By 3 News online staff
Police fear missing Melbourne woman Jill Meagher may have been abducted as CCTV pictures show her talking to a man just 450m from her home the night she disappeared.
The 29-year-old ABC staffer is captured on a bridal shop CCTV camera, mobile phone in hand, talking to a man in a blue hoodie, jeans and white sneakers. Eventually the man walks north down Sydney Road, Brunswick and – after looking briefly behind her – Ms Meagher walks off in the same direction.
Police now want to talk to the mystery man in the blue hoodie, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
“The footage also depicts six other people, at varying times, in that small time of the footage, walking along Sydney Rd. We are appealing for anyone that was there on that evening; if anyone knows anything, or thinks they can assist in this investigation, we urge them to contact Crime Stoppers,” Homicide squad Detective Inspector John Potter told media yesterday.
The man in the footage is described as fairly young, maybe in his 20s or 30s, with spiky, light-brown hair.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the man can be seen talking to Ms Meagher, gesticulating, before he disappears and is eventually followed by Ms Meagher.
The footage was released to media yesterday.
A group of forensic police searched the Brunswick apartment Ms Meagher shared with her husband Tom on Tuesday, removing several bags of evidence. A second group of officers, this time homicide detectives, returned to the apartment in the evening, leaving with more property.
The detectives who carried out the earlier search said it was part of a routine investigation.
The focus of the investigation has focussed heavily on the missing woman's handbag, which was found Monday on a bench in Brunswick. The bag was spotted in plain sight by a pedestrian, in an area already been searched by police, leading authorities to suspect that the bag was planted by someone involved in Ms Meagher's disappearance.
"There's two options, either police in the original search missed the bag or the bag has since been placed at that laneway after the police searched it originally," Det Insp John Potter told ABC 774, where Ms Meagher worked.
"You've got to ask which is true."
The bag contained Ms Meagher's credit card, but was missing her phone.
Police say Ms Meagher is 165cm tall, of a slim build and has long curly black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue dress, black jacket, black patterned stockings and high heels.
3 News