Search for Kiwi man missing near Perth
A New Zealand man living in Perth has gone missing in what Australian police and news media are describing as highly unusual circumstances.
Michael Junior Huria, who also used the surname Sullivan, went missing on Monday from the semirural Ellenbrook area northeast of Perth.
Police were investigating whether his disappearance was linked to reports of a car hitting a pedestrian near a local highway.
After that incident, the driver and police could not find the person who was hit.
Huria was last seen leaving his home about 4.15am on Monday. Police said his disappearance was out of character.
Huria’s vehicle was found in Ellenbrook on Wednesday. But the 23-year-old was not with the vehicle, and police had concerns ‘‘for his safety and welfare’’.
A Western Australia Police spokesman said authorities were ‘‘assessing’’ what to do next after Huria was not found this week.
A search involving two heliopters, multiple police units, and volunteers was suspended yesterday. Horses and dogs were also used in the operation.
Police were deciding whether to move their search efforts to a new area.
It wasn’t immediately clear how long the 23-year-old had been in Perth. Sources, including a relative, said some of Huria’s family moved across the Tasman in recent years. He also had ties to Wellington and Hastings.
The West Australian newspaper said sightings of Huria had been reported near Upper Swan farmland and at a nearby roadhouse on Monday afternoon.
‘‘This springs to mind that this person could be injured, lying somewhere, hence why we’ve thrown all the resources at it,’’ a police inspector said.
Huria’s immediate family could not be reached for comment.