FRIENDS of suspected murder victim Steven Fenwick hope a series of social media posts about the 33-year-old's disappearance could help police solve the baffling mystery.
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The disability pensioner, who was reportedly last seen at Stockton, has been missing for more than three months.
Despite the absence of a body, police believe Mr Fenwick may have been killed and someone tried to make it look as if he had drowned.
Officers from Strike Force Kummari returned to bushland in Stockton on Tuesday morning near where Mr Fenwick was reportedly last seen.
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Detective Sergeant Jeff Little, who is heading up the homicide investigation, remained tight-lipped as he and other officers headed into bushland near Corroba Oval, off Fullerton St, with two people and a camera crew.
Detective Little said he was unable to comment on who the people assisting police were.
But Mr Fenwick's friends told the Herald on Tuesday they hoped a series of "troubling" Facebook messages made not long after the disappearance, which had since been forwarded to police, might hold the key to helping unlock the mystery.
Kylie Wurth, who has known Mr Fenwick for more than 10 years, said he would not have gone swimming alone. "It just wasn't the kind of thing he would do, he would have known better," she said. "He was caring, loveable and always put others before himself."
Mr Fenwick was reportedly last seen at Corroba Oval as he waited for his girlfriend, Samantha Melville, to return in the early hours of January 31.
His mobile phone and clothes were discovered in sand dunes near the southern end of Stockton beach.
But detectives believe the clothes may have been planted by whoever murdered Mr Fenwick in a bid to make it look like he went for a swim and drowned.
It's understood some of his belongings have never been found. Police also want to speak to the owner of a bike found in bushland off Nelson Bay Rd at Fern Bay.
It's believed Mr Fenwick walked with Ms Melville, from a relatives house at Fern Bay to Corroba Oval, where she left him to walk to a nearby house. When she returned about 2.30am, he was reportedly gone.
The last confirmed sighting of Mr Fenwick was on CCTV getting off a bus as he travelled to Fern Bay from Salamander Bay. He got off at the Nelson Bay Rd stop about 1pm on January 30.
Police have released CCTV of Mr Fenwick at Wests Nelson Bay, in the hours before he caught the bus.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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