Police have announced they will be displaying the pictures of 12 long-term missing Australians on one-litre milk bottles in the hopes they will be found.
Australian Federal Police are working with Canberra Milk to raise awareness and locate the missing people with connections to the nation’s capital.
Beginning today and running for six weeks, a photo of one of the 12 missing people will be displayed on a one-litre Canberra Milk bottle and distributed throughout the ACT.
Displaying missing persons on milk bottles began was popularised by the US in the 1980s.
The Australian Federal Police are working with Canberra Milk to raise awareness and locate the missing people with connections to the nation’s capital. Beginning today and running for six weeks, a photo of one of the 12 missing people will be displayed on a one-litre Canberra Milk bottle and distributed throughout the ACT
AFP Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz said the milk carton initiative will raise awareness for these long-term missing people.
‘This initiative will result in missing persons’ profiles being seen by many thousands of Canberrans every time they have a bowl of cereal, bake a cake or make a cup of tea,’ Assistant Commissioner Platz said.
‘It takes back to the days, before Amber Alerts and social media notifications, to when reports of missing people appeared in a place guaranteed to catch the eyes of the broader population – on milk cartons.
‘In turn, we hope this tried-and-tested method will start a new conversation about the region’s missing people and how the community can help police find them.’
ACT Chief Police Officer Ray Johnson said it is important to continue looking for people who have been missing for many years or even decades.
‘There are families who have been waiting, in some cases for decades, for news about their loved ones,’ Chief Officer Johnson said.
‘This new campaign is one more tool to that may provide vital information to investigators in each of these 12 cases.’
The AFP states that more than 38,000 mission person reports are submitted to police every year with more than 2,600 being long-term mission persons.
‘There are families who have been waiting, in some cases for decades, for news about their loved ones’; ACT Chief Police Officer Ray Johnson said it is important to continue looking for people who have been missing for many years or even decades (pictured missing people to be displayed on the milk cartons)
Some of the people displayed on the milk cartons have been missing for decades and disappeared without a trace.
Laura Haworth vanished in January 2008 after she left a friends house for work in the city of Queanbeyan, NSW, but she never made it home.
Elizabeth Herfort went missing after she left a bar at the Australian National University in Canberra on 14 June 1980. Police believe she may have been hitch-hiking.
Just before Christmas in 1992, Amelia Hausia disappeared from the Woden Plaza Shopping Centre in Canberra.
Kate Alexander went missing in March 1974 and was last seen in her Yarralumla home in the inner southern suburb of Canberra.
Megan Mulquiney was last seen at the Woden Shopping Centre after finishing a shift at Big W on 28 July 1984. She was seen waiting for a bus but she never made it home.
Wendy Dalla left her home in Cook and walked to the local shops in September 1975. She never returned home and has not been seen or heard from since.
The AFP states that more than 38,000 mission person reports are submitted to police every year with more than 2,600 being long-term mission persons (pictured missing people to be displayed on the milk cartons)
David Abuoi disappeared after visiting friends in July 2012. He had recently moved to Canberra from Sydney.
Jean Vincent Diezmo Policarpio was last seen by his family on 26 September, 2017 in Bonner. On the day of his disappearance, he left all of his belongings at home and didn’t drive.
Owen Williams was last seen at his home in South Australia on 29 May, 2018. He suffers from a brain injury after a motor vehicle accident.
Wayne Pickett was last seen leaving an address at Leumeah, NSW on 27 May 1995. He was travelling to Canberra to find accommodation but has not been for 25 years.
Anthony Fahey was last seen in Belconnen, ACT on 3 July 2013. Police believe he boarded a bus from Canberra bound for Sydney but his current whereabouts are unknown.
Robert Jacob was last seen on the 12 November 2015 in the Canberra City area. He was reported missing by his daughter who had not heard from him in weeks and said his lack of contact was out of character,