IT has been five years since Bruce Herbert thanked his son Andrew Russell for his birthday present and said he would “catch him later”.
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Little did he know it would be the last time he would see Andrew, who seemingly vanished into thin air in June 2009.
Two men have since been charged in relation to Andrew’s disappearance - Tony Simmons was charged with murder and Kieran Moore as an accessory after the fact - and both men will stand trial in February next year after pleading not guilty to the charges.
Sadly for his Andrew’s family, though, his body has yet to be found.
As the fifth anniversary of his disappearance rolls around, Bruce and his partner Suzanne Wallace are again appealing to anyone who may know anything about Andrew’s alleged murder, specifically the location of his body, to contact police.
They say they will never have closure until Andrew’s remains are laid to rest.
“Bruce knows Andrew’s gone but he’s still waiting for his son to come home,” Suzanne said this week.
Suzanne said the Bathurst detectives involved in the investigation had worked hard for the family, and for Andrew.
“But regardless of what happens [in court] - without Andrew’s body, I don’t think we will ever get closure. We can’t move forward.”
The fact that Andrew went missing on June 2, Bruce’s birthday, makes the anniversary even harder.
“Every year when the day comes around we don’t know what to do, we don’t know what to say. We should be celebrating Bruce’s birthday but we just can’t,” Suzanne said.
Bruce and Suzanne believes there are people in the Bathurst who know where Andrew’s remains are.
“Please if you know something just make that call. Let us bury our boy.”
They recalled Andrew as a kind person and a loving son.
“He would never hurt anyone,”Bruce said.
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be left anonymously.