Gail LYNCH
Above - did you see this car in Guy Street, Warwick on July 4th? Above - part of the red rug missing from Gail's home. The rug is red with a gold border pattern
POLICE are seeking public assistance to help locate a Warwick woman who has been missing since early last week.
Gail Lynch has not been seen since she spoke with a family member last Tuesday night.
A Warwick CIB spokesman said it was alarming that the 55-year-old woman would disappear without letting family members know her whereabouts.
"We are concerned about her welfare as we believe it is unusual she would go missing (without an explanation)," he said.
"Her mobile phone is off and she has not been in contact with any of her family since late Tuesday night."
Ms Lynch, who lives alone, is believed to have nothing on her and does not have a vehicle. Her bank accounts have not been accessed since her disappearance.
Ms Lynch has links to Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast but police have said there is no indication she was heading anywhere.
Anyone who has information can phone the Warwick CIB on 4660 4430, call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or visit crime stoppers.com.au.
UPDATE 9AM - POLICE and State Emergency Services (SES) volunteers are this morning searching Warwick, including the boundaries of the Condamine River, for missing woman Gail Lynch.
Her family yesterday told the Daily News it was the little things that have them almost sure she would not have just chosen to leave her Warwick home last week without a trace.
Lyn McMillan, who reported her 55-year old sister missing from her Guy St unit last Wednesday, July 4, said it did not make sense that she would flit off somewhere without telling anybody.
"It's just completely out of character," Ms McMillan said.
She was the first to notice Ms Lynch was missing and notified police.
"I saw her at 9.30am Tuesday morning doing the shopping, then she phoned me that night at 6.30pm, but I missed it, so I phoned her back at 8.30pm and we arranged to meet on Thursday," Ms McMillan said.
"Then I realised we hadn't set a time, so I phoned her (early afternoon) on Wednesday to check ... but her phone just rang out."
Ms McMillan then went around to her sister's unit and after several knocks on her door and many attempted calls later, she phoned police to see if they could take a look.
"The police came around Thursday morning and had a look through the place, and they said 'no, there is no one here'," Ms McMillan said.
On the table, lay half-completed paperwork and her prescription glasses, on which she is heavily reliant.
"She does not go anywhere without her glasses - she can't see without them," Ms McMillan said. "She is a creature of habit and there's a lot of things she hasn't done.
"I know my sister and she would never leave half-done paperwork out on the table."
Ms McMillan's daughter in-law, Ms Lynch's niece Jas McLaren, said she too could not piece together what could have happened.
"We have about 500 scenarios and then something else will come into play and then there goes that scenario," Mrs McLelan said.
"We are thinking positive, but it's just doesn't make sense."
The clothes Ms Lynch had worn on Tuesday morning, as seen by Ms McMillan, were found in the washing basket with the sheets from her bed.
Her family said Ms Lynch did washing every day and would usually wash her sheets in the morning and remake her bed by about 11am. Her bed had not been remade.
Ms Lynch did not turn up to appointments on Thursday, nor to meet her sister.
The family believe she had a limited amount of cash on her and her bank accounts have not been touched since last Tuesday, when she was sighted shopping for groceries.
Ms McMillan said her sister would not have done her grocery shopping if she had planned to go away and the shoes she wore almost every day were still by the door.
If you have information as to the whereabouts of Ms Lynch, phone Crimestoppers 1800 333 000 or Warwick CIB 4660 4430 immediately.
Timeline
Tuesday
9.30am - Ms McMillan saw Ms Lynch on Guy St after she had done her groceries.
6.30pm - Ms Lynch phoned Ms McMillan, but the call was missed.
8.30pm - Ms McMillan realised she had a missed call and phoned her sister back. She heard Ms Lynch tell another call she would "call them back" while she spoke with Ms McMillan. The sisters planned to meet on Thursday.
Wednesday
Early afternoon - Ms McMillan phoned her sister to confirm their meeting on Thursday and arrange a time. Ms Lynch did not pick up a number of phone calls. Ms McMillan went around to her unit and knocked several times, but there was no answer.
Late afternoon - Ms McMillan phoned police and notified them she was concerned.
