Hunt for missing man continues

Damian Hall and Lee Hall, son and mother of missing Palmerston North man Brett Hall. spoke at a police briefing yesterday. Photo / Bevan Conley

Police are canvassing along a rural Wanganui road for information on missing Palmerston North man Brett Hall.

Mr Hall, 47, was reported missing last Tuesday and the police are treating his disappearance as a homicide.

He was last seen on May 29 at his isolated lifestyle block, 30km up Wanganui's River Road, and reported missing two days later.

His mother Lee Hall yesterday appealed for help in finding her son, who had a "chequered past".

Eight days of aerial and ground searches have found no trace of the man, who had previously come to the attention of police, but not in the past two years, Detective Senior Sergeant David Kirby said yesterday.

Police were today searching roadsides and searchers would continue looking in the bush.

Police were talking to people living in the area, police central communications spokeswoman Kim Perks said.

Mr Hall's mother has said he was a quiet, private man who loved his family and idolised his two young grandchildren.

He had a love of the outdoors, particularly hunting and fishing, and was extremely fit.

It had been his dream to buy some land in Wanganui and build a home, so he was thrilled when he bought the section off the River Road and that had been his focus for about the past year.

Mr Kirby said Mr Hall had associations with people known to the police.

"I am mentioning this history simply because it is important that we establish whether it has any bearing on his disappearance.

"I would like his friends and associates who know that history to consider any possible explanations for him going missing."

The longer Mr Hall was missing, the more police must consider that something more untoward had happened, Mr Kirby said.

Mr Hall was described as Caucasian, 1.82m tall and of medium build.

- NZPA