The son of a retired doctor who has been missing for more than four months in Western Australia has made a desperate appeal to the public to help him find his mother.
Dr Nathalie Casal, 71, has not been seen since early December after telling her family she was going to walk the Bibbulmun Track, which runs from Kalamunda, east of Perth, to Albany and has more 1,000 kilometers long.
But her son, Ramón Casal, now says there have been some misconceptions about the case, which are hindering the search for his mother.
“My mother was last seen alive at her home in Gnangara on December 6, 2023,” he told WhatsNew2Day Australia.
“After more than a month of investigations, the police have not informed my family of any actual evidence that she visited the Bibbulmun Track or started the walk she claimed to be planning.”
Dr. Nathalie Casal (pictured), 71, has not been seen since early December after telling her family she was going on a hike.
Casal said his mother is “an extremely climate-conscious environmentalist” and told police when he reported her missing on March 7 that he doubted she had hiked the Bibbulmun Track during bushfire season.
No one has come forward to claim that my mother was taken to the Bibbulmun Track and that she did not have a car.
“He sold his vehicle months before, for reasons he did not explain to the family,” he said.
The only way Dr. Casal had to get around was a lime green folding bicycle, which a family member had lent him.
The bicycle was not found at his home in Gnangara when police and family searched it.
His son said: ‘He really liked the black cockatoo habitats in the Gnangara pine plantation and near Yanchep and Pinjar (which) are a short bike ride from his house.
“We would be very grateful if locals near those areas would look in the bush for possible answers, as there is a lot of ground to cover.”
In a tragic update, Casal said that only after the missing person investigation was opened did the family discover that she “had been hiding a serious health condition that she had been diagnosed with in 2022.”
“She didn’t tell any close family members, but three people have confirmed that she shared the diagnosis with them.”
She said 2022 was also the year she suddenly retired from medical practice without any explanation.
‘We do not know what the last state of his illness was or how much treatment he received.
“It is important that any doctor who diagnosed or treated her contact the police,” Mr Casal said.
‘The case remains unresolved and my family is in a very stressful legal limbo, unable to take care of my mother’s property.
“By making more up-to-date information available, we hope locals can take a closer look in the right places.”
Dr Casal is described as approximately 157cm tall, of slim build, with short gray hair and brown eyes.
Anyone who has seen her or has any information about her and where she is is asked to contact police immediately on 131 444.
The son of Perth doctor Nathalie Casal (pictured), missing since last December, said it was only after the investigation into her disappearance was opened that the family discovered she “had been hiding a serious health problem that had been reported to her.” diagnosed in 2022′