Thursday
10ish am - Police looked through the unit and found she was not there.
Gail Lynch was last seen at her home on Guy Street, Warwick, in southern Queensland last Tuesday.
She spoke to a family member that evening, but has not been seen or heard from since.
‘‘Police and family hold concerns for her welfare as the behavior is out of character,’’ a police spokesman said.
Police will search the Warwick township this morning, as well as the boundaries of the Condamine River.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Posted
Police say they are hoping to get forensic results later this week from a car that may have links to the disappearance of Warwick grandmother Gail Lynch.
The 55 year-old was reported missing two weeks ago.
Last week police seized a blue Ford Falcon and interviewed a 58-year-old Toowoomba man.
Police divers will again join the search today, focussing on the Condamine River at Warwick.
Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow said relatives of Ms Lynch discovered the rug missing when police took them through her house.
Ms Lynch has not been heard from since speaking to her sister by phone on July 3.
Police say her disappearance is suspicious.
"Basically what we want is we are seeking information from members of the public in relation to a red-coloured carpet rug that appears to be missing from the missing person's unit," Det Shadlow said.
"It's a 3m x 2m rug, it's a deep red in colour and it has a gold patterned edging all around the border of it."
Police have now suspended the search for the grandmother, which has taken in a 15km radius around her Warwick home.
Police divers, a helicopter and State Emergency Services volunteers have scoured bushland and waterways for any sign of the missing woman.
Det Insp Shadlow said they would resume if further information came to light.
Warwick police and the homicide unit tonight made a public appeal for the whereabouts of Ian Hannaford, who met Ms Lynch on a dating website.
Police questioned the 58-year-old man last Wednesday, but released him without charge.
Neighbours told The Courier-Mail earlier this week they had not seen the man at his home in some days.
Ms Lynch, 55, last had contact with her family in a phone call from her unit in Guy St at Warwick, south of Toowoomba, on July 3.
Police consider her disappearance suspicious.
Extensive searches in the Warwick and surrounding areas have so far found no trace of Ms Lynch.
Police are also looking for a red floor rug that has been taken from the grandmother's unit.
The rug is described as about 3m x 2m, red in colour, with a gold patterned border.
Anyone with information which could assist police with their investigations should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000.
UPDATE 12.30PM: THE ex-partner of missing Warwick woman Gail Lynch has appeared in Tooowoomba Magistrates Court today where he was formally charged with her murder.
Hannaford was taken into police custody on Thursday night after being found in a toilet block in Toowoomba's Picnic Point Park.
He appeared briefly in court this morning where the charge was read, and he was remanded in custody to appear in court for further mention on October 29.
It is understood Hannaford is refusing to cooperate with police in relation to the investigation into Ms Lynch's disappearance.
Hannaford reportedly hid from police in bushland at Picnic Point Park in Toowoomba and police believe he may have been there since July 11, when they last spoke with him.
A security guard discovered an injured, semi-conscious Hannaford in a toilet block in the park about 8.30pm on Thursday.
Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow said police found a makeshift campsite under a concrete lookout without any blankets and with only a few food scraps.
"We believe he has been there for some days, with evidence of foodstuffs there but little else," Det Insp Shadlow said.
Hannaford was taken to Toowoomba Base Hospital that night to be treated for dehydration and exposure and was released into police custody yesterday afternoon, only to be met with a set of handcuffs and a murder charge.
Police and search crews scoured the Picnic Point Park area in search of Gail Lynch's body or any other clues that could indicate her whereabouts.
Ms Lynch's son Simon Hutchison said news of Hannaford's discovery had come as a relief.
His 55-year-old mother has not been seen since she disappeared from her Guy St unit in Warwick on July 3.
Mr Hutchinson said he and other family had worked tirelessly to keep information circulating about his missing mother.
"It feels like our hard work has paid off," he said.
Hannaford, a disability pensioner and former spray-painter, and Ms Lynch met on an internet dating website but their relationship ended some months ago.
On Thursday police and State Emergency Service crews concentrated their search of the Condamine River west of Warwick in the Toolburra district.
