Australia Australia - Donald "Donny" Govan, 16, Linton, 1 Sept 2012

[Humdinger]

I know of this family and regularly see his facebook "search" page shared by my friends. I don't know why I didn't think to search on here for a thread for him.



Going on 2 years now. I really hope he is alive. I don't think that much effort was put into finding him which is a really terrible thing.

I agree that there hasn't been a big push to find him! Honestly, that picture along with the drugs and alcohol haven't made him a person that MSM would run with, not saying it's right nor that I agree, but that's my feeling.

I wish he'd just call home, his poor sister!! And of course the rest of his family!

 

[Nacho]

I agree that there hasn't been a big push to find him! Honestly, that picture along with the drugs and alcohol haven't made him a person that MSM would run with, not saying it's right nor that I agree, but that's my feeling.

I wish he'd just call home, his poor sister!! And of course the rest of his family!

I completely agree. I did a class that focused on ideal victims and when I come on here, I'm constantly reminded of how accurate it all is. It's not right but so many, especially media and police, just don't care about someone like Donny, given the picture and drugs/alcohol as you said. If he had been a perfect student and wasn't involved in drugs and alcohol, I don't doubt for a second that there would have been huge searches for him. Hopefully there'll be a time when that stuff doesn't matter. Missing is missing and everyone should be searched for.

 

[marlywings]

I completely agree. I did a class that focused on ideal victims and when I come on here, I'm constantly reminded of how accurate it all is. It's not right but so many, especially media and police, just don't care about someone like Donny, given the picture and drugs/alcohol as you said. If he had been a perfect student and wasn't involved in drugs and alcohol, I don't doubt for a second that there would have been huge searches for him. Hopefully there'll be a time when that stuff doesn't matter. Missing is missing and everyone should be searched for.

I disagree with the above. Police work with the resources that are available to them on every missing person reported whether they're involved in drugs/alcohol or not. If there are no clues or evidence to help them in their search for a missing person then, sadly, they can't perform miracles & pull clues out of thin air.

There are many examples of police still working behind the scenes on numerous missing persons cases, cold cases. I just posted a report in another thread about a Qld missing person from back in 1982. Detectives are still on the case.

As for media, they work in with police. If police require public assistance in a missing persons case or any other type of case, they haul in the media to help.

Just because we don't get to hear any news, doesn't mean police have quit working the case.

 

[Humdinger]

I disagree with the above. Police work with the resources that are available to them on every missing person reported whether they're involved in drugs/alcohol or not. If there are no clues or evidence to help them in their search for a missing person then, sadly, they can't perform miracles & pull clues out of thin air.



There are many examples of police still working behind the scenes on numerous missing persons cases, cold cases. I just posted a report in another thread about a Qld missing person from back in 1982. Detectives are still on the case.



As for media, they work in with police. If police require public assistance in a missing persons case or any other type of case, they haul in the media to help.



Just because we don't get to hear any news, doesn't mean police have quit working the case.

I agree Marly, I more so meant MSM. IMO they're more likely to run with a Jill or Alllison because people connect with Jill's and Allison's. The masses don't connect with certain demographics and therefore MSM will choose other material for their reports. I don't agree with it, but it happens time and time again! MOO

 

[marlywings]

I don't think the media could be blamed either. If police aren't giving them any information, they then have no report to publish.

In my opinion, the sad reality of it is, it all comes back to the public & what they're interested in reading or hearing about.

With Jill & Allison, police required urgent assistance from the public & the media worked hand in hand with police. The public sat up & took notice...& rightly so. From there it became a type of catch 22 situation. The more the public wanted to read, the more the media kept publishing....but still under guidance of police.

A new thread was posted up this morning about a missing 71yr old man in Qld. Police & media have published reports on it. Up until now, only seven or so members have checked it out.

Another case, a guy & his partner disappeared in August last year, both believed to be involved in drugs. Plenty of reports about it. Police are still well & truly on that case.

Is the public interested in that case??....sadly, the answer is no.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing Vic teen's family search for answers

The sister of a Ballarat teenager who vanished during a Murray River camping trip says she won't rest until she finds him.

Donny Govan is just one of the 35,000 people reported missing across Australia each year.

[snip]

Donny is one of nearly 5,000 Victorians, under the age of 18, reported missing last year, almost half were classified as high risk - meaning their disappearance is suspicious.

