Source : Perth Now news
In May 2026, NSW Police made 50 separate appeals to the media for help in locating a vast array of missing people from across the state.
Two of those individuals, former bricklayer Ivan Jakus, 75, and Rita-Marie Collin, 60, are part of the cohort yet to be found.
For any family, the toll of losing a loved one can be devastating enough, but for the Jakus and Colin families, this loss has been made all the more unbearable by a total absence of answers and investigations that are rapidly running out of leads.
Despite the dire circumstances, Mr Jakus’ daughter Victoria has remained resolute since her father, who has dementia, disappeared from a venue in Leppington in Sydney’s southwest last month.
The daughter of an elderly man who went missing in April is appealing to the public for help in bringing her father home.
Mr Jakus disappeared from the Istra Social Club on Cowpasture Rd about 5.30pm on April 12.
Speaking to NewsWire, Ms Jakus said her dad was “fit as a fiddle” and capable of traversing large distances despite his declining cognitive abilities.
“My dad is very fit. His mind has started to go, but he’s fit as a fiddle. He can jump fences and he can walk for kilometres on end. We know he walked 18km to the last point we saw him … we just don’t know how much further he went after that,” she said.
“I went out on Tuesday and spent the whole day walking the Northern Rd and going onto properties that haven’t been searched. By the end of the day I thought to myself ‘how has he walked so far, I’m buggered’.”
Ms Jakus said part of the difficulty finding her father came from an apparent underestimation by police of just how far he was capable of walking.
“I just feel like my dad was underestimated from the start. There was such a time lapse in everything, and we would spend days searching one area when days later it would come out that he was somewhere else,” she said.
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time I understand as well. They can’t just keep everybody out here for us.”
NSW Police told NewsWire on Friday the search for Mr Jakus “absolutely remains active”.
Freelance reporter and The Missing Australia podcast host Meni Caroutas has spent decades working alongside police and families to help them find loved ones who seemingly vanish without a trace.
Ivan Jakus
Caroutas said that while the first 24 hours was always the most crucial part of an investigation, it didn’t mean that was always the be-all and end-all.
“The reason police have renewed the appeals for Ivan is because they’re hoping to generate new leads. They’re hoping to refresh public awareness and fill the gaps where people may not have seen the initial stories or reports,” Caroutas said.
“They also want people who have seen reports and dismissed them or not thought too strongly about something they may have seen to think about it again because information which can seem insignificant at the time can be really important.”
Caroutas said frustration was a natural response for families going through the process of waiting for information.
“For families, it’s very difficult to just sit at home and wait for police to call and give an update. I know lots of families who have taken off and searched bushland. That’s what loved ones do,” he said.
“With Mr Jakus, it sounds like this poor gentleman has wandered off and he’s confused and he’s gone into the bush. The main thing is for people to check cameras, check CCTV, check dashcam footage. Even if you don’t think it’s significant, just let police decide.”
As the police effort draws down, Ms Jakus has spent an increasing amount of time leaning on community efforts for support.
A Facebook page started up by one of her friends has more than 2000 followers and regularly posts updates about the effort to track Mr Zukus down.
“She’s amazing, she does it every day. People come in and they message us, they send pictures of older men who look like him. The community has been really good,” Ms Zukus said.
“There’s a lot of people that are willing to go out and search. We’re currently working towards another search day.”
The page features a video taken along a strip of the Northern Rd close to where Mr Zukus was last seen.
Ms Jakus has urged anybody who recognises the road, and who travels along it regularly, to let her know if they have seen an elderly man who appears lost or disoriented walking in the area.
Rita-Marie Collin’s disappearance
At the same time as the search for Mr Jakus hopes to drum up new leads in Sydney’s southwest, a similar appeal has been made in relation to Ms Collin’s disappearance on the NSW Central Coast.
Ms Collin disappeared seemingly without a trace when she left her home on Tudawali Crescent in Kariong on May 5.
On Wednesday, NSW Police announced a renewed search for Ms Collin with the help of the dog unit.
Detective Inspector Matthew Stingmore told media there had “already been extensive inquiries conducted by Brisbane Water Police District as well as multiple co-ordinated searches by police and partner agencies”.
“Police are today renewing our appeal to the public for anybody who may have information which may assist investigators with finding Rita,” Inspector Stingmore said.
“In particular, we’re interested in any person who may be in possession of dashcam footage along Woy Woy Rd or the surrounding areas around 2.45am on Tuesday, May 5.”
A GoFundMe managed by family friends of Ms Collin’s daughter Amy features a lengthy series of notes about the disappearance that Amy put together herself.
“My mum is still missing. Someone must know something,” Amy said.
“No, she did not say where she was going and no one was aware of any plans she had that day. She would usually diarise absolutely everything and there were no entries for that day.”
“She was not a bushwalker or camper or hiker or nature person at all, (but) we are keeping an open mind though.”
Amy said there had been “countless locals” who tirelessly helped search the area, and efforts from RFS, search dogs and SES volunteers were greatly appreciated.
“There are no further sightings and every single lead has gone cold,” she said.
“There are so many questions and absolutely no answers.”
