A date has been set for an inquest into the disappearance of Hunter teen Zac Barnes, almost seven years after he was last seen.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
In inquest will run from July 17 to July 19 and will be presided over by Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes.
The apprentice bricklayer was last seen leaving a friend's car near the intersection of Haussman Drive and Tripp Close on the night of November 13 2016.
Mr Barnes, who was 18 at the time of his disappearance, had appeared fine earlier in the day but something triggered him to leave a friend's house to get a train from Thornton station.
On the way, he asked his friend to stop the car and ran off with no wallet or phone and wearing just boardshorts and a singlet. He has never been heard from since.
Mr Barnes' social media accounts and phone have remained inactive since the day he disappeared.
Police canvassed the area on foot and by helicopter before recruiting State Emergency Service volunteers.
The Metford teenager can be identified by a distinctive VB tattoo logo on his right calf.
Mr Barnes' mother Karen Gudelj has made repeated pleas for information since, including an emotional open letter to her son in 2016.
"I know how much you love your family,'' Ms Gudelj says in the letter.
"If you can't home please, please, please just let us know somehow.
"Reach out to someone. There are lots of people you can trust.''
Ms Gudelj appealed for information from the public during Missing Person's Week 2018 and in a message of support to Mr Barnes' friends.
The family scoured the bushland near Metford shortly after Mr Barnes' disappearance but found no sign of him.
At the time, Ms Gudelj believed Mr Barnes' distressed state and the "very spontaneous" way he went missing suggested he did not leave to start a new life.
"Why wouldn't he come home to get his wallet? Why wouldn't he come home for any of his things if he wanted to leave town?" Ms Gudelj said in January 2017.
In a December 2022 post on Facebook page 'Find Zac Barnes', the family wrote Mr Barnes "should be here with us".
"I still look for you in the crowds although deep down I know you are not coming back," the post read.
The page has amassed around 690,000 followers since it was first created in April 2017.
IN THE NEWS
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
Lucinda Garbutt-Young
Lucinda Garbutt-Young is a producer at The Canberra Times. She was previously a reporter at the Newcastle Herald, where she covered breaking news, court and other general news. Do you have a story? Email Lucinda at l.garbutt-young@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Lucinda Garbutt-Young is a producer at The Canberra Times. She was previously a reporter at the Newcastle Herald, where she covered breaking news, court and other general news. Do you have a story? Email Lucinda at l.garbutt-young@austcommunitymedia.com.au
