John SWIETY

 

 

John Swiety was last seen in the vicinity of Ironbark Track in Goongerah on the morning of Friday, 17 March 2023.

 

First name: John

Last name: Swiety

Ethnicity: Caucasian appearance

Date of disappearance: Friday, 17 March 2023

Location: Ironbark Track in Goongerah Victoria

Height: 170cm

Circumstances:

The 57-year-old was last seen in the vicinity of Ironbark Track in Goongerah on the morning of Friday, 17 March 2023.

Investigators have established that John and an associate, a 47-year-old Morwell man, left Morwell early that morning and travelled together in a white Hiace van to the vicinity of Ironbark Track, Goongerah.

At about 8am, John left the van on foot to canvas the nearby surroundings, leaving his two small terrier dogs inside the van.

Despite previous searches, John has not been sighted since this time.

John’s associate was located by local hunters at approximately 6am the following day after he became bogged on a muddy track about 30 kilometres southeast of Ironbark Track.

The 47-year-old Morwell man has been interviewed by detectives a number of times and is assisting with the investigation.

On Saturday, 18 March 2023 at 2pm, John’s two small terriers were located by a passer-by wandering near the Bonang Highway, Goongerah.

John’s disappearance is being investigated by detectives from the Missing Persons Squad.

Investigators are of the belief that John may have met with foul play.

An image of John has been re-released in the hope someone will come forward with information about his current whereabouts.

Police are also keen to speak to anyone with information about his movements in the days leading up to his disappearance.

Investigators would like to speak to anyone who saw this van travelling that day between Morwell and Goongerah.

Police are again releasing an image of this van.

 

John is described as being about 170cm tall, of Caucasian appearance with short brown hair.

Anyone who sees John is asked to call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

If you have any information that may assist police to locate John make an online report (under the category 'suspicious activity or other crime.)

 

 

Police fear Gippsland man John Swiety, who disappeared after being driven to rural community, is dead

 

Police fear a Latrobe Valley man who disappeared nearly two weeks ago may be dead after he went missing after travelling to a remote East Gippsland town in the middle of the night.

Police believe John Swiety, 57, left his Morwell home about 2am on March 17 with an acquaintance, who drove the pair in his white 1990 Toyota Hiace van towards the rural community of Goongerah, nearly four hours east.

The owner and driver of the van told police he had dropped Mr Swiety near a property on Old Kent Road in Nurran that morning, waiting several hours for him to return before driving off.

Police have since recovered the van, which was found bogged on a nearby dirt track, and are conducting a forensic investigation.

A passer-by rescued Mr Swiety's two small terriers, which were found walking near the Bonang Road, north of Orbost, the day after he was last seen.

He was reported missing by his sister five days later after she was contacted regarding Mr Swiety's microchipped dogs.

Suspicious disappearance

Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad believe Mr Swiety may have met with foul play and are investigating the disappearance, which is being treated as suspicious.

"John hasn't been contacting his family or friends for an extended period of time, also he was very, very close to his dogs and he wouldn't leave his dogs alone," Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan said.

"The circumstances of where he's travelled to … his phone hasn't been used. The usual checks that we undertake to show whether a person is active, has all been undertaken.

"We have no information to suggest he is alive at this stage."

Detectives from the Eastern region conducted extensive searches of the local area before the missing person squad took over the investigation, but found no evidence to indicate Mr Swiety had travelled elsewhere.

Multiple avenues explored

The owner of the van, who had only recently met Mr Swiety and had offered him a lift to Goongerah, told police Mr Swiety was meeting with someone at the location.

"We're keeping an open mind at this stage. We really don't know what he was doing there at this stage," Detective Inspector Dunstan said.

"John was known to the police. He had some low-level drug priors. This is an avenue we're obviously exploring too."

Mr Swiety is describes as about 170cm tall, with short brown hair, and of Caucasian appearance.

Police are urging anyone who saw the van travelling between Morwell and Goongerah, or anyone with information about the circumstances leading up to Mr Swiety's disappearance, to contact Crime Stoppers.

Editor's note 28/03/2023: An earlier version of this story reported that Mr Swiety drove and owned the van he was last seen in. This was incorrect.

 

 

Search for missing person John Swiety continues months after disappearance

 

Detectives have launched a fresh appeal for information following the disappearance of Gippsland man John Swiety more than three months ago.

 

Police believe the 57-year-old left his Morwell home at about 2am on March 17 with an acquaintance in a white 1990 Toyota HiAce to the Ironbark Track area in the rural community of Goongerah, nearly four hours east.

At about 8am, Mr Swiety left the van on foot to survey the surroundings.

Despite multiple searches, he has not been seen since.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Detective Inspector David Dunstan from the Missing Persons Squad described the area as "dense bushland".

"We have approximately 25 police in the area at the moment searching," he said.

"We have a number of locations which we've identified through our investigation which police are searching this week.

"Locals in the area, also near Orbost, may see an increased police presence."

Detective Inspector Dunstan said in an earlier statement that Mr Swiety's disappearance was out of character.

"Investigators are keen to know more about John's movements in the days leading up to his disappearance," he said.

"We're particularly keen to speak to anyone who has further information on what John was doing near the Ironbark Track.

"Over the last three months, both Missing Persons Squad and local detectives have made a significant number of enquiries … however we haven't been able to locate him."

In March, police expressed fears that Mr Swiety was dead and that they believed he may have met with foul play.

Questions over why man travelled to location

On the day he went missing, Mr Swiety left his two small dogs inside the van near Ironbark Track.

A passer-by found the terriers wandering the Bonang Road in Goongerah the following day.

Police said the acquaintance was found by hunters at about 6am the day after the pair travelled to Goongerah, when the van got bogged on a muddy track about 30 kilometres from the Ironbark Track.

Investigators have interviewed the 47-year-old Morwell man multiple times and he is assisting police.

The van has been recovered and forensically analysed.

Detective Inspector Dunstan said police did not have "a full understanding" of why Mr Swiety and his acquaintance travelled to the location.

"There is a premises there. We have spoken to those people as well at the location, but we can't get a full understanding of what has transpired," he said.

The detective said the people at the premises did not see Mr Swiety on the night he disappeared.

When asked why the acquaintance who travelled in the van did not report Mr Swiety's disappearance, Detective Inspector Dunstan said the man did not know Mr Swiety was missing.

Family members 'distraught'

John Swiety's brother Les Swiety said at the press conference he had "certain suspicions" about what may have happened, but he did not wish to disclose what they were.

"He used to live up there … he would be familiar with the area," he said.

Les Swiety said the two dogs meant everything to his brother, so the family was alarmed when a vet called to say the microchipped dogs had been handed in.

"Straight away the light bulb came on then that something's going on … he took them everywhere with him, he was never without them," he said.

He said he did not know his brother's acquaintance who had travelled to Goongerah with him in the van.

"I only know from what I've been told by the police, that he'd only just met John prior to them going up there [to Goongerah]."

Les Swiety said some family members have been left distraught by Mr Swiety's disappearance.

Mr Swiety is described as about 170cm tall, with short brown hair, and of Caucasian appearance.

Anyone with information about Mr Swiety's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.