Community figures like Karen Chetcuti don’t just vanish.
That’s what police say about the disappearance in the state’s north-east of a 49-year-old mother, who has not been seen since visiting her local pub on Tuesday night.
Homicide squad detectives hold grave fears for the council worker after they found her red Citroen alight in Myrtleford on Thursday morning.
In what has become an increasingly serious investigation, Ms Chetcuti’s purse and handbag were found at her home, although her mobile phone was gone. The house lights had been left on.
The search is entering a critical phase if Ms Chetcuti is to be found alive, police say. Her disappearance has left the tiny town of Whorouly, population 500 and not much more, in shock.
Detective Sergeant Sol Solomon said that the longer Ms Chetcuti was missing, the more worrying the situation becomes.
“That’s the hard question. I don’t know if she is, I really hope she’s still alive, she could be still alive,” he said at a press conference in Wangaratta on Friday afternoon.
He said the manner in which her house was left, coupled with her car being set alight, was telling.
“It certainly paints a picture of the involvement of a second party in her disappearance,” he said.
“There was no sign of any struggle or disturbance having occurred there.”
Her mobile phone, however, has not been found and police are checking its records to discover if it has been used since Tuesday night.
She was last seen that night between 5.30pm and 7.30pm at the Whorouly pub. She was there on her own and her demeanour was nothing out of the ordinary.
“She’s well-known at that hotel,” Detective Sergeant Solomon said.
She had also been seen earlier that day at the Aldi supermarket in Wangaratta.
Detective Sergeant Solomon said Ms Chetcuti failed to turn up to work at the Wangaratta Council on Wednesday morning, an uncharacteristic event that began to raise suspicions.
“She’s described as a very efficient, punctual and highly thought-of person. She didn’t make any contact all day,” he said. He said she was reported missing by a friend later that day.
At 5.15am on Thursday, her red Citroen was found near Halls Road in Myrtleford “totally gutted” by fire, Detective Sergeant Solomon said.
“There was literally nothing left of it but a shell,” he said.
The search for Ms Chetcuti is focusing on a wide area near the car and a “number of points of interest” between there and her Whorouly home, Detective Sergeant Solomon said.
He said she lived there alone, having separated from her husband, with whom she shares custody of their two children.
“We have not eliminated anybody yet,” Detective Sergeant Solomon said.
“However, I should add at this point in time there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest her separation or her marital situation has any connection to her disappearance.”
Karen Chetcuti’s car Ms Chetcuti’s vehicle was found engulfed in flames on Thursday morning.
Karen Chetcuti was described by a neighbour as a ‘cheerful and a happy sort of person’. Photo: Facebook
Ms Chetcuti, originally from Blackburn South, moved to Whorouly to run the pub with her former husband about 20 years ago.
The pair, who split about five years ago, later sold the pub and Ms Chetcuti has been living alone in the home they brought up their children in.
Neighbour Gary Kneebone said Ms Chetcuti is well-known in the area.
“She is very outgoing, cheerful and a happy sort of person,” he said.
He said the town was in shock. “It’s strange … it’s the unknown, hopefully she is alive,” he said.
Friend Greg Hayson said Ms Chetcuti is a “major part of Whorouly” who serves on a number of committees and recently helped raise over $20,000 for the football club change rooms.
Mr Hayson described Ms Chetcuti as a “great mother” to her two children.
“I don’t think you will find anyone who would say a bad word about her, she has the most infectious smile,” he said.
Rural City of Wangaratta CEO Brendan McGrath said Ms Chetcuti has worked at the council for 20 years, most recently as a records co-ordinator.
“Karen is a popular and valued member of staff,” he said.
Detective Sergeant Solomon appealed to the public to contact police if they had seen Ms Chetcuti or her car between Tuesday and Friday, as well as information of any concerns she had raised before she went missing.
“She doesn’t just disappear … the fact her car was discovered a long way away from her home completely burnt out raises the spectre of alarm even greater,” he said.
The search area police focused on is dense state forest between Whorouly and Myrtleford, including parts of the Ovens River between the two towns.
It is unknown what clothes Ms Chetcuti was wearing.