A MOTHER has made an emotional appeal for information regarding the whereabouts of her son as bizarre details have emerged about the last time he was seen.
A witness has told The Courier-Mail he found Jesse Kearney, 28, in his kitchen standing naked and covered in dirt on February 19, shortly after he left his friend’s house.
Russell Hansford, 65, said he had been watching television with his wife Teena when he heard a back door open to their Golf Course Estate property just after 8pm. It was just over an hour after Mr Kearney’s friend had seen him walking down the street after he had visited their Tamborine Mountain residence.
“As I was coming down the hallway I saw a naked man standing there,” Mr Hansford said. “He’d picked up two hats from the hat stand and was wearing them on his head.
“When I looked closely, he had bits of dirt and sticks all over him. His arm was bruised and he was badly scratched.”
Mr Hansford described the man’s demeanour as skittish and anxious, but said he was never threatening. However he did demand the couple’s car keys because he claimed “people were chasing him”.
“I told him I couldn’t talk to him while he was naked, so I went to get him some jeans and a shirt,” Mr Hansford said.
The man accepted the new clothes, but fled out the back door towards thick scrubland before he was fully dressed.
Mr Kearney’s mother Joanne Nicholson yesterday appealed for information to help locate her son. Inspector Pat Swindells said police did not believe drugs or foul play were involved. But he said they held concerns for Mr Kearney because surrounding terrain was quite treacherous.
“It’s mountainous-type area with lots of escarpments, waterfalls and very thick bushland,” Insp Swindell said. “We’ve used the resources of the police dog squad, PolAir and the State Emergency Service (SES) to assist us in the search. However, at this stage we’ve been unsuccessful in locating Jesse.”
Police urge anyone who might have information to contact Crimestoppers.
Source:
Courier Mail
March 7, 2015
