Missing Gary Tweddle Book Part 18 – CHAPTER 5: CRITIQUE ABOUT THE SEARCH

(Question 1):  Why was NSW Police Senior Constable Stephen De Jong from the ‘Riot Squad‘ delegated to take charge of the land and air search for Gary Tweddle?    While we acknowledge that more than 1000 people were involved in the search, surely the unarmed emergency service personnel and similarly unarmed supportive local volunteers at not time posed a risk to civil order.

[Aside, our research shows that the surname De Jong is Dutch (Boer, South African).  It is possible that Stephen De Jong immigrated into Australia from South Africa, that previously he had compulsorily served in the then White-only South African Army  from age 18 during conscription (which officially in 1993, when De Jong was aged 20).

We also note that ten years after this search for Gary, in August 2023 Senior Constable Stephen De Jong, still in the NSW Police Force (aged 51), was found guilty of unlawful assault of Aboriginal teen Tash Maher (15) throwing Tash off his bike, dragged him along a footpath and kneeling on his neck.   Boer and Riot Squad training?]

“Don’t mess with Boers” – Harry Harbord “Breaker” Morant [1864-1902]

(Question 2): Did NSW Police Senior Constable De Jong at the time in 2013 hold previous search and rescue (S&R) professional training skills [bush navigation skills from the Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag perhaps?  – we speculate, or S&R experience, a local knowledge of south Leura, or hiking familiarity of the upper Blue Mountains, particular of Sublime Point plateau headland?

(Question 3):  We note that in the following photo, presumably taken during this search effort, NSW Police Senior Constable De Jong is not dressed in the Police Rescue (white overall uniform ‘fatigues’), so why weren’t local experienced Blue Mountains Police Rescue co-ordinating this major search? ]

That’s better!   And wearing helmets when operational, and one of them is a Sergeant.  They could probably do it without a map.  (This is taken from Echo Point – Mount Solitary is poking in stage right).

(Question 4):  The timing of the NSW Police decision to downgrade its search and rescue  operation to a body recovery exercise, was 26th July 2013, just ten days after Gary went missing.   When did the NSW Police first learn about Gary’s connection with narcotics?

The key evidence that had during the search was from Gary’s four sales colleagues staying at the Fairmont.  Did his ‘mates’ end up dobbing Gary in to Police telling them he was out to do a cocaine deal?   Did this new evidence influence the De Jong’s decision to downgrade the search, after De Jong would have explained this new evidence to Gary’s family?

[Aside, certainly Gary’s father on that same day Friday 26th July.  David that day admitted to the media he believed that his son was dead. “Mr Tweddle and Gary’s stepmother were then expected to return to the UK at the weekend or early next week.”

Clearly there was a deep sense of disappointment in Gary’s links to cocaine.

Just seven days later on Friday 2nd August, NSW Police charged and arrested Gary’s drug dealer Christopher Pambos after doing a separate drug deal.  Pambos had been known to police.  Notably, from the evidence Gary and his father had holidayed in  South Africa, so a short term connection between De Jong and Mr Tweddle would have been likely.]

We restate the pertinent evidence reported by the media about Gary’s predicament at the time he went missing:

• Gary had been last seen waving at a car 400 metres from the Fairmont Resort about 12.15 am just after midnight on the Wednesday morning 17th July 2013.  The motorist later told police that Gary was seen standing in the middle of the road (Sublime Point Road) talking on his mobile phone. 
• According to four of his work colleagues, Gary spent 17 minutes on a mobile phone call after midnight before being cut off on the Tuesday night that he disappeared from the Fairmont.  They had jointly spoken with him on a mobile loudspeaker as they tried to figure out where Gary was. They said that Gary didn’t sound panicked on the phone, only that he was near a main road and was lost.
• Gary then continues running/(now jogging?) with his mobile phone and seeking directional guidance from his work colleagues back at the Fairmont Resort…
• Police said he told his colleagues he was then running and sounded as he was jumping or leaping over things as he spoke to them.
• Had Gary’s colleagues used the loudspeaker to enable one of them to record his conversation with them.  Being in IT sales they likely each had the latest Apple iPhone which includes a ‘Voice Memo’ app as standard that allows audio recordings (but not on the same phone as the conversation).  Nature Trail does this when ever government phones.   This recording would have been valuable evidence to assist in the police search at the time.
• When police later recovered Gary’s body, give they mentioned that they found his mobile phone on his person (up the tree), the only data obtainable would have been metadata – contacts, call contacts, call times and duration, and text messages, but not voice recordings.
• Gary’s colleagues pleaded with him on the phone to stay where he was and to look at a letter box to find out exactly where he was.
• Gary then told them he was heading towards a “light on a hill” before his phone battery died.  It was 12:30 pm on Wednesday 16th July 2013.   That was the last contact anyone had with Gary.

(Question 5):  So, did Blue Mountains Police capture this evidence for its critical use in the search to make the search geographically targeted/limited and to ensure efficient use of the dedicated mix of resources involved?

(Question 6):  If so (in Question 4), how did Police apply this evidence to direct the missing person search?

(Question 7):  The evidence of Gary’s last mobile phone conversation with his Oracle colleagues back at the Fairmont was that “Gary didn’t sound panicked on the phone, only that he was near a main road and was lost“.    Did the search command team consider this and also consider the likelihood that “the main road” would be Sublime Point Road since this was the same road that the local car driver had seen Gary just 15 minutes prior talking on his mobile phone.  If Gary was near this main road, rather sort of narrows options of where Gary might be to just a few streets adjoining streets such as (1) Orchard Lane, (2) Willoughby Road, (3) West Street and (4) Sublime Point Lookout ONLY!  Did the search Command Team apply this evidence to direct their search?

