km north-west of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on Friday October 4.
He had been spending time with a friend but is believed to have left on foot sometime between 8pm and 10pm that night.
A manhunt was launched after he was reported missing on Sunday, which has now entered its fifth day.
Inspector Scott Stahlhut confirmed on Thursday that officers found a pair of shoes which Mr McLennan is thought to have been wearing at the time of his disappearance.
Now, it has emerged that search teams have also found a hat near McAlister and McLucas streets in the Flicks Crossing area, believed to belong to Mr McLennan.
Police are also appealing to anyone who may have witnessed Mr McLennan in the lead-up to his disappearance, particularly a person who camped at the Ficks Crossing area during the time of his disappearance.
‘The person who police would like to speak to was travelling in a dark coloured vehicle with a roof top tent,’ police said in a statement.
Mr McLennan is approximately 185cm tall with light brown hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts
Police have located a hat (pictured) in Murgon during a search for missing 27-year-old Sunshine Coast man, Jack McLennan
It comes after police released fresh CCTV captured hours before he was reported missing.
In the footage, Mr McLennan was seen at a bottle shop on Lamb Street in Murgon at about 1.30pm on October 4 – two days before he was reported missing.
He then got into a car with a friend who he spent the next few hours with at Ficks Crossing before he vanished.
Inspt Stahlhut said the ‘promising’ discoveries indicated Mr McLennan had not wandered far but he reiterated that police are still holding serious ‘concerns for his wellbeing’.
‘This kind of behaviour is very out of character,’ he said.
The rescue operation had been delayed by significant rainfall which ‘impacted our ability to move freely’, Inspt Stahlhut added.
New CCTV footage shows Jack McLennan, 27, hours before he vanished at Ficks Crossing, 175km northwest of Sunshine Coast, on October 4
Rescue teams found what they believe to be Mr McLennan’s shoe on Wednesday, which has reinvigorated their efforts
‘We had some significant rainfall here last night and there are some waterway closures, so that is having some impact on our search operations.’
Rescue efforts include specialist divers searching in and around Ficks Crossing, search teams on the ground and an aerial operation.
Police confirmed the search will continue into the weekend.
Mr McLennan is 185cm tall with light brown hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts.
Billboards installed along the Bunya Highway urge drivers to report any potential sightings of him in the area.
Locals have also been advised to check any out buildings and sheds on their properties in case Mr McLennan managed to gain entry.
Anybody with information about Mr McLennan’s whereabouts is urged to come forward.
Police are also keen to speak with anybody who might have been at or near Ficks Crossing between 3pm October 4 and noon October 5.
