Magnetic Island search scaled back as family of missing man vow they won’t give up on him
Richard Dinnen - Queensland Editor |
The search for a man missing on Magnetic Island in north Queensland for 16 days has been scaled back.
Ben Chisholm, a 22-year-old from Nelly Bay, was last seen heading towards the Arcadia walking trails on the morning of July 13.
A land, air, and sea search has covered rugged terrain on the island, and surrounding coast and waters.
Items of clothing belonging to Mr Chisholm were found in the early days of the search, including a dark green top, shorts, and a hat. It’s not known why he may have removed them.
Social media posts have raised the possibility that Mr Chisholm may have left the island before he was reported missing, using a yellow Polycraft tender boat missing from Horseshoe Bay.
Family members took to Facebook to thank everyone involved in the search but said Mr Chisholm may have been missed, urging people to keep looking for him.
They say they’ve had no contact from him since he went missing, and that it’s out of character for him to “wander off for so long”.
It’s been confirmed police escorted Mr Chisholm home the night before he disappeared, after he had door-knocked a house at Picnic Bay in what his sister described as unstable behaviour.
