Police are reviewing the case of a Fijian man who went missing 12 years ago in Whanganui to see whether the inquiry can be taken any further and are also keen to locate any family members in New Zealand.
David Radovu, also known as Anitivasa Lewadeke, was last seen on Saturday, March 21, 1998 when his employer dropped David off at his caravan on the Whanganui River Road around 7.30pm.
52-year-old David was living alone in the caravan and was working in the Whanganui River area as a scrub cutter. He was reported missing on Monday, 23 March, 1998 when he failed to turn up for work.
"David just simply disappeared without a trace," said Detective Constable Aaron Bunker. "It was totally out of character, no-one was aware of any reason he might go missing, and there was no subsequent activity on his bank account. We could never rule out foul play but by the same token there were no obvious suspicious circumstances."
In the days following David's disappearance an extensive search and rescue operation was carried out over surrounding farmland and a ravine. A septic tank was also drained and searched. Some scrub cutting equipment belonging to David was found on farmland where he worked but there was no sign of David.
It is known that David had three children by a former partner and they were all living in Auckland at the time. During recent enquiries Police have been unable to locate David's children, who appear to have moved on from previously known addresses.
"This is just a routine review of the case," said Detective Constable Bunker. "Missing person cases will always be reviewed and publicised periodically so that those missing do not get forgotten and opportunities to capture any new information are not lost.
"We are keen to locate any members of David's family and we are also keen to see if anyone has any more information about David's disappearance that they felt they couldn't share 12 years ago but could share now."
Family members of David Radovu or anyone who has any information that might be relevant to this case review is asked to contact Detective Constable Aaron Bunker on 06 349 0600.
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 06 351 2546 or 027 234 8256.
