{"id":339757,"date":"2023-11-02T16:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T06:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=339757"},"modified":"2023-11-03T18:04:54","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T08:04:54","slug":"urgent-appeal-to-check-sheds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2023\/11\/02\/urgent-appeal-to-check-sheds\/","title":{"rendered":"Urgent Appeal To Check Sheds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SES volunteers at the search headquarters this week (Photo: QPS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Helen Free … missing
(Photo: QPS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

November 2, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Police hold grave fears for the safety of missing Ballogie woman Helen Free, 58, who wandered away from a property on J. Hunters Road at 5:00pm on Sunday and hasn’t been seen since.<\/p>\n

Searchers – including specialist police, SES volunteers and local residents – have been scouring the area this week without luck.<\/p>\n

The window of opportunity for finding Helen alive is closing rapidly due to the time she has been missing and the weather conditions.<\/p>\n

Acting Inspector Brett Everest, from the South Burnett Patrol Group, said helicopters, drones, police divers and specialist trackers had been used during the search.<\/p>\n

Helicopters using infrared and thermal imaging technology had searched during the day and night, without success.<\/p>\n

He again appealed to local landowners to check their sheds, outdoor structures and even abandoned vehicles for any sign of Helen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We have got very genuine, grave concerns for Helen,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The area where she has gone missing is very dense bushland.<\/p>\n

“She does suffer a medical condition which causes her to be disorientated so unfortunately we don’t have a clear, identified area where she may have walked to.”<\/p>\n

Acting Inspector Everest said it was a very difficult area to search so police were again asking the public to help by searching their own properties.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He urged landholders to search their sheds, structures, or even abandoned vehicles, on their properties.<\/p>\n

“If anyone who is in the Ballogie area who does have a large property … we urge you to, please, please search those sheds, those outbuildings etc and contact police with any information,” Acting Inspector Everest said.<\/p>\n

“She may be seeking shelter in one of those areas.”<\/p>\n

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Acting Inspector Brett Everest (Photo: Murgon Moments)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He said police were not ruling out the possibility that Helen may have been picked up by a member of the public and transported somewhere.<\/p>\n

“In the state of mind that she was in, someone may have thought they were doing her a service and taken her somewhere,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately now we are talking a number of days, and given the heat that’s been out there … we don’t believe she has got any access to water.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“She certainly doesn’t have a phone, she’s got no supplies with her.<\/p>\n

“So now we’re now really at the time where we need the public’s assistance to go and search those areas that they own.<\/p>\n

“If you’ve got motorbikes, four-wheelers, 4WDs … please get out there. Please start searching those bush tracks. You would know those areas a lot better than the police.”<\/p>\n

Acting Inspector Everest confirmed Helen had gone missing previously, on September 30, but on that occasion had been located within hours.<\/p>\n

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