January 11th, 2024Search continued for body of Bairnsdale man Dalibor Pantic
Missing Persons Squad detectives have been searching in the Sale area over recent days as part of their investigation into the 2019 suspicious disappearance of Lakes Entrance man Dalibor “Dale” Pantic.
The 38-year-old was last seen by an associate at a farm in Perry Bridge on the night of Wednesday 10 April, 2019 and despite numerous searches, investigators have been unable to recover his body.
With assistance from Water Police, investigators searched an area of both the Avon and Thomson rivers near Sale on 28 and 29 December, 2023 in the hope of finding Dale’s remains.
In November 2021, a then 33-year-old Sale man was charged with one count of murder. He has since pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
In May 2020, following a renewed appeal for information about the missing 38-year-old and his vehicle, a number of members of the public contacted police after seeing media reports.
At the time, investigators released CCTV which depicted Dale’s 2005 silver Ford Falcon leaving a Sale address at 10.58pm on Friday 12 April, two days after he was last seen in Perry Bridge.
Following information from members of the public, investigators subsequently located a silver Ford in the Bunyip State Forest and the vehicle was retrieved on Friday, 22 May, 2020.
This vehicle was forensically examined, but was not Dale’s car. His vehicle has not yet been located.
Investigators now believe that a number of items from Dale’s car may have also been discarded in the Sale area at the time and are urging anyone who may have seen them or have any knowledge of their whereabouts to come forward.
Particularly, three children’s car seats and a double pram. It is believed the items were thrown into the water from a bridge on Myrtlebank Road around 11 April, 2019.
The car seats would likely have floated downstream, and police believe they may have been recovered somewhere in that water system.
Anyone who may have seen the Ford sedan, the pram or the children’s car seats or anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via the Crime Stoppers website online.
