It has been 17 years since Inglewood man Tama Tokotaua went missing and his family is still without answers.
Police are again urging those with information to contact them so they can get one step closer to closing the case. The 22-year-old was last seen in New Plymouth on January
5, 1995. Although there have have been sightings of him, none have been verified, says detective senior sergeant Grant Coward.
Detective Constable Brad Pollock says he has never dealt with a case like this, where police have no real leads.
``It's pretty uncommon, so it's nearly impossible without the help of the public,'' he says. Although Tama had mental health issues, his family said it would not have been the cause of his disappeaance as he contacted
his family every couple of days. Tama's foster family lived in Inglewood but he was thought to have been living in New
Plymouth's Marfell area at the time of his disappearance.
Tama's foster brother, who lives in Australia, contacted the police around a year ago urging them to find answers.
Although there was no evidence of foul play, police can not rule it out. Tama was last seen 17 years ago at a furniture
store on January 5, and his passport found at Normanby Primary on January 12. Grant says police have never stopped investigating. They hope coverage of the case will encourage those with information to come forward.
