Australia Australia - Paddy Moriarty, 70, & his dog Kellie, Larrimah, NT, 16 Dec 2017

[Bohemian]

'It's kind of like Wolf Creek': Where are Paddy Moriarty and his dog Kellie?
ABC News
By Anna Henderson and Kristy O'Brien
Updated Fri [02 February 2018] at 2:22pm [AEDT]

‘In Larrimah in the Northern Territory, feuds run deep and grudges hold fast. In the case of missing person Paddy Moriarty, police suspect foul play and that his missing dog Kellie holds the key to unravelling the mystery.’

‘At dusk on a stinking hot afternoon late last year, Mr Moriarty and his red kelpie cross Kellