Keep an eye out for this Sandman around Cairns/Queensland

[Streets]

Thought I would post this here because it is a distinct vehicle that would stand out especially well to people who know and appreciate cars. Maybe if someone sees it around you might be able to help find these missing people. Apologies if this is in the wrong section.

http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/cairns/20...ing-in-cairns/

Appeal for Assistance – Mount Isa couple missing from Cairns
Posted on July 12, 2012

An investigation is underway into the disappearance of a Mount Isa couple who were last seen in Cairns on July 5.

35-year-old Scott Maitland and 33-year-old Cindy Masonwells were last seen when they collected their newly restored Holden panel van from a Bungalow vehicle workshop on the night of Thursday July 5.

They were scheduled to attend a function in Cairns the following day and failed to attend as planned.

The couple were last seen leaving the workshop in their 1975 Holden Sandman panel van. The vehicle is green in colour and was bearing unknown registration plates.

Police hold concerns for their safety and well being as they have not contacted family and friends which is out of character.

The accompanying image is a photo of the actual vehicle which was taken prior to final assembly.

[Jim Goose]

Isnt that the same panelvan that was stolen in Cairns a few months ago while it was on a car trailer near a panel shop??? Or am i dreaming???

[Streets]

Yep, same one...

[Jim Goose]

Sounds like more to the story then?

If the car was stolen a few months age and presumabley it was recovered and then went into the panel shop and now they disappeared????

[Jim Goose]

Found in todays paper

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au...6511_news.html

Fears for missing Mount Isa couple

BIANCA KEEGAN | July 13th, 2012

A FATHER choked back tears yesterday as he confronted the possibility his missing son and daughter-in-law could have met with foul play.

Mount Isa couple Scott Maitland, 35, and Cindy Masonwells, 33, were last seen on July 5 when they picked up their green panel van from a workshop in the Cairns suburb of Bungalow.

The couple moved to Mount Isa from Cairns to work in the mine, but had travelled back to Cairns for a friend's engagement party and to pick up their car, which had been repaired after it was stolen.

Scott's father, Wayne Maitland, made an emotional plea yesterday to help find the couple.

"The concern we've got is how can two people just disappear," Mr Maitland said.

"He knew the town, he knew most of the people in the town so there's got to be someone who knows or seen him."

Mr Maitland described his son as a hard worker and family man with a teenage daughter living with his ex-partner in Wodonga in Victoria.

Cairns CIB Det Sen-Sgt Ed Kinbacher said a major incident room had been set up to find the couple, with investigators from Brisbane arriving in Cairns today.

"There appears to be two main possibilities - there is a third party involvement that has caused this event or alternatively there has been an accident in the vehicle and they haven't been located yet," he said.

"Their accounts, their phones and any other normal types of interactions with the community have stopped since they arrived in Cairns."

Det Sen-Sgt Kinbacher said police were not ruling out a link between the panel van being stolen in mid-April from a Portsmith workshop and the couple's disappearance. He said Scott Maitland had followed up his own inquiries which led to the recovery of the vehicle.

"There are a range of suspicious circumstances and it is highly concerning."

A friend of the pair, Jodi Noden, said the disappearance was out of character.

"They are the kind of people who are good at contacting people," Ms Noden said.

Anyone with information phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

[Streets]

http://qpsmedia.govspace.gov.au/2012...arge-cairns-2/

Doesn't say it's regarding these two people, but highly likely. It will be interesting to see if it has anything to do with the unique car.

Murder charge, Cairns
July 15, 2012, 9:22 am

Police have charged a man with murder following the disappearance of a couple in Cairns.

A 40-year-old Bungalow man has been charged with two counts of murder and will appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on July 16.

Anyone with information which could assist police with their investigations should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day.

Crime Stoppers is a charitable community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.

[Jim Goose]

Fraid it probably is... they are the only couple to go missing recently in Cairns.

Im sure more will be revealled soon.

Not a good ending.

[1971]

any updates have they been found,as im in yepoon and im sure i spotted that car while i was driving home from work.not 100% sure but green panelvan kind of stands out?last week maybe weds,thurs.

[nstg8a]

It's a scary world were living in these days.

[1971]

have just been down to the police station and given them the information,
better to say somthing than not,just in case it can help.

[poppa smurf]

what a terrible thing for the parents.....couldn't imagine anything worse than not knowing.....I'd go mad if it was my kids......my heart goes out to them

[H.G]

[buggerlugs]

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kings...ple/1004481968
http://www.news.com.au/national/man-...-1226426392110

[Jim Goose]

Local news reports the man charged is a local mechanic...

Edit: News showed "Machette Motors" in cairns as the place where the car was restored ? And one of its employees is the person charged with the murder.

[Bossxr8]

If they haven't found their bodies how do they know they were murdered? A tipoff or something?

Will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[Jim Goose]

Apparently the panelvan has been located.
Police are interested the movements of a white ford econovan in the cairns area.

[buggerlugs]

Just annonced they have found one of the bodies....

[XF Falcon]

Thats terrible :(

[AU Mont]

apparently the car floating around news stories isnt there car, pic was pinched from a members build thread on "oldholden.com"

http://www.mysandman.com.au/forums/s...6-Stolen/page4

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by AU Mont

apparently the car floating around news stories isnt there car, pic was pinched from a members build thread on "oldholden.com"

http://www.mysandman.com.au/forums/s...6-Stolen/page4

This makes sense.... in one of the cairns news reports they said "the car wasnt touched" so i was assuming they meant the car hadnt been worked on?????

If you read the Holden thread its possible this was all about ripping off the owner for a rebuilt which never happened... and then possibily stealing the car?? or a fake theft? I truely hope not...

And for those that dont know.. the bodies of two people were found this morning in an isolated area just outside cairns.

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/201...ocal-news.html

[bingoTE50]

Sad state of affairs in any case. All for some $$ , what is this world coming to.
So many oxygen thieves out there.

[nstg8a]

That thread is spooky.