THE SIX SENSES: FOCUSING ON SIGHT, SOUND, TOUCH, TASTE/SMELL (INTUITION)   [i] The symmetrical beauty of nature is delivered to us in a myriad of ways, sometimes it is the repetitive pattern of a leaf generally indistinguishable amongst millions on a giant tree, each with its lifeblood of veins, or perhaps it is the wings of a butterfly, or the feathers of a bird duplicated either side of its centre line and perfect in almost identical beauty when viewed from either the left

(The follow up to the original article of 3 Nov 2025 with updates and objectives) Thousands of you visited the first article on LinkedIn and hundreds read the full article on our web site at www.missinginaustralia.com.au  In response, I am extremely grateful for your interest in this very important subject. This is not just about ‘no-body, no-parole’, that is already in place and often does not work.  This is focussed more on those remorseless apathetic types who have the kn

Image of a pioneer’s tombstone in the Australian out-back, Valentine Smith © 2022 The Missed Foundation [i] calculates that for every...

AI – The Tipping Point to human redundancy in investigations and beyond

The first police unit on scene took down basic initial details and commenced a land search of the navigable roads and tracks for some hours.

PART THREE OF A FOUR PART SERIES Victimology and Witness handling INTRODUCTION: Criticisms, no more criticisms – with over fifty years in policing and investigations, the last ten years almost solely concentrating on missing persons, I have identified gaps in most cases. However, I am generally not overly critical, why? Because I understand reality and the limitations and pressures in which police work. I also understand that it is the front-line officer who is usually the t

PART TWO OF A FOUR PART SERIES INVESTIGATIVE RESPONSE – THE GAPS IN THE FIRST 120 HOURS   INTRODUCTION:   “If it looks like a duck and...

PART ONE OF A FOUR-PART SERIES INTRODUCTION: Criticisms, no more criticisms – with over fifty years in policing and investigations, the last ten years almost solely concentrating on missing persons, I have identified gaps in most cases. However, I am generally not overly critical, why? Because I understand reality and the limitations and pressures in which police work. I also understand that it is the front-line officer who is usually the target for criticism, which is often

Murdered or Lost -  clarifying the missing? (Three years down the track) There have always been ‘lone wolf’ stories of mostly men who...

Sometimes when I am discussing missing persons cases, I am asked what is the longest a person has been missing, or similarly what is the...

Often, in order to strengthen an unsupported opinion, a ‘Reckonologist’ will use an expression of “They reckon”.

Gary doesn't shy away from writing about perspectives and observations that may, in some circles, be considered quite unorthodox for a cop.

‘The Hope Narratives’, are the collaborative work of MPAN, Dr. Sarah Wayland, missing person expert, WhiteGREY (Brand Specialists)

Why do any of us feel rejuvenated when we go into a forest, sit on a quiet ocean beach, or even visit an urban park?

The incident scene is born through a set of circumstances. It explodes into life and then immediately begins to die until there is virtuall

How many times do you think, hear or say, “I’ve lost track of where I am” or maybe it is more a case of “I’ve lost track of my thoughts”...