Son’s desperate plea for help in finding his mum Dr Nathalie Casal after she vanished in Western Australia four months ago

The son of a retired doctor who has been missing in Western Australia for more than four months has issued a desperate appeal to the public to help find his mother.

Dr. Nathalie Casal, 71, has not been seen since early December after telling her family she was going to walk the Bibbulmun Track, which runs from Kalamunda in Perth’s east to Albany and is more than 1,000km long.

But her son, Ramon Casal, now says there are some misconceptions about the case that are hampering the search for his mother.

“My mother was last seen alive at her home in Gnangara on December 6, 2023,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

‘After more than a month of investigation, police have reported no factual evidence to my family that (she) visited the Bibbulmun Track or started the walk she claimed to be planning.’

Mr Casal said his mother is “an extremely climate-conscious environmentalist” and told police when he reported her missing on March 7 that he doubted she would have gone walking on the Bibbulmun Track during bushfire season.

“No one has come forward to say they drove my mother to the Bibbulmun circuit and she didn’t own a car.

“She sold her car months ago for reasons she didn’t explain to the family,” he said.

The only way Dr. Casal could get around was a lime green folding bicycle borrowed from a relative.

The bicycle was not found at her home in Gnangara when police and family searched it.

Her son said: “She loved the black cockatoo habitats at Gnangara Pine Plantation and near Yanchep and Pinjar (which) are within cycling distance of her home.

“We would really appreciate locals searching the bush near those areas for possible answers as there is still a lot to do.”

In a tragic update, Mr Casal said it was only after the missing persons investigation was opened that the family discovered she had been “concealing a serious health condition that she had been diagnosed with in 2022.”

“She hasn’t told any close family members about it, but three people have confirmed that she shared the diagnosis with them.”

He said 2022 was also the year she suddenly retired without any explanation.

‘We don’t know what the latest status of her illness was, or how much treatment she received for it.

“It is important that doctors who diagnosed or treated her contact police,” Casal said.

‘The case remains unresolved and my family is in a very stressful state of legal limbo, unable to look after my mother’s property.

‘By making more up-to-date information available, we hope that the local population will take a closer look in the right places.’

Dr. Casal is described as about 157cm tall, of slim build, with short gray hair and brown eyes.

Anyone who has seen her or has information about her whereabouts is urged to contact police immediately on 131 444.

The son of Perth doctor Nathalie Casal (pictured) – who has been missing since December last year – said it was only after the missing person investigation was opened that the family discovered she had been “concealing a serious health condition with which she had been diagnosed 2022′