Missing children plot thickens

Police caution against vigilante action

by Gabrielle Thomas

Computer generated image of the man sought by police. (Mathias)
(Thomas)	(Dom)	(John)

POLICE are today seeking the whereabouts of a man who may be able to assist them with the disappearance of more than 5 children from Melbourne and surrounds.

Police sources today indicated that descriptions given by the three children who have been found since the weekend have many similarities between them. Each child has described a man in his early 30s with dark hair and similar features, who was accompanied by a small group.

Sunday morning, Morgan West was found sleeping peacefully in his parent's garage. A search had been in progress for Morgan since his apparent disappearance out a window early on Saturday morning. No trace of foul play was reported by police, although there was some evidence of an attempted burglary, especially in the garage. After being interviewed by police, Morgan gave a description of four people who brought him back from "a place in the forest". Morgan was unharmed and undisturbed by his jaunt.

However, he was not the first child to go missing in the last two weeks, nor has he been the first to be returned. Simon Detelli, 9 years old, was the first in a series of apparently related abductions, on the 8th of October. Over the next week, Adam Whistler (7, disappeared from his mother's house on the 9th), Patricia O'Brien (10, disappeared from her parent's house on the 11th), Misha Kovalev (9, disappeared from a park on the 12th), Josh Cooke (7, disappeared from parent's house on the 14th) and Lara Shaw (12, last seen at Frankston shopping centre late on the 14th) have been apparently abducted in a similar fashion - the child simply disappears, with no evidence of a struggle or forced entry.

After Morgan's apparently miraculous return, police suspected that he had simply run away, or got lost, and returned on his own. However, with the return of Patricia O'Brien just before dawn on the same Sunday morning, and Adam Whistler Sunday night, it is now unclear whether the description of the group given by the children are their abductors or their rescuers.

Morgan and Adam both reported that they had left the house of their own volition - "following the lights" - and had not seen anyone until the unknown group came and returned them home. Both children apparently experienced hallucinations, and their sense of time passing was distorted, yet no evidence of drugs or other physical interference has been noted. Adam Whistler informed police that the people had "walked him home from the place in the park" - subsequent investigation revealed footprints and other evidence supporting Adam's description of events.

However, Patricia O'Brien's story is a very different one. She claims to remember nothing of the week or more between her apparent abduction and traumatic return on the early morning of the 17th of October. Neighbours and her parents were awoken by the apparently hysterical Patricia, naked and covered in dirt, screaming and yelling in her backyard. Subsequent interviews with Patricia and her parents could reveal nothing about the events after her disappearance, and although she appeared to be physically unharmed, police psychologist Anne Dillon reported that she was traumatised by whatever events occured.

Last night Patricia was assaulted again. After 11:30pm, at least one assailant entered her room through the sliding window and attempted to carry her off. After struggling, Patricia managed to escape enough to scream. Her assailant dropped her and fled, escaping pursuit in the darkness.

What has police baffled is that the description of the man who attempted to abduct her matches the description of one of the group of people who returned both Morgan West and Adam Whistler to their homes.

Police are now seeking to interview this man and his erstwhile companions about events of the last two weeks, and their connection to the returned and still missing children. Anyone who recognises the people pictured above is urged to call police on 131-999. It is unknown whether they are dangerous, but police ask that people not approach them.