Each year, 35,000 people are listed as missing in Australia and, sadly, many of their stories never make news. But the case of 25-year-old Daniel O’Keeffe is unusual.
On paper, Dan had the perfect life; a loving family, devoted girlfriend and privileged upbringing in an upmarket area of Geelong. He was well educated, well liked and, by the age of 24, had travelled the world and opened his own mixed martial arts school.
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But on a chilly winter morning last July, Daniel O’Keeffe walked out the back door of his family home and hasn’t been seen since. He was wearing the clothes he had woken in, jeans, a hoodie and ugg boots, and left behind personal belongings. He had no wallet or money, just his phone, which has been switched off.
A sighting of Daniel in Queensland has confirmed that he is alive, perhaps living in a dissociative or amnesic state, or even willingly homeless. The family’s relentless quest to find Daniel has captured hearts and headlines around the world.
“We’ve had people we’ve never met donate billboards, print posters, walk the streets handing out cards with Dan’s picture. One woman in Queensland printed 500 posters and distributed them around,” says Daniel’s sister, Loren, who has now given up her job and moved to Queensland to lead the search for Daniel.
Daniel’s disappearance has struck a chord with the community, with thousands spreading the word through social media and attracting international attention, but precisely how and why this talented martial arts instructor, a fit and “grounded” young man, could simply vanish without a trace remains a puzzle that plagues police and the close-knit O’Keeffe family.
They have put their lives on hold and have mounted an exhaustive campaign, including a $50,000 reward, to bring Daniel home.
“We love Dan with all our hearts,” says Loren. “We just want to know he is okay and we will do anything to help him.”
For every minute of every day since Dan disappeared, the O’Keeffe family have struggled to fight off the inevitable thoughts that he may have committed suicide or been involved in an accident. Yet a confirmed sighting of Daniel at a medical centre outside Brisbane just before Christmas has given them renewed hope he is alive.
“I cried when I saw the CCTV footage,” says Loren. “It was Dan, no doubt. It was the first time since he went missing that we had tangible evidence he was alive. We’ve all had moments of fearing the worst, but we saw him with our own eyes.”
The young man in the video said his name was James — Dan’s middle name.
Loren was sure it was Dan. Although the family was relieved to have some reassurance that Dan could still be out there, living a normal life, his diagnosis with depression last February heightens their concerns.
The family accept that, with Dan’s illness, there is a chance he may not want to be found and they are also mindful that the Daniel they know would not like the media attention. “We don’t want to deter him from contacting us,” says Loren.
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“He doesn’t have to come home if he doesn’t want to. We just want to know he is safe and well. We are so worried about his health and we need everyone to help us, despite whatever embarrassment he may feel.”
“We will never give up searching for him,” says Des. “We love Dan unconditionally and we will deal with whatever needs to be dealt with when we find [him]. We just need to find him first.”
Anyone with information about Daniel can phone Loren on 0478 661 092 or visit dancomehome.com. To speak to someone about mental illness, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Read more of this story in the December issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
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