(Question 8):  The evidence of Gary’s final last mobile phone comments on his mobile phone conversation with his Oracle colleagues back at the Fairmont at 12:30 pm was that told them he was heading towards a “light on a hill” before his phone battery died.    Did the Search Command Team apply this evidence from his colleagues to direct their search?  The only light of a hill from Sublime Point is in Katoomba; all surrounding otherwise at night is in pitch darkness with no street lights or housing visible elsewhere in the distance.  Did the search ground truth Sublime Point Road at night time (in due safety) from where Gary was last sighted and retrace the road options that he likely took?  Did they then get to West Street and perceive the only possible “light on the hill” from Sublime Point Road toward Katoomba?  Obviously not. Why not?   Was the search only conducted during daylight hours…after a hearty breakfast?

(Question 9):  The evidence of Gary’s final last mobile phone comments on his mobile phone conversation with his Oracle colleagues back at the Fairmont at 12:30 pm was, police say “sounds as if he is running and jumping during the conversation.”   How did the police obtain such records?

(Question 10):  Who ordered the search to be scaled down then terminated and why?   Had all likely scenarios of what happened to Gary by the search scaling to recovery operation and then by the search being ultimately called off?

We posit feasible scenarios of what might of happened to Gary between his last communication and the search timeframe.  It is not intended to be exhaustive, but realistic:

(A)  Gary while running and jumping through bush fell of a cliff and died instantly due to the deadly descent distance causing fatal head/neck/spinal/organ/limb trauma(s);

(B)  Gary succumbed to hypothermia (due to lack of clothing insulation) and lay in the bush, went unconscious and was either still alive by morning else dead or  would soon be;

(C) Gary realising dead-end roads at all route options on Sublime Point, went back to Sublime Point Road, but while trying to seek shelter perished from hypothermia (due to lack of clothing insulation) and lay in the bush or someone’s backyard in the vicinity of Sublime Point;

(D)  Gary realising dead-end roads at all route options on Sublime Point, ran back towards the Fairmont retracing his steps,but got lost due to his mobile phone torch light off due to the battery dying, the lack of street lighting, and  the sever cold causing hypothermia (due to lack of clothing insulation) and lay in the bush or someone’s backyard in the vicinity of Sublime Point;

(E)  Gary had secretly met up with someone in a car – his drug dealer had driven to Leura and Gary was able to arrange the dealer collect Gary from outside the Fairmont premises, so Gary returned towards the Fairmont, northward back along Sublime Point Road, but did not tell his colleagues;  Gary then went elsewhere.  (Note: The Oracle sale conference was due to return to Sydney that day obviously after breakfast, since Gary’s mother’s evidence stated that she had arranged to meet with Gary later that day back in Sydney);

(F)  Gary had met with foul play whilst along Sublime Point Road – connected to his drug dealing with someone know or unknown to him.  Perhaps Gary had unpaid drug debts, so disappeared for that reason or a different reason;

(G)  Gary had managed to retrace his steps back along Sublime Point Road to  the Fairmont, or back into Leura and arranged a taxi to somewhere and then disappeared for some other reason;

(H)  Gary did not want to be found and wanted to deliberately disappear, perhaps with his pre-arranged support from entrusted others, but unknown to his Oracle sale colleagues. He was to fake his death;

(I)  Another reason not considered.

Had the NSW Police search command/investigation consider all these feasible scenarios?

(Question 11):  Who led the search command – Police Senior Constable De Jong or Blue Mountains crime manager Inspector Mick Bostock?

(Question 12):  Why did the search cover 14 km² and where specifically was the search conducted?   Given the evidence , why did Police search Leura Golf Course and Wentworth Falls bushland?  Why was the search doing this?  PR?

Police from the diving unit search a dam at Leura Golf Course for Gary Tweddle.  [Picture: Matthew Sullivan]

(Question 13):  Do Blue Mountains Police confirm that Gary had by an act of  misadventure fallen off the cliff at the western end of West Street Leura within a hour after his last mobile phone conversation with his Oracle work colleagues at 12:30 am on Wednesday 17th July 2013?

(Question 14):  Admittedly the temperatures were freezing and not suitable for abseiling, yet NSW Police stated that they had deployed abseilers as part of their search efforts.  Were professional abseilers, properly kitted up for the conditions deployed to the known rockclimbing cliff wall routes around Sublime Point?

[Aside, there are a number of cliff wall route climbs around the escarpment of Sublime Point and are well known amongst the rock-climbing and abseiling fraternity in the Blue Mountains and to many back in Sydney.  The wall ‘Sweet Dreams‘ (being where Gary was found part way down slumped in a tree on the cliff) is possible the most famous of these at Sublime Point.

Read this promotion:

“Sweet Dreams is a rite of passage for rock climbers in Sydney looking to enter the world of the multi-pitch. Here’s what you need to know. 

 

If you’ve recently taken up rock climbing and live anywhere near Sydney or the Blue Mountains, at some point someone will say,

 

‘Hey, you should totally climb Sweet Dreams!’

Sweet Dreams is an epic, 120-metre multi-pitch climb at Sublime Point in Leura.”

 

 

[SOURCE:  ^https://weareexplorers.co/sweet-dreams/]

(Question 14):  Do Blue Mountains Police confirm that Gary’s cause of death was this this fall?

(Question 15):  Given the search utilised helicopter resources to try to locate Gary, why was Gary’s body not located during the search in the vicinity of where he was last know to have gone missing on the Sublime Point headland?

(Question 16): Why instead then later, 3 weeks after the search had been terminated was Gary’s body then found by fluke by a helicopter during an unrelated training exercise in this same vicinity, hanging dead in a tree 50 metres below the western end of West Street Leura?

(Question 17):  Did Blue Mountains Police use drone video technology to search for Gary, given that drone technology had been available for a decade at the time in 2013?