The heartbroken family of a young man who disappeared from a popular campsite are hoping to find him after four police officers joined the search.
Jack McLennan, 27, a Sunshine Coast man, was last seen in the Ficks Crossing area, three hours north of western Brisbane, near Murgon, on October 4, 2024.
The gym instructor had been spending time with a friend at the fishing spot, but is believed to have left on foot between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
A search was launched after his family reported him missing the next day.
A ground and air search focusing on terrain west of Murgon failed to locate McLennan and was scaled back three weeks later.
But his mother, Kellie Moody, has not stopped searching for her missing son, coordinating extensive searches since October with the help of the community.
Faith Tkalac, the mother of Jari Wise, a Huon Valley man who died in a car crash in 2020, flew from Tasmania to support ongoing search efforts.
Tkalac claimed things were “starting to heat up” in the search for McLennan in a post shared on the Help Find Jack McLennan Facebook page on Tuesday.
Queensland man Jack McLennan (pictured) was last seen in the Ficks Crossing area, three hours north of western Brisbane, near Murgon, on October 4.
Police found the 27-year-old’s (pictured) shoes on October 10, six days after he went missing.
“Things are starting to heat up in certain areas up there and it’s because of this super strong mummy bear (Mrs. Moody),” Ms. Tkalac wrote.
—Four more investigators (in uniform) come from Brisbane.
‘I know you’ve lost all faith in the Queensland Police Service, but they’re listening to you now, darling. You have something huge, Kell, even bigger than your broken heart.
Moody previously shared his frustration with police efforts during the search for his son and urged anyone with information to come forward.
“The frustration is palpable and fortunately it’s not just me who feels it,” he wrote.
‘I don’t need to know your name, just say it because having information will only consume you. Never be afraid.
“Seriously, resources are so scarce that the search was interrupted too soon.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment.
The missing personal trainer (pictured) had been on a boys’ getaway but is believed to have left on foot sometime between 8pm and 10pm on October 4.
Police also found Mr McLennan’s hat (pictured) while searching the Murgon region.
The update comes after Moody claimed his son had met with “nasty people” the night before he disappeared.
Moody said the idea that her son’s disappearance was “crime-related” was a worst-case scenario, but she was hopeful he was alive.
“Jack was not a confrontational person, especially with alcohol and others I have heard have a triggering temper,” the mother of three wrote online.
“I know one thing: If Jack saw something unfair or morally wrong, he would speak up and that might upset certain corrupt scum residing in our so-called idyllic community.”
Mrs. Moody She hopes her son’s case will be transferred to the Australian Federal Police Missing Persons Profile, where she hopes she will receive more resources.
On October 10, police released CCTV showing Mr McLennan in a bottle shop on Lamb Street in Murgon at 1.30pm on October 4, just hours before he disappeared.
The 27-year-old then got into a car with a friend who he spent a few hours with at Ficks Crossing before disappearing.
On October 10, detectives found a pair of white sneakers near Ficks Crossing believed to belong to Mr McLennan.
The shoes were discovered about 300 meters from the Bunya Highway, a major highway that runs through the region.
Officers found what they believe is Mr McLennan’s hat near McAlister and McLucas streets in Murgon on October 11.
CCTV footage showed Mr McLennan in a bottle shop on Lamb Street in Murgon at around 1.30pm on October 4, just hours before he disappeared (pictured).
The police dive team, police dogs, SES volunteers and other specialist teams searched the area west of Murgon for the missing 27-year-old, who has not yet been found.
The official search was scaled back on the weekend of October 19 and 20, but briefly resumed in November after McLennan’s wallet and bank card were found on private property.
The items were found on Nov. 17 on a property very adjacent to the search area on Ferris Road between Ficks Crossing and Murgon.
Detectives from the Darling Downs Criminal Investigation Division and Homicide Investigation Unit have since established Operation Whiskey Pocket.
In their last update on October 21, police said evidence was continuing to be analyzed and evaluated against new information being received.
“Police are appealing for witnesses, in particular a person who camped overnight in the Ficks Crossing area, to come forward,” police said in a statement.
“This person is believed to have been traveling in a dark-coloured vehicle with a tent on the roof. Investigators are also asking anyone who may have seen a person walking along the Bunya Highway towards Wondai on October 4 at around 10pm :40 to contact the police.
McLennan is described as about 185cm tall, with light brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and dark shorts.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Police Link on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
TO GoFundMe was started to help raise money for the McLennan family to fund their countless searches for the missing 27-year-old.