Mark Goldsmith, aged 51,
was last seen by his family leaving his home in Smart Avenue,
Camden, NSW about midday on Sunday 27 December 2009.
Mark had told his family he was going up the NSW Coast to visit a friend
for a few days, however, he has not made contact since. His
white 2002 Nissan Maxima was found in Petersham
a month after he went missing. Mark had made large withdrawals of cash
from his account prior to his disappearance. Police hold concerns for
the welfare of Mark.
If you have any
information that would assist Police, please contact Crime Stoppers on
1800 333 000.
Appeal to locate missing man – Camden
Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010 11:33am
NSW Police are appealing for public assistance to help find a man who has been
missing from the Camden area for over a month.
On Friday 15 January, 51-year-old Mark Goldsmith was reported missing to Camden
Police by his family after their son had not been seen or heard from since the
end of December.
Mr Goldsmith was last seen by his family leaving his home in Smart Avenue,
Camden about midday on Sunday 27 December 2009.
Police have been told Mark informed his family that he was going to travel up
the coast to see a friend and was last seen leaving his home in a white-coloured
2002 model Nissan Maxima with New South Wales registration DOT-345.
Mr Goldsmith has not been heard from him since this time and there are concerns
for his welfare as his disappearance is described as being out of character.
Mark Goldsmith is described as being of a dark complexion, approximately 181cm
tall, medium build with short black/grey hair and brown eyes.
Police are urging anyone with information about Mr Goldsmith’s whereabouts to
contact Camden Police Station on (02) 4655 0599 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333
000.
Camden’s Mark Goldsmith’s car
found at Petersham
09
Feb 10 @ 09:11am by Matthew Ward - Macarthur
Chronicle
THE car belonging to a Camden man missing since last year has been
found in Sydney’s inner-west.
Mark Goldsmith’s white 2002 Nissan Maxima was found in Petersham on
Friday and has been taken for forensic examination, Det-Insp Paul Albury, of
Camden police, said.
The 51-year-old’s family last saw him leaving his Smart St home on
December 27. He was reported missing on January 15.
Mr Goldsmith had told his family he intended to travel up the coast to
see a friend. He has not been heard from since, and there are concerns for
his welfare, with his disappearance described as “out of character”.
“We’re seeking any information regarding Mr Goldsmith; extensive
investigations are underway,” Det-Insp Paul Albury said.
Mr Goldsmith has a dark complexion, is approximately 181cm tall with a
medium build, short black/grey hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information should contact Camden Police on 4655 0599 or
Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
'He's still out there': missing son a
mystery for parents
Date
Nick Ralston - SMH
Son's disappearance a mystery
IN THE WEEK before he disappeared Mark Goldsmith began acting in a
strange manner.
He stopped answering his mobile phone, rarely ate and booked himself
three nights at a motel in Gladesville - a suburb where he had no family,
friends or apparent ties.
The day before he vanished he went to an ATM at a West Ryde service
station in the late afternoon and made repeated withdrawals of $200.
A few hours later he took more money out, this time at Burwood at 1.35am.
Later that day, on January 5, 2010, he told his family he was going up
the coast to visit some friends and has not been seen since.
He did not give any names of these friends and his car was found,
abandoned in Sydney's inner-west a month later.
Mark's family reported him missing to police on January 20 however extra
resources have allowed detectives to now put greater emphasis on his
disappearance and last month established Strike force Bannington.
His father, Colin Goldsmith, has not given up hope that his son is still
alive and possibly hiding. He said Mark had never been a "wanted" man in all
of his life.
"I sincerely believe he is, I think he's still out there," Mr Goldsmith
said. "He might even think if he did contact us, the first thing I wanted to
do was run and get him, which I would. Maybe he's not contacting us purely
for our own benefit."
The Herald understands Mark Goldsmith, 52, was due to appear in court in
February 2010 on a minor fraud matter and was not likely facing a jail
sentence.
Police said vital to their investigation is anyone who can shed light on
why or what he was doing at the motel in Gladesville between December 28 and
31, 2009.
He returned to his parent's Camden home, where he had previously been
living, before taking off on January 5.
"He was not answering his phone for at least two weeks prior to him going
missing, his phone was found at home here," Mr Goldsmith said. "The next
thing, the car he was using ... was found within walking distance of two
people that he knew very well ... They are strange things to me."
The car, a white 2002 Nissan Maxima, was found in West Street at
Petersham exactly a month to the day he disappeared. Police believe it had
been parked there for at least two weeks before it was reported to them.
Mark had friends living in the area but the car was also parked near the
entrance to Lewisham train station.
If he caught a train police said they have no idea where he might have
headed.
His father, who is panicked every time he reads or hears a news report
about a body being found, has embarked on his own investigation which
included calling everyone who knew Mark in the hope of shedding some light
on where he is.
"The best thing that could happen to us is my boy turns up."
The pain left by those gone missing
THIS week is Missing Persons Week, the one week of
the year when the focus is on those who have disappeared from sight.
The one week of the year when old cases are
brought to our attention again in the vain hope of jogging a
long-forgotten memory and getting that crucial break in a case.
Last year I interviewed Mark Goldsmith's parents Colin and
Dorothy Goldsmith.
The Camden couple have not seen their son since December 27,
2009.
Despite early leads with the discovery of his car and personal
items including his keys and his wallet, they have heard
nothing.
Wondering where their son might be is the constant pain they
live in.
Did he choose to leave them without saying goodbye, or was he
forced to?
Has he wanted to get in touch, or has he moved on with his life
and eliminated them from his memory?
Or has the worst happened?
Their pain and uncertainty was not far below the surface as they
spoke about their son.
They talked of their confusion over the changes to their son's
personality and behaviour in the lead up to his disappearance,
and their hope that he is still out there somewhere.
About one person is reported missing every 15 minutes in
Australia — about 35,000 people a year.
And while 99.5 per cent of these people are eventually located,
up to 85 per cent within a week, there is a small percentage who
are never seen again.
Their ageing pictures are often shown online and on television.
Some of those pictures are so old it is hard to believe that if
they are alive they resemble their former selves at all.
For others, the mystery surrounding their disappearance is so
twisted, so tangled it may never be unravelled.
Like Mark Goldsmith, almost all of these people have family and
friends who constantly wonder and hope.
But their families will keep on waiting for news as the trail
gets colder and colder — until Missing Persons Week comes around
again.
Police are hoping Missing Persons Week will help find lost Camden
man
Police are hoping National Missing Persons Week will help
produce fresh information on the disappearance of Mark
Goldsmith.
Macarthur Chronicle Camden
Police are hoping National Missing Persons Week will help
produce fresh information on the disappearance of Mark Goldsmith.
The now 55-year-old (pictured) who was reported missing by his family on January
5, 2010, has still not been found. He was last seen by his family when he left
his Smart St home on December 27, 2009.
Police believe Mr Goldsmith had been in Gladesville, Drummoyne, West Ryde and
Burwood between December 27, 2009, and January 5, 2010, but had not been seen
since.
Mr Goldsmith is caucasian and is 181cm tall. He is of medium build with short,
black/grey hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information should contact Camden
police on 4632 4499.
Detective Inspector Jayne Doherty, of Camden police, urged residents to notify
police immediately if
they believed someone was missing.
“Do not wait 24 hours before reporting someone if location is unknown and if
there are fears for the person’s safety,” she said.
“Another important thing is do not assume a person has been reported missing.”
An average of 227 missing person reports are made each week nationwide. There
are about 1600 long-term missing persons in
Australia.