Part 1 of 2,lengthy article.
Dead or disappeared on purpose? The 30-year mystery of Dr Peter Coop
Jan 2 2020
"Dr Peter Coop was 28 and recently married when he went to Dunedin for a month-long course he never made it to. His family believe he's dead, but police think he wanted to disappear. HAMISH MCNEILLY looks into this mysterious case 30 years on.
When Dr Peter Coop talked to his wife on June 5, 1989, he told her he would phone her the next day. He never did.
Three decades on and the police case into the disappearance of the 28-year-old Auckland-based doctor, last seen in Dunedin, remains open.
Those closest to Coop believe he's dead; police are convinced he staged his disappearance.
One question unites them: where is he?"
Supplied
Dr Peter Coop who vanished from Dunedin in 1989.
Clothing and personal items were found, and his bed appeared to have been slept in.
With his running shoes and tracksuit missing, police feared he "suffered a misadventure" while jogging.
An extensive search failed to find any trace of Dr Coop, however soon people began to report sightings of him.
His wife later discovered items were missing from their home, including leather tramping boots, her blue sleeping bag, an orange tent and other outdoor clothing.
When police found he had obtained a $500 cash advance on a Visa card prior to his disappearance, the nature of the inquiry changed.
"Police soon found Coop had previously walked away as a response to stressful situations.
In 1980, he was in his first year at Auckland Medical School when he went missing for a week before returning to his studies. The following year he took a break from his studies and worked a variety of jobs, including in a shearing gang in South Otago, then later joining Centrepoint, a
controversial Auckland commune led by Bert Potter.
In Coop's empty Dunedin hostel room, policefound a torn out page from an A4 notepad in a rubbish bin in his room. The top corner of the page had been ripped off.
Police deciphered the impressions on the pad by making a rubbing, revealing a list of potential plans: "Arrive, arrange 12.30, pack: $120. Matches, jeans $200, Stove, Jersey, Master Charge."
Police now believed they were dealing with a man who had staged his own disappearance. This was amplified when they found out he had sourced the cash advance on his Visa in Auckland the previous Friday, but did not tell his wife.
His plans, however, remained a mystery."
For years, bizarre sightings of Coop would continue to be reported here and across the Tasman Sea. Were any of them real? This is part one in a two-part series by Stuff reporter Hamish McNeilly. Visit stuff.co.nz tomorrow for Part Two.
