A homicide inquiry has been launched for a Central Otago man missing for almost a year.
Simon James Garrick walked into the Caversham Four Square Supermarket in Dunedin and bought a pie, razors and a newspaper on October 30, 2012, at 2pm.
That was the last confirmed sighting of the 42-year-old.
''We do believe he has met an untimely death,'' Detective Sergeant Derek Shaw told media in Dunedin yesterday morning.
He is now the subject of a homicide inquiry and police have issued a plea to ''the wider community and the Otago criminal fraternity for information about Simon''.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on October 24 last year after he failed to appear in the Alexandra District Court on charges of driving and dishonesty offences, and went ''on the run''.
The investigation escalated after he was reported missing by his Central Otago-based family in May this year.
''Simon has essentially morphed from being a wanted person to the victim of foul play.''
Seven detectives had been working on the investigation during the past 100 days.
Mr Garrick had not accessed his mobile phone, passport or bank accounts after October 30, nor used his two vehicles, one of which was impounded by police while the other was damaged and stored at a friend's property, police said.
He usually kept in close contact with his family, but did not attend his father's funeral in December.
Mr Garrick worked as a digger driver in Central Otago during the week and had a ''very good work ethic'' and was able to keep his drug habit under control, police said.
But on weekends he was a regular visitor to Dunedin where he would binge on drugs, including methamphetamine and Ritalin, and ''it is within that circle that he has gone missing''.
His drug use meant he was involved with the ''underworld of Otago criminals''. Police believed he burgled rural properties to fund his drug habit.
Det Sgt Shaw acknowledged Mr Garrick was at a low ebb and might have died from a drug overdose or natural causes.
''But we would like to think we have excluded natural causes, suicides and car accidents.''
If anyone had exercised poor judgement and decided to conceal Mr Garrick following a drug overdose he urged them to come forward.
''We want to get Simon back to his family.''
Mr Garrick's family were ''fine upstanding people and Simon is probably the black sheep of the family; and those are their own words'', Det Sgt Shaw said.
Both his brothers declined to talk when contacted by the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
Mr Garrick had no known links to gangs, and was described by associates as ''non-confrontational''.
The discovery of a cut-down .22 rifle at his Kingston property the day after his arrest concerned police because ''that was out of character for Simon'', Det Sgt Shaw said.
Mr Garrick always paid his bills and there were no known threats towards him.
More than 100 police inquiries in Otago, Southland, Canterbury, Auckland and across the Tasman had drawn blanks - ''and that concerns us hugely''.
Det Sgt Shaw was sure someone in Otago or Southland knew what had happened to Mr Garrick and ''while it is a homicide investigation it does not mean it is a murder investigation''.
''We think that Simon has died. It could be perfectly explainable. There is a possibility he may have overdosed, or a possibility he was deliberately killed.
''So could someone please contact us and let us know what has or what hasn't happened to Simon.''
Mr Garrick was a Caucasian, of thin build and 185cm tall.
He was last seen wearing a white rugby jersey with a distinctive blue and yellow stripes (see photo, above left).
Anyone with information about his whereabouts was urged to contact Detective Rob Hanna, of Dunedin Police, on 471-4800, or Det Sgt Shaw on 448-2500, or provide information anonymously via Crimestoppers 0800-555-111.
