Western Australian police have made a fresh appeal for information, releasing never-before-seen images of graffiti they believe is connected to the mysterious disappearance and suspected murder of a man in a Goldfields mining town 14 years ago.
A Night That Ended in Mystery
Charlie Park, a 66-year-old grandfather, was last seen entering his home on Richardson Street in the Kalgoorlie suburb of Boulder late on January 3, 2012. The location is approximately 600 kilometres east of Perth. Earlier that evening, Park had been drinking with a colleague at the Recreation Hotel, situated on the corner of Lionel and Burt streets.
The pair parted ways around 10:30pm, with Park walking the few hundred metres to his house. He was reported missing three days later. Despite extensive investigations, multiple public appeals, and a $1 million reward for information, his fate remains a baffling unsolved case.
The Disturbing Graffiti Clue
In a significant new development, cold case detectives have unveiled photographs of graffiti spray-painted onto a laneway fence behind the Recreation Hotel in the weeks before Park vanished. The message, written in gold paint, included the name "Charles Athostan Park".
Police have blurred part of the graffiti which contained an unsubstantiated allegation targeting Park. Senior Sergeant Uwais Cuff described the hidden message as "a horrible allegation." He emphasised that thorough investigative work and interviews with friends and relatives had uncovered no information to suggest any truth behind the claim.
This is not the first instance of threatening graffiti linked to Park. Investigators had previously revealed that highly offensive graffiti and threats were also sprayed on his front door prior to his disappearance.
A Community Still Seeking Answers
The case is being treated as suspicious, with police confirming that Park's phone and bank accounts have not been accessed since he was reported missing. His body has never been found.
Detectives have returned to Kalgoorlie, setting up a mobile police facility near the hotel in a renewed effort to crack the case. The facility will be open between 10am and 2pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, hoping to encourage locals with information to come forward.
"It's been 14 years now and the family certainly deserves some answers," Senior Sergeant Cuff stated. He highlighted the lasting impact such incidents have on tight-knit communities like Boulder and Kalgoorlie.
Police are urging anyone with knowledge, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to make contact. "Someone out there knows something which could be the vital piece of information we need to solve this," Cuff said. Information can be provided to Crime Stoppers.
