This was published 7 years ago
Missing Sydney man Karl Melo-Richards could be on Gold Coast after reported sightings
By Toby Crockford
"We understand you may not be able to come back to your old home. But home is not where your house is built. It's where your family is, and families can move around."
The mother of missing man Karl Melo-Richards has made an emotional plea for him to let his loved ones know he is alive, after several potential sightings on the Gold Coast during the 10 months since his disappearance.
Karl Melo-Richards with his mother Vanessa.
During National Missing Persons Week (July 30 - August 5) Karl's mother, Vanessa Richards, has shared her experiences, in the hope more people will come forward with information, after her son's trail went cold four months ago.
He was 25 when he vanished from his family home in Maroubra Beach in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs on September 2 last year, after a 10-year battle with depression and anxiety.
Karl's family, friends and local community have all struggled to comprehend his disappearance.
He left behind his mother, a 5-year-old brother, a sister now aged 17, and a Maroubra community where he was well-known and loved.
Karl's brother and sister were at school and his mother was working the afternoon shift at nearby Port Botany on the day he vanished.
Ms Richards left the house about 1.30pm and Karl was still there. But, by the time his sister returned about 4.45pm, he was gone, having left his wallet, keys and car behind.
Police were at the house within minutes of Karl's sister raising the alarm and launched an extensive air, land and sea search of the area, but found nothing.
He was a keen surfer, having competed along the New South Wales coast and Gold Coast, until his battle with mental illness forced him from further major competitions.
Just before his disappearance, Karl had spent five weeks in hospital receiving treatment for a mental illness and had been "up and down" at home.
He had had trouble sleeping, become confused at times, and had trouble planning and processing everyday activities. But, he had just started back at work as a fully qualified carpenter.
There have been three reported sightings of Karl on the Gold Coast, between October/November last year and March/April this year.
Karl had been battling depression and anxiety since he was 16. He had been a prominent surfer, competing along the New South Wales coast and up to the Gold Coast, but mental illness forced him from further major competitions.
"Everything became very confusing and we were trying to understand the disease, what it was going to mean for him and how he was going to deal with it in his life," Ms Richards said.
Karl was last seen on September 2, 2016 in Maroubra in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.
"He just couldn't really continue pursuing it (surfing) to that level anymore. But he continued to free surf and just do local comps in our area."
Karl's disappearance took a heavy toll on his family and friends, especially his younger brother.
"His little brother was having trouble at school, he was having trouble interacting with his little friends, he was becoming aggressive and just had no concept of why someone he loved would just disappear suddenly," Ms Richards said.
"He had the fear that other people would just disappear out of his life, because he is only five and doesn't know any other life."
The Maroubra community was also shocked by his disappearance.
"He was very well known in our community for his surfing and simply because he had grown up and been to school there. He's missed by a lot of people, people can't believe that he's gone, it's really hit Maroubra very hard," Ms Richards said.
Since Karl's disappearance, three potential sightings have been reported from the Gold Coast area, which Ms Richards said would make sense because, other than Maroubra, Karl would know that area best.
The first potential sighting was made during October/November in North Burleigh, a mutual Facebook friend contacted Ms Richards and said they had seen Karl walking in the area during their morning run.
This was followed by a woman reporting she had seen Karl fishing near Tallebudgera Creek every day on her morning walk for four to five weeks during February and March. However, after Cyclone Debbie hit at the end of March, Karl was not seen in the area again.
During a trip up to the Gold Coast, shortly after the Tallebudgera Creek sighting, Ms Richards was driving along the Gold Coast Highway near Burleigh Heads and Miami, when she was flagged down by another motorist, who recognised Karl from the missing persons poster on Ms Richards' car.
The woman said she hadn't seen Karl for a week or so, but had met him through a mutual friend and believed he lived in the area.
"It's only now that we have these pieces of information and we now believe that there is a possibility that we may see him again and be reunited that we're starting to recover," Ms Richards said.
"I think I have experienced a lot of what Karl has had to experience, even though I don't have depression.
"It's been an environmental influence on me, I feel like I understand what it is to have an anxiety attack, I understand what it is to wake-up and suddenly remember that it's true and it's not a nightmare."
Ms Richards had put missing persons posters with Karl's picture around the Gold Coast and hoped her family's questions surrounding Karl's disappearance would be answered by the man himself soon.
"Karl, if you see this, please contact us and let us know if you are ok," she said.
"It's hard for your sister and especially little brother to comprehend and we just want to be able to tell them everything will be ok.
"We understand you may not be able to come back to your old home. But home is not where your house is built. It's where your family is and families can move around. We just want you to know we miss and love you very much."