A woman walked into a police station earlier this year to report her grandfather missing, but police soon discovered he had disappeared 70 years ago.
Donald Gordon Buckley was last seen by relatives at his home at Warwick Farm, 30 km west of Sydney’s CBD, in 1953.
Mr Buckley, then aged 24, left his wife, sons aged four and two and an infant daughter after reportedly having marital problems.
Following a court order, he made some child support payments in 1954, but then the payments stopped and no one has heard from him since.
“The children have now grown up, they have had children of their own,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.
A woman walked into a police station earlier this year to report that her grandfather Donald Gordon Buckley (pictured) was missing – but what made the case unusual is that he disappeared 70 years ago
The family never reported him missing at any point in the last 70 years, thinking it was a simple case of the construction worker leaving his family.
But now that his disappearance has finally been reported, the police are obliged to investigate; a missing persons case is only not investigated if the person has been gone for 100 years or more.
If Mr Buckley – who is described as 175cm tall, thin and with brown eyes – is still alive, he would be in his mid-90s.
NSW Police, who say this is one of the oldest cold cases they have ever encountered, are working on a number of theories.
The spokesman said it was likely one of three things happened to the missing man, who was known to regularly visit the Glenfield area, 7 miles south of Warwick Farm.
“He committed suicide… he changed his identity to get out of child support, or third, he encountered foul play.
“It’s not out of the question that he’s still alive.”
Mr Buckley (pictured) was last seen by relatives at his home at Warwick Farm, 30km west of Sydney’s CBD, in 1953
Although they have searched the archives of courts and other government agencies, police have been unable to find any trace of Mr. Buckley since 1954.
“Despite the passage of time, we are very keen to find out what happened to Mr Buckley,” said Detective Inspector Jason Pietruszka, crime manager at Blacktown Police, who is leading the investigation.
“There is no doubt that this is an unusual set of circumstances as the missing persons report was not filed until 70 years after he was last seen, but that will not stop us from investigating this case.”
Anyone with information about Mr Buckley is urged to contact Blacktown Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.