# @victoriapolice on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C3t1WDzMkIB
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11274096-victoriapolice-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/797ca5f58f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-02-24T04:04:08.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Victoria Police (@victoriapolice) — https://gondola.cc/victoriapolice

## Caption

A 34-year missing person case was solved thanks to the determination of two detectives, science and a bit of chance timing.⁣
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In April 1986, then-35-year-old Robert Mather moved from Morwell to Perth to start a new job after his military career ended due to a knee injury he sustained during service.⁣
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In September, he spoke to his mother on the phone, telling her he was heading home to Melbourne to pick up a compensation cheque from the army, although this would be the last time he was ever heard from.⁣
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Robert Mather’s missing person case sat unsolved, with next to no leads, before Victoria Police Detectives Sergeant Mick Van Der Heyden and Senior Constable Michael Fowler picked it up in 2021.⁣
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The two detectives were looking at every avenue they could to uncover some sort of lead. They took DNA samples from Robert’s known relatives and obtained his medical records from the ADF, which they then uploaded to the National Missing Persons and Victim System (NMPVS) - a national platform for state and territory police and forensic examiners to search and compare long-term missing persons against unidentified human remains.⁣
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In a case of chance timing, about a week after the detectives added Robert’s dental records to the NMPVS, South Australia Police added records of an unidentified human skull.⁣
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The skull and other human remains were found in 1995 by a farmer while moving sheep between properties, about 100m off the Eyre Highway, near Ceduna, South Australia.⁣
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After receiving initial notification of the possible match, further tests were conducted, and it was confirmed in May 2021 that the remains did indeed belong to Robert Mather, who they believed succumbed to the elements while hitchhiking back to Victoria. ⁣
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Robert’s family was able to have his remains returned to Victoria and, in November 2021, they gave him a burial and proper farewell to his life.⁣
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It was closure that was much needed for Robert’s family, particularly his daughter Haley. She said the outcome of this case had changed her life in ways she couldn’t have imagined.⁣
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Read more by clicking the ‘Police Life Spring/Summer 2023’ link in our bio. 🔗

#policelife #victoriapolice

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policelife, victoriapolice

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