MELBOURNE, Aug 30 2003 AAP -
The distraught boyfriend of a missing Victorian woman todaymade an emotional plea for her safe return.
Gembrook music student and singer Joanne Deason, 31, was last seen in her car leaving her Swallowfield Road home, south-east of Melbourne, last Friday about midday (AEST).
She was expected to attend a class at the North Melbourne Institute of Tafe's (NMIT) Collingwood campus at 2pm (AEST) where she was studying music performance.
Ms Deason's live-in partner of seven years, Niyaz Becic (Niyaz Becic) said her disappearance was totally out of character.
Fighting back tears the 32-year-old farmer today pleaded with the Australian public for help in locating Ms Deason.
"I can't explain what's happened, this is completely out of the ordinary for Joanne to disappear like this," he said.
"I am at a loss and I'm here today to plead with the Australian public just to help us with some information because we have reached a point where we need as many people helping us as possible."
Mr Becic said Ms Deason, who was a graduate in mechanical engineering from RMIT, was suffering from stress and was on medication for the condition following the death of her grandmother six months ago.
"She has been suffering a bit of stress since her grandmother died but nothing to sort of hint at why or where she has gone," he said.
"We had a wonderful, loving relationship."
Mr Becic, who works as a farmer on the vineyard he and Ms Deason share, said the last conversation he had with her was about her school work.
"She was a bit concerned as to how she was going with it, she was a bit stressed about catching up and completing her school work," he said.
"My worry is the medication she is on certainly helps, and she is quite stressed at the moment and my fears are that if she does run out of medication she might find it a bit harder to keep going through the day.
"I'm just finding it hard to think and breathe and I don't know what else to do," he said.
"It's absolutely horrible and just going on day by day not knowing where she is is the worst."
Ms Deason was last seen wearing a red top and black jacket. She is described as weighing about 60 kilograms, with fair skin and long wavy auburn/light brown hair.
She was last seen driving a white 1990 Toyota Corolla hatchback registration number EJZ 754.
Sergeant Mark Ciminelli (Ciminelli) of Pakenham Police said Ms Deason had taken some of her medication with her.
"She has taken some medication but we are not sure exactly how much," he said.
"It is possible that she has run out of it by now."
Sergeant Ciminelli said a week-long investigation has taken place, with searches conducted in the Gembrook and Collingwood areas.
"We have done ground and air searches and we are also checking with her family and friends around the Collingwood and Ashford areas, but basically no one has seen her,"
he said.
Police said her bank accounts had not been touched and her mobile telephone was not in use.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Crimestoppers, police said.