New Zealand - Graham Vanstone, Missing Millionaire from Akaroa, NZ, 5 Sept 1999

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In 1999, Akaroa millionaire Graham Vanstone vanished.

Vanstone, a fisherman and property developer, was last heard from at 6.20pm on Father's Day, September 5, 1999.

He told his partner, Maeve Allen, on the phone that he would have the jug on and the heater going when she returned from Timaru an hour later. She returned home to find no-one there.

Where are they?

Mr Epstein said all the grapes are picked by hand before being sent to Waipara to be produced.

He and his wife Gay bought the vineyard, formerly known as Vanstone Estate, and Crater Rim, at the end of 2008 and moved over from Australia.

Previously, it was owned by Akaroa businessman Graham Vanstone, who disappeared without a trace in September 1999, before his first vintage was picked.

After his disappearance, Mr Vanstone’s family rallied to produce Vanstone Estate’s wine before leasing the vineyard. They then sold to the Epsteins.

Mr Vanstone was never found. Police say his missing person file has been referred to the coroner, who will make a ruling on his death.

“It’s just one of the mysteries of Akaroa,” Mr Epstein said.

Read more: Banks Peninsula vineyards prove their worth

 

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In the 1990s, Graham Vanstone was transitioning from being a successful fisherman to realising his dream of owning a 'lifestyle block with an income'.

After selling his quotas, he purchased a 5 acre property overlooking the village of Akaroa, 80km south east of Christchurch with the idea of starting a vineyard.

"He decided being wet and cold all the time was not the best idea for the second half of his life, so he sold his quota and invested money in other ventures," Dr Graeme Coles, the man who would take over the unfinished venture, said.

"He [Graham] got some vines planted and did all the work to start a vineyard on a steep site above a village."

However, Vanstone never got to taste the fruits of his labour, disappearing before his first vintage was picked.

His elderly father, Alan, initially took over managing the vineyard, before Coles - a crop and food scientist and Graham Vanstone's brother-in-law's cousin - took over production.

Both of Graham's sons also took on roles at the business, which produces a couple of hundred cases of wine a year.

Read more: The Big Read: The missing people of New Zealand

 

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His father Alan, then 78-years-old, told The Press newspaper on October, 4, 1999, his son may have been abducted.

However, he couldn't think of any motive, he said.

"He would not have left home unless he was forced to," he told The Press at the time.

"He took no clothing and no shoes. Even his jandals were left behind."

Police forensically searched the home and found no evidence of a struggle, Hill said - they do not believe he left the house forcibly.

The majority of his personal belongings were found at his Akaroa home - including his wallet, keys and car.

The cell phone he used to call Maeve Allen at 6.20pm was still sitting by his bedside.

In fact, the police struggled to confirm what he did take with him.

No one could provide police with a good inventory of his wardrobe, Hill said, so they couldn't even determine whether he left the house with shoes on.

"His relationship with his then-partner hadn't been going that long. Although he had a strong relationship with his family and father, not to the degree that someone could conclusively say he had nine pairs of shoes and one's missing," he said.

Read more: The Big Read: The missing people of New Zealand

 

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Memorial Gravestone for Graham John Vanstone:
Graham John Vanstone Died: 5 Sep 1999 BillionGraves Record

 

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An Oregon Jane Doe found in 1971 may be related to Graham Vanstone.

The DNA Doe Project researchers have found two of the New Zealand matches shared DNA with each other. Their common ancestors were Canterbury couple Richard James Vanstone and Harriet Ellen Vanstone, whose maiden name was Williams. Richard was born in Devonport, England in 1832 and died in Little River, Canterbury in 1900. Harriet was born in Akaroa in 1861 and died in Little River in 1948.

19th century Canterbury couple could help solve US body mystery

More in Annie Doe's thread: OR - OR - Cave Junction, 'Annie Doe' WhtFem UP10929, 16-20, Redwood Hwy, Aug'71

According to public family trees on Ancestry, Richard and Harriet Vanstone are Graham Vanstone's great grandparents.

 

[CastlesBurning]

The mysterious case of missing millionaire Graham Vanstone 21 years on

 

[CalliopeGG]

Search for missing man an 'exercise' for police - NZ Herald

 

[CalliopeGG]

Fresh search in hunt for millionaire who disappeared 23 years ago

Graham Vanstone mysteriously disappeared from his hillside home in Akaroa in 1999. Now police are searching new spots in the area.

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