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Supplied
Joseph Ahuriri has been missing since February 14.
Police are extending their search for missing Gisborne man Joseph Ahuriri who has been missing since Cyclone Gabrielle hit.
Ahuriri, a 40-year-old father of nine, was last seen at Waitomo Fuel Stop in Bay View, north of Napier, at 5.46am on February 14.
Police have released a CCTV screenshot of his white Toyota Hilux at the petrol station. Police said the footage showed he drove north after leaving the station.
Hawke’s Bay police inspector Martin James said the search for Ahuriri was being extended into “remote areas north of Bay View”.
READ MORE:
* Missing man seen heading towards Wairoa on morning of cyclone
* Mystery over Joseph Ahuriri deepens after truck spotted day of disappearance
* Family of missing man disgusted at police suggestion disappearance isn’t cyclone related
* Cyclone Gabrielle: Police appeal for help tracking missing man
Police, NZDF and USAR have already carried out “extensive searches” for Ahuriri in Whakatu, Clive, Esk Valley, along the Napier-Taupō Rd and State Highway 2, James said.
He added that several rural roads off the state highways have been searched too.
KAI SCHWOERER & RICKY WILSON/STUFF
“He’s a part of me,” Mike Ahuriri says of his brother Joseph Ahuriri, who has been missing since Cyclone Gabrielle hit.
“Police continue to work hard to locate Joseph and appreciate the assistance from people who have come forward with information and CCTV footage,” James said.
Investigators were interested to see any CCTV footage from either Seafield Rd or Glengarry Rd, he said.
Anyone in that area with CCTV who has not been approached by police is asked to contact police.
James said there had been “an extensive CCTV canvassing phase” during the investigation into Ahuriri’s disappearance.
“This phase has been complicated by the fact that a lot of CCTV in the Hawke’s Bay area was not working at the time due to power failures,” he said.
Earlier this week, Ahuriri’s daughter, Jah Cameron, urged him to come home safely, saying: “We will never stop searching for you.”
Two weeks after Ahuriri disappeared police said they believed his disappearance was “unlikely” to be cyclone related – a statement which, at the time, shocked whānau.
Anyone who has information that could assist investigators should contact police on 105 – or go to 105.police.govt.nz – and reference 230225/2804.
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