Fears are growing for a man in his sixties who has vanished without a trace in a remote area of the Northern Territory, only 70km from where another man disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
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NT police has brought in a search and rescue team with helicopters in a desperate bid to find 66-year-old Noel Davey who was last seen on June 22, near the small Territory town of Mataranka, an hour south of Katherine.
He is believed to be travelling from Tennant Creek to Darwin in a white Renault van with NSW registration FCH47A.
Police said neither the man nor his vehicle have been seen since he vanished nearly a week ago.
His disappearance isn't the first mysterious missing person's case in the area.
On December 16, 2017, 70-year-old Paddy Moriarty grabbed a drink at his local pub in the eleven-people town of Larrimah, south of Mataranka.
It was the last time he and his dog Kellie were seen. To this day, nobody knows what happened to them, with the Director of Public Prosecutions earlier this year announcing the investigation into the disappearance would be dropped.
"(The DPP) has determined that there is insufficient evidence to make out a charge against any person in relation to the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty."
The disappearance of Mr Moriarty and his dog has long been a true Territory mystery, and sparked international interest when it was turned into the hit Netflix show 'Last Stop Larrimah'.
In April 2022 Northern Territory coroner Greg Cavanagh said he believed Mr Moriarty and his dog Kellie were killed "likely due to the ongoing feud with his nearest neighbours".
When the Coroner handed down his findings in a coronial inquest into the disappearance and suspected death of the 70-year-old, he said he believed Mr Moriarty was dead, and that he and his dog Kellie were killed on the night of December 16, 2017, when they went missing after leaving the local pub on a quad bike around 6pm.
Earlier this year, Mr Moriarty's Larrimah home was auctioned off for $32,000.
Meanwhile, more than two decades after the most famous NT missing person's case unfolded on a remote stretch of Outback highway, police remain steadfast in their search for the body of British backpacker Peter Falconio.
Mr Falconio, then 28, vanished on July 14, 2001, while travelling with his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, along the Stuart Highway, north of Alice Springs.
The couple's journey took a tragic turn when Bradley John Murdoch, who is now serving a life sentence for the murder, flagged them down under the pretense of an engine problem.
After Mr Falconio stepped out of their van to help Mr Murdoch, Ms Lees reported hearing a gunshot before being restrained with cable ties and having her head covered.
Ms Lees miraculously escaped and hid in the bush for five harrowing hours as Mr Murdoch searched for her.
Ultimately, she managed to flag down a passing truck driver for help. Despite extensive searches, Mr Falconio's body has never been found and his disappearance continues to haunt the nation, with investigators urging anyone with information to come forward in hopes of providing closure to his family.
Mr Murdoch, who is serving a life sentence with a 28-year non-parole period, has consistently refused to disclose the location of the young man's remains.
Annie Hesse
I am an award-winning media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcast, as well as photography and videography. I am the NT Correspondent at Australian Community Media and I write for my hometown newspaper, the Katherine Times. I love telling people's stories, and I am passionate about giving those a voice who may otherwise remain unheard. When I am not busy putting pen to paper, I spend time in my garden, go bushwalking or travel across the Northern Territory, Australia or the world. In my spare time I write, illustrate and publish books.
I am an award-winning media and communications professional with experience across print, digital, social and radio broadcast, as well as photography and videography. I am the NT Correspondent at Australian Community Media and I write for my hometown newspaper, the Katherine Times. I love telling people's stories, and I am passionate about giving those a voice who may otherwise remain unheard. When I am not busy putting pen to paper, I spend time in my garden, go bushwalking or travel across the Northern Territory, Australia or the world. In my spare time I write, illustrate and publish books.
