Foul play suspected in man’s 2012 disappearance
Police believe missing man Brendan Breen faced foul play after an investigation into his disappearance nearly 14 years ago revealed he did not have access to his bank account or phone and missed his daughter’s funeral.
The Melbourne man, then 55, was last seen on April 12, 2012.
His former partner, with whom he was on good terms, reported him missing almost a month later.
Investigators initially believed that Mr. Breen chose to disappear of his own accord, but a recent review of the case led detectives to believe he likely encountered foul play.
This belief was reinforced when Mr Breen did not attend his daughter’s funeral in 2018, with family members saying this was out of character and the pair were close.
On Tuesday police said his bank accounts and phone were never accessed and there were no reports of Mr Breen being seen.
Mr Breen was known to the police and had previously been charged with fraud and spent several years behind bars.
The missing man also had other names, including Brendan Green, Brian Greer and Brendan Lacombe.
Over the past 14 years, police have interviewed various friends and associates of Mr Breen in a bid to establish his whereabouts, who may have been involved in his disappearance and any possible motivation to harm him.
Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan said all unsolved missing persons cases in Victoria were subject to regular review and Mr Breen’s case was reviewed last year.
“There are several aspects of her disappearance that continue to cause concern to us, particularly the length of time she was missing without a trace,” Det Insp Dunstan said on Tuesday. he said.
“We know he has a number of associates who are also known to police and although they have been spoken to over the years this remains an active avenue of inquiry for investigators.
“Even after 14 years, we believe there are still people who know what happened to Brendan, who was involved and why it happened.”
Police are also re-releasing footage of Brendan in the hope it will help people find information about his disappearance.
