Tokoroa teacher Jayleb-Che Dean, 36, has been missing for a week. Photo / Supplied
Missing Tokoroa teacher Jayleb-Che Dean is “full of life” and “well-loved by all corners of the community”, a long-time friend says.
Dean, 36, has been missing for a week and police and his family are concerned for his wellbeing.
He was last seen at the Hot and Cold natural swimming hole at Waiotapu, south of Rotorua, last Tuesday.
Police, with Search and Rescue, are searching the area and asking people living near Waiotapu Loop Rd to search their property for anything relevant, a statement said.
“People residing in the immediate vicinity are asked to search properties in case Jayleb-Che has been there.”
They also wanted to hear from anyone who used the Hot and Cold pools between 10pm Tuesday and 10am Wednesday last week, or who has dashcam or CCTV footage.
Dean’s family are encouraging people to share information about his case far and wide, in the hope he, or someone who has seen him, will see it.
Family friend Mal McKenzie told the Rotorua Daily Post that Dean often went for a soak at the popular Waiotapu spot with different people over the years.
She said “alarm bells” started sounding for his family on Friday after they received some messages about him. They alerted police, who found his car at the swimming spot, she said, and have since spoken to those he was with.
McKenzie co-ordinated a grid search around the Waiotapu area on Monday, but does not plan to repeat the exercise due to the “very, very hazardous” geothermal terrain.
“Waiotapu, where he was last seen, is laden with tomos and geysers and mud pools and rugged terrain.”
While all 80-100 volunteers came back safely, she and his family planned to leave future searches of that area to Search and Rescue professionals.
Police have advised volunteers to stick to searching roads, for safety.
McKenzie said local iwi and a tourism business helped support Monday’s searchers.
The number of people who volunteered and their diverse backgrounds were a testament to the sort of person Dean is, McKenzie said.
“He’s well-loved by all corners of the community.”
McKenzie said “Jay” was born and raised in Tokoroa, an ethnically and culturally diverse community.
She taught at Tokoroa High School and they were both involved with the Tokoroa Little Theatre.
She said Dean had directed and participated in various shows.
“He is full of life and vibrant, and this is what he shares with the community.”
The Tokoroa Intermediate School teacher is passionate about his job, makes friends easily and is “very sociable and lovable”, she said.
“He’s a big teddy bear … he’s smart, he’s intelligent – he’s just a lovable active member of the wider community that is Tokoroa in the South Waikato."
He had recently been learning te reo Māori and was active in the marae community, even though he did not have Māori heritage, she said.
“He’s the non-biased sort of person that everyone loves … he’s the sort of person that can find a family in anyone."
She said the next move for anyone interested in helping to find Dean was to “just share the Facebook posts, get on social media and post Jay’s picture everywhere”.
His family and friends hoped that would give them a clue to his whereabouts.
“Obviously, we’re hoping that he just didn’t want to go back from school holidays to his 9-to-5 job and he’s off somewhere having a good time with someone and hasn’t got his phone.”
They hoped he might see a post, or someone he was with could see it and decide “it’s time to go home”.
She also hoped it would reach people who might have seen him.
Dean’s sister, Alia Cowley, posted to Facebook to say the Police Search and Rescue team was out on Tuesday with dogs and drones “continuing to do everything they can”.
“The investigation is ongoing. Please keep sharing the missing person post, putting up flyers, and spreading the word. Every bit of help counts.”
Anyone with information on Dean’s whereabouts should contact police on 105, using the case number 251003/5935.
Samantha Motion is a regional content leader for NZME. She has reported in the Bay of Plenty region for more than a decade.