An Australian CEO found unconscious on the side of a road was not attacked and robbed as initially thought, according to police.
Colin Bettles, the boss of farming organisation Grain Producers Australia, was found unconscious on the side of the road on July 4 while on a solo work trip.
He was found with a broken eye socket and serious head injuries before a passerby could help him.
He was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma.
It was initially thought that Bettles had been attacked, but San Francisco police now believe otherwise.
“SFPD reviewed surveillance footage from the scene and found no evidence that Bettles was assaulted or the victim of a crime.”
According to reports, Mr Bettles cannot remember anything that happened that night.
Colin Bettles, the boss of farming organisation Grain Producers Australia, was found unconscious on the side of the road on July 4 while on a solo work trip.
Mr Bettles’ worried family were unable to locate him for four days as he was in an induced coma.
Friends of Mr Bettles initially reported that his phone and wallet had been stolen, prompting a Good Samaritan to call emergency services.
However, police said he had his belongings with him at the hospital.
“San Francisco Police Department worked diligently to locate Bettles and investigate how he was injured, including seeking witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage,” police said.
“The San Francisco Police Department wishes Mr. Bettles a speedy recovery.”
His partner, who works in regional Australia with limited phone coverage, only noticed something was wrong when he didn’t get on the plane to New York.
She reportedly contacted Mr Bettles’ friend of 15 years and former employer, MP McCormack, who raised the alarm with the Foreign Office and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Monday.
US authorities then tracked Mr Bettles down to his hospital bed, where he spent five days in intensive care.
His partner is said to have contacted Mr Bettles’ friend of 15 years and former employer, Nationals MP McCormack (the two are pictured together), who raised the alarm with the Foreign Office and Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Monday.
Mr Bettles began his career as a journalist, eventually working as a national rural affairs reporter in Parliament House for Fairfax
It appears that Mr. Bettles was traveling alone, but was conducting business in his capacity as CEO of GPA.
His shocked colleagues only learned of his plight after his partner raised the alarm.
Mr Bettles began his career as a journalist, eventually working as a national rural affairs reporter in Parliament House for Fairfax from 2006 to 2018.
After leaving journalism, Mr Bettles worked as a media advisor to former Nationals leader, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack, including during the 2019 federal election campaign.
Mr Bettles comes from a dairy farming family in Western Australia and is a big cricket fan.