Mystery remains over Roberts’ disappearance
An extensive search of rugged countryside has failed to yield any new evidence into the disappearance of a Taranaki man more than a year ago.
Karl Roberts has not been seen since he lost control of his car and crashed down a steep bank on Uruti Rd, North Taranaki, not far from his parents’ home, on August 1, 2017.
The 31-year-old’s Su- baru Impreza station wagon came to rest by a stream, where it was found by members of the public, but he has not been seen since.
Two days after the crash, searchers found Roberts’ shoes stuck in mud, but despite an extensive ground search and a helicopter scouring the area, there have been no further indications of what happened to him.
Last weekend a two-day joint training exercise between police from around the North Island and Taranaki LandSAR was held in the area, and it was hoped fresh clues into Roberts’ disappearance would be uncovered. Police SAR coordinator Constable Andrew Wong Too said searchers focused on areas of interest that had been highlighted. ‘‘We were able to, with the help and numbers available through LandSAR and police staff, to have a good look through some pretty tough areas that we weren’t able to in the initial search,’’ Wong Too said.
Despite the effort, searchers did not locate any new evidence that could have brought some closure for Roberts’ family, he said.