Police in Australia are appealing to the public for help in tracing the whereabouts of a missing Irishwoman.
Jill Meagher (29), who works with ABC radio in Melbourne, was last seen leaving a bar on Sydney Road in the suburb of Brunswick between 1.30am and 2am ion Saturday.
Ms Meagher had been in the company of work colleagues before apparently leaving to walk home.
She has been living and working in Australia for the past three years.
Her husband Tom Meagher said Bar Etiquette, where Ms Meagher was last seen, is a five minute walk from their home.
“She went out with some work friends and never came home,” Mr Meagher told local media. “It’s totally out of character.”
“She was out with work friends and I wasn’t there. She was out in a place called Brunswick, in a pub there. She was out quite late and a friend [was] with her. He had left and she was going to walk home on her own and that was the last time anyone had seen her or contacted her,” he said.
Mr Meagher said his wife did not have any identification with her other than her bank card, and that her phone is switched off and cannot be tracked.
“We’ve checked with all the hospitals, but I think that someone has done something to her. I fear that because it’s not something she would do without contacting anybody,” he said.
“I just think something must have happened … I’m absolutely freaking out. I just wish I knew where she was.”
Detective Acting Sergeant Steve Bull, of Victoria Police, is leading the investigation into her disappearance.
“We just have concerns at the fact this is totally out of character for Jillian and we just haven’t been able to find her at this stage,” he said.
“We have concerns for her safety at this stage and where she might be,” he said.
Mr Bull said police had examined security-camera footage from the Sydney Road area where Mrs Meagher was last seen by a friend.
“It hasn’t taken our enquiries any further, so we’re still at a loss as to what might have happened to her after she left Bar Etiquette hotel,” he said.
Mr Bull said further footage would become available on Monday when businesses on the Sydney Road reopened.
Police could not say whether Ms Meagher’s phone or bank card had been used in the hours she was missing.
Ms Meagher is described as being 165 centimetres tall with long black curly hair, and was last seen wearing a blue dress and high heels.
Victoria police have appealed to members of the public with information to contact them.
A Facebook page has been set up to appeal for information.Mr Meagher said the public response on social media has been huge. ‘‘It’s been massive. It hasn’t led anywhere so far but it’s great that it keeps the focus on (the search),’’ he said.