Dr Forster is an academic at La Trobe University specialising
in the genetic analysis of plants and animals.
Circumstances
John Forster was last seen by his wife and their two sons at 10am on
Saturday the 7th of
October 2017, at their residence in Diamond Creek.
His wife had left the house with their two sons and on her return home,
John and their vehicle a 1998 green Subaru Forester wagon, Victorian
registration OSV092 were gone.
John’s wallet and phone were left at home. This wasn’t unusual for John
to do, as he often went for a run or walk leaving these items at home.
That night, John’s vehicle was located at the Sugarloaf Reservoir in
Christmas Hills, the vehicle was parked near the water intake tower look
out.
If you have information that may assist police please call Crime
Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Missing man John Forster may be 'disoriented' after
bushwalking near Sugarloaf Reservoir
Posted
Emergency services are searching for a missing Melbourne scientist who
may have disappeared while bushwalking in Victoria's Yarra Valley over
the weekend.
John Forster, 58, was last seen at his Diamond Creek home about 1:00pm
on Saturday.
His wife raised the alarm when the molecular geneticist failed to
returned home that evening, after she had spent the day in and out of
the house running errands.
The man's green Subaru Forrester station wagon was found at the car park
at Sugarloaf Reservoir at 11:00pm.
Search crews have been scouring the bushland and reserve area around
Sugarloaf Reservoir and Christmas Hills.
Mr Forster's wife Christine said her husband liked to take walks, and
may have stopped at the reservoir on his way past.
"John is an avid walker and Saturday was a beautiful afternoon so he may
have driven past and called in to go for a bit of a wander," she said.
"It is very possible that he's got disoriented because he's not familiar
with the area."
Ms Forster said it was common for her husband to go for walks by himself
near their home, but this did not seem to be a planned trip.
"[We're] totally scared because we want him home," she said.
"This is out of character. This isn't a place we've actually come here
together.
"Where we are, the backroads of Diamond Creek are semi-rural but he
would normally stick to the path, but John could easily walk 5 or 6
kilometres in an hour," she said.
Ms Forster said her husband was not a regular user of his mobile phone
and did not take it with him. He also left his wallet behind.
Police keeping 'open mind' about man's whereabouts
Inspector Simon Rainey from Victoria Police urged anyone who saw the man
on Saturday or his car to contact them.
"We have an open mind about what happened to John. He's a fit man, he
likes to walk a lot," he said.
"We're hoping he's disoriented, that he may be out there.
"We're asking locals to check their outbuildings and rural locations
to see if John has made his way to a farm or location nearby."
Inspector Rainey said the search and rescue team, water police, the air
wing and the dog squad were out looking for Mr Forster.
There was CCTV at the reservoir but it provided no clues, he said.
Missing professor’s family hope Sugarloaf Reservoir visitors can help
solve his disappearance
THE worried wife of a Melbourne university professor missing for almost
a fortnight has released an image of his car and determined what he was
likely wearing the day he disappeared.
WORRIED family of a Melbourne university professor missing for almost a
fortnight have returned to bushland where his car was found in a
desperate bid to search for clues.
And the wife of La Trobe University professor John Forster, who was
last seen at the family’s Diamond Creek home on the morning of
October 7, has determined what her husband was likely wearing the
day he disappeared.
Christine Forster has also released a photograph of Mr Forster’s
green Subaru Forester, registration OSV 092, which was found parked
near picnic grounds 20km away at Sugarloaf Reservoir on the night of
his disappearance.
Mrs Forster is anxious for answers amid fears her husband, a keen
walker, may have become disoriented in the bush.
“It’s the not knowing that’s the hardest part,” she said.
There has been no sign of Prof Forster and, without witnesses or footage
of him behind the wheel of his car, police are only assuming it was he
who drove it to the park.
Mrs Forster said she had not been to the reservoir with her husband in
the past and he was not known to be familiar with the area.
“The lack of CCTV is problematic in that we don’t even know that he was
driving the vehicle,” she said.
Relatives and friends have been visiting the park to hand out posters
and speaking to visitors while making contact with social media users
who tagged themselves at the site.
The picturesque reservoir, on the doorstep of the Yarra Valley, is
popular with picnickers, bushwalkers and tourists including groups who
cycle and motorbike through the area.
“I stood by the gate and stopped everyone that was coming in and out,”
Mrs Forster said.
Visitors who were there the day Prof Forster disappeared could help
solve the case and the family has pleaded for anyone with information to
come forward.
Police are also keen to speak with anyone who may have dashcam footage
taken on October 7 of roads between Diamond Creek and Christmas Hills.
Police were initially not sure what Prof Forster had been wearing but
Mrs Forster has since been through his wardrobe and, by “process of
elimination”, worked out his likely outfit.
It’s believed he may have been in dark denim jeans, a charcoal polo
shirt with a thin grey stripe on the arm band and collar.
His shoes were silver, dark blue and white, Brooks Adrenaline runners.
Mrs Forster said her husband was thin, fit and spoke with a slight
“English twang”.
Anyone with information is urged to call Banyule CIU detective Adam
Donnelly on 03 94508135