In conjunction with International Missing Children's Day, the Australian Federal Police are profiling a number of cold cases in the hope crucial information may come to light.

More: https://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/a/23767232/missing-vic-teens-family-search-for-answers/

 

[KateB]

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2461687/donny-govan-mystery-ballarat-family-still-has-hope/
Donny Govan mystery: Ballarat family still has hope
Aug. 3, 2014, 11 p.m

THE family of missing Ballarat teenager Donny Govan still holds out hope he is alive two years after his disappearance. As the 26th annual Missing Persons Week begins, Donny’s sister Rachael O’Keane said the campaign would build more awareness for her brother’s case.
“Every single day I think about it, until I hear otherwise, he has still got to be out there. We cling onto that every day,” Ms O’Keane said.
Reports claiming the future of the missing persons unit, which operates within the homicide squad, could be in doubt emerged on the eve of the week.

more at link.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

"Hope for missing teenager Donny Govan" - July 27, 2015

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/3237360/hope-for-missing-donny-govan/

For Ms O'Keane and her family, a day hasn't gone by when they haven't thought about the whereabouts of Donny.

“It does cross your mind every day,” she said.

“We haven't had that closure, we don't know if he is alive or dead.

“We're trying to move on with our lives. We've tried our hardest to find him but we can't find a trace of him.

“But we're never giving up.”

 

[Jim_M]

"Hope for missing teenager Donny Govan" - July 27, 2015

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/3237360/hope-for-missing-donny-govan/

I cannot find any further MSM articles on this young man.

Looking at his FB, his one sister, JJ, last posted an article in April, 2014. The following 'poster':

I cannot ascertain if he was ever located. Truly sad if he wasn't. All IMHO

Donny is still listed on the Victoria Police News "Missing", page.

https://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/missing-persons/list/donald-donny-govan

 

[Bohemian]

Mention of Donny in this MSM article on Loren O’Keeffe and MPAN for Missing Persons Week:

Missing persons' families keep Loren going 24/7 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

‘Missing: Donny Govan

Donny Govan would be 21 now. He ran away from a campsite in Echuca, Victoria, when he was 16 and hasn't been seen since.

"That's the worst bit, the not knowing, because it leaves you stuck in limbo," says his sister Rachael O'Keane.

"We can't grieve because we don't know if he's alive or dead and we can't move on."

Loren says this is known as "ambiguous loss".

Rachael gives Loren a big hug as they meet in front of a mural of Donny in Fitzroy.

The giant, modern-day missing persons posters, as Rachael describes them, have been painted in Hobart, Perth, Sydney and Victoria, and soon Canberra, by well-known street artists and authors donating their time and talent.

Loren organises the logistics.

"In the early stages we got in contact with Loren and basically asked her for help because we didn’t know what to do," says Rachael, who reached out to Loren through the Dan Come Home Facebook page.

"I feel like she's always available and it's not an issue to contact her and ask for help."’

 

[Beagle]

ty for bumpimg

one thought that might explain but probably won't help is that if it was his first time drinking etc, he has wandered off had a fall or something become disorientated, lost his memory and therefore not contacted anyone

 

[Jennifer17]

ty for bumpimg

one thought that might explain but probably won't help is that if it was his first time drinking etc, he has wandered off had a fall or something become disorientated, lost his memory and therefore not contacted anyone

I think that it is more likely that he harmed himself with his mix of alcohol and pot. I know two people who are ok on either one, but go absolutely out of their tree when they have both. Going from elation, to rage and then self harming.

 

[Savemecastiel]

bumping.

 

[wrestlingpigs]

'We're frozen in time': When a loved one disappears without a trace

Still missing as of 2019

 

[wrestlingpigs]

'We're frozen in time': When a loved one disappears without a trace

Still missing as of 2019

 

[silverau]

Sorry if not allowed to bump.

2021 he's still not home. He's 25 now.

 

[Bit of hope]

Log In or Sign Up to View Last post after the pinned one, September 1st.

Donny is still missing.

Hopes database of unidentified human remains could solve mysteries

There is a national database since 2016. Family can give DNA. I hope Donny's family did, in case he might be one of the many unidentified human remains found in Australia. Sadly the database is not searchable by the public, like Namus.