The investigation into Ms Lynch's disappearance was declared a homicide case last week, with more than 30 detectives working on it.
Police are still appealing for information regarding a red rug with a gold trim which was reported missing from Ms Lynch's apartment.
The whereabouts of Ms Lynch's body was still unknown at the time of print deadline last night.
Hannaford is scheduled to appear for a brief mention in Toowoomba Magistrates Court today.
If you have any information that could assist police with their investigation phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Warwick Police on 4660 4444.
Additional reporting Toowoomba Chronicle
Timeline
Tuesday July 3
- Gail Lynch was last spoken to by family.
- Ian Hannaford's blue Ford Falcon believed to have been in Warwick.
Thursday July 5
- Gail Lynch officially reported missing.
Wednesday July 11
- Police spoke with Ian Hannaford.
- Police carried out search warrant on his house and seized his car.
Friday July 13
- Searches around the Condamine River, Warwick.
- Construction site next to Gail Lynch's unit closed down for the day so police could search the skip bins.
Monday July 16
- Water police searched the river with divers and Sonar equipment.
Tuesday July 17
- Police revealed a red rug was missing from Gail Lynch's apartment.
Thursday July 19
- Police tried to re-contact Ian Hannaford, but he was nowhere to be found.
Friday July 20
- The case became a suspected murder and police appealed for information as to Ian Hannaford's whereabouts.
Monday July 23
- Search around John Dee and towards Toolburra commenced.
Thursday July 26
- Ian Hannaford found at Picnic Point Park, 8.30pm.
Friday July 27
- Ian Hannaford charged with murder. Gail's whereabouts still unknown.
Today, July 28
- Ian Hannaford scheduled to front Toowoomba Magistrates Court.
Though police would not confirm the identification of the accused last night, it is understood to be Ms Lynch's internet boyfriend Ian Hannaford, 58, who was found on Thursday night in a Toowoomba bushland toilet block.
A police spokeswoman confirmed they were "not looking for anyone else" in relation to the investigation.
Ms Lynch was last seen on Tuesday, July 3, at a residence on Guy Street in Warwick and has not been found despite extensive searches.
Hannaford was discovered by security guards in a toilet block while they were conducting their rounds.
Southern regional crime co-ordinator Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow yesterday said the man had "been living rough" and was now in the Toowoomba Base Hospital.
"He had no blankets or any warm clothing," he said. "He is currently being further examined and is being treated for dehydration and exposure.
"He's been living in the bush possibly since police last spoke with him. We did find a small campsite under a concrete culvert in that area."
Det Insp Shadlow said police would interview Hannaford as soon they were given the all-clear by medical staff.
Police questioned Hannaford when Ms Lynch, 55, first went missing from her Warwick home on July 3.
However, by July 19, he had also gone missing and police appealed for information into his whereabouts.
Police searched his Toowoomba home and his blue 2004 BA model Ford Falcon sedan was taken in for testing.
Police confirmed last week that Hannaford was the main suspect in the disappearance of Ms Lynch.
Ms Lynch last had contact with her family in a phone call from her unit in Guy St at Warwick, south of Toowoomba, on July 3.
Extensive searches in the Warwick and surrounding areas have so far found no trace of Ms Lynch.
Posted
Toowoomba police say more information is needed to help find a missing southern Queensland grandmother.
Gail Lynch, 55, has been missing from her Warwick home for more than a month.
Ian Hannaford, 58, has been charged with her murder.
Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow says police need witnesses to come forward before any more searches go ahead.
"We're still seeking information from members of the public in relation to sightings of a blue 2004 model Ford Falcon sedan in the Guy Street area on the third of July through to Toowoomba on the fourth of July," he said.
"If anyone has seen that vehicle, specifically in the Guy Street area in the early hours of the morning, if they can contact the Warwick police or Crime Stoppers."
Detective Inspector Shadlow says police are reviewing their previous searches.
"We have covered a large area utilising the SES [State Emergency Service] and police," he said.
"Now that's not to say we won't search in the future.
"If we do receive information we'll certainly act on that but at this stage we have exhausted a large search area."
