Homicide detectives from Victoria Police have admitted that they hold “grave fears” for missing property developer Herman Rockefeller, after raiding a house in Melbourne and taking two people into custody.
Police raided a house in the suburb of Hatfield yesterday and later took two people, a man aged 57 and a woman aged 41, for questioning. No charges have been laid.
But this morning, Homicide Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Bateson told reporters camped outside the house that police held “grave fears” for the safety of Mr Rockefeller.
Police now believe Rockefeller, who has not been seen since leaving Melbourne Airport on January 21, has met with foul play, although Bateson has told reporters that the investigation will take some time.
“This has been a very painstaking and methodical investigation, I make no apologies for that.”
Rockefeller has not contacted his family, used his bank accounts or touched his credit cars since January 21, when he failed to return to his home after a business trip to Newcastle.
His car was found in the Victorian regional town of Ballan on Monday, and there was an unconfirmed sighting of Rockefeller in a nearby town.
But police attention has switched to the house in Hatfield, which is still being guarded by police.
While Rockefeller has a relatively low profile in Australian business circles, his career includes stints as the chief financial officer at Visy Industries, Carlton & United Breweries and New Zealand investment group Brierley Investments.
The Harvard graduate has concentrated on the property sector in recent years and has been prominent in several Tasmanian deals.
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
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