Search yields no clues

BY LAURA BASHAM

The mother of missing Nelson man Leo Lipp-Neighbours says it will take a miracle for him to turn up.

Charlotte Lipp, along with concerned family and friends, has been searching for her son since he went missing from his Watson St home in Washington Valley at 4am on January 24.

"We haven't anything at all," said Ms Lipp, despite an extensive search of Nelson, across to Marlborough and Buller.

"There is absolutely nothing. It would be a miracle for him to turn up now. We will forever be searching, but it is not looking good."

The out-of-character disappearance of the 19-year-old student and his orange 1987 Toyota Corolla station wagon has seen 80 volunteers help with the search.

They have put up more than 100 posters around Nelson, checked service station security video footage, searched main roads and back roads, placed a newspaper advertisement to appeal for sightings, and created a website, leolippneighbours.co.nz.

Police have also searched main roads.

"Everyone has tried their hardest. It's a little bit disheartening when you try so hard and there are no clues," Ms Lipp said.

"That's the hardest thing, when you don't find anything. You have an idea that maybe he's alive, but there's not much chance of that."

Another search was made of the Buller area yesterday, and further searches would be made over the Marlborough Sounds, as well as repeat searches of some areas closer to Nelson.

"We are just running out of ideas, but need to keep this alive," she said.

Police said they received several calls during the weekend about possible sightings of Mr Lipp-Neighbours' vehicle, from as far north as Devonport in Auckland to as far south as Punakaiki on the West Coast. However, after following up the sightings, police had eliminated them.

A vehicle seen upside down in the Wairau River in Marlborough on Monday by a helicopter operator was not Mr Lipp-Neighbours' car.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ian Langridge said he and Mr Lipp-Neighbours' family were at a loss as to where he could possibly be.

"A huge part of the upper South Island has now been covered by air, road and foot. It's hard to imagine where Leo's distinctive car is and why we haven't found it."

He said kayakers had searched the Buller River, which was clear and low at the moment, but there was no evidence of Mr Lipp-Neighbours' car having entered the river.

Mr Langridge asked that owners of rural land and vacant properties in Nelson and Marlborough check garages or farm sheds that hadn't been visited since January 24.

"It is another possibility we wish to eliminate.

"Leo may have driven into a vacant property or rural shed and may still be there; that's why we haven't found him."

Mr Lipp-Neighbours was last seen wearing blue jeans, a yellow T-shirt with white printed writing, and dark brown leather shoes. His car's registration is NQ7258.

Anyone with information should contact Mr Langridge through the Nelson police station.

- © Fairfax NZ News