Deceased/Not Found New Zealand - Melissa Ewings, 31, beekeeper, Clarence, 20 Sep 2020

[GuyfromCanada]

The physical search for missing Marlborough beekeeper Melissa Ewings has been scaled back – but police say a wider probe is ongoing.

Melissa Ewings, 31, has now been missing for nine days in spite of a massive search and rescue operation.

Her worried family have mounting fears for her safety and say it's out of character for the keen adventurer not to keep in touch with family.

Ewings lived alone in a rented house at Clarence, 60km north of Kaikoura.

She was last seen just before dusk on Sunday, September 20, and failed to show up at work at a beekeeping business just 400m from her house the following morning.

More at Search for missing woman scaled back - but police still investigating

Missing woman mystery: Police searching for Melissa Ewings track phone to 100m

 

[YaYa_521]

Missing beekeeper's cellphone, other items found
30 September 2020
Teams searching for missing Marlborough woman Melissa Ewings have found her cellphone and other "items of interest"


Clarence neighbours recount missing woman Melissa Ewings' last known moments
Oct 01 2020

• A neighbour has supplied police with security camera footage that shows Ewings visiting his house on a “beautiful Spring” Sunday, dressed in a yellow top and shorts, laughing and talking animatedly.
• A woman who lived down the road had bumped into Ewings near the Clarence River mouth later that evening, walking her dog with a friend about 7pm. They saw Ewings drive home in her car, the neighbour said. “They had a chat for about 10 minutes, and then she drove off. They were probably the last people to see her,” he said.
• Police confirmed they found Ewings’ cellphone on Saturday, along with other items of interest, though they had not confirmed what those items were. The neighbour heard from a friend in LandSAR the phone was found about 100 metres from the house, but he was unsure where exactly.

 

[ElementalLaura]

Melissa Ewings
- Facebook
- Instagram

 

[LadyL]

Missing beekeeper's cellphone, other items found
30 September 2020

A woman who lived down the road had bumped into Ewings near the Clarence River mouth later that evening, walking her dog with a friend about 7pm. They saw Ewings drive home in her car, the neighbour said. “They had a chat for about 10 minutes, and then she drove off. They were probably the last people to see her,” he said.

[bbm]

so is her car missing too?

 

[ElementalLaura]

No, her car was at her house.

Search for missing woman scaled back - but police still investigating

RBBM

Ewings' house was reportedly found locked, with her car left behind along with her wallet and bank cards. None of her personal belongings were missing.

"Everything was there, nothing had been taken or moved out of the house," her Gold Coast-based grandmother, Dulcie Brumpton said.

 

[TatianaBarbie]

I hope Melissa can be found quickly. There was an interesting possibility brought up in a comment on the Sept 29th post from the New Zealand Herald on Facebook:

New Zealand Herald on Facebook (Comment from MB)

 

[ElementalLaura]

They’ve been focusing a lot of search activity around the river.

Missing woman's cellphone found, as locals describe 'dangerous' Clarence River
—
[Local farmer] Reader said the Clarence River mouth was a dangerous place in flood.

“The river was up, when she went missing that Sunday. I wouldn’t say it was a flash flood ... but we did have heavy rain up in the mountains.

“When it’s running clear, you can see the bottom. But when it’s in flood, it can be dangerous, even when you’re on the bank it can be dangerous.

“She was a very strong girl, I’d be surprised if she did have an accident. But if the banks gave way, as they can do when the water is high, and she fell in, maybe.”

He saw the search teams “scouring the whole area” last week, on the northern side of the river, near her home, with dogs and metal detectors, he said.

 

[TatianaBarbie]

It sounds like LE is looking at all possibilities:

Police keeping 'open mind' about disappearance of Melissa Ewings (Oct 4, 2020)

". . .After widespread searches, it was later found, Senior Sergeant Peter Payne confirmed this week, along with other items of interest. The phone was now being analysed. . ."
​

I wonder if LE has found any clues from Melissa's cell phone?

 

[GuyfromCanada]

Marlborough Area Prevention Manager Peter Payne said while police are no longer actively searching Ewings, they would review any new information that arises.

"Every missing persons inquiry is treated on a case-by-case basis and a decision about when to suspend a search involves a number of factors, including the areas able to be searched, evidence located and other lines of inquiry being exhausted," Payne said.

Search suspended for missing Clarence woman Melissa Ewings

 

[Auntie_Seagull]

No, her car was at her house.

Search for missing woman scaled back - but police still investigating

RBBM

Looking at this and the info from the neighbour that Melissa's phone might have been found 1oo metres from her home, I'd risk a hypothesis:

She arrived home, parked her car, started to get out of it and something happened. Someone aproached her, for example asking for help..?

 

[kiwi50]

Has this woman ever been found.?

 

[lindamichelle1]

Six months gone: The mysterious disappearance of Marlborough woman Melissa Ewings - NZ Herald

23rd March 2021 - she was still missing at this point, but not really anything else after this article to indicate either way?

 

[huhubug]

I wish there was an update on this case. Like even just the location of her phone.

 

[kiwi50]

I wish there was an update on this case. Like even just the location of her phone.

Yes the case just seems to be totally forgotten.

 

[nao]

Moo ...the family has not forgotten but seem to accept she is gone. She is still included lovingly in their fb posts. Moo

 

[Rikissa]

There has been a coroner's inquest on 11 August 2022, her body has not been found.

'Adventurous' woman likely drowned after taking drugs, coroner finds

An "adventurous" woman likely drowned in a Canterbury river while high on hallucinogenic drugs, a coroner has ruled.

www.odt.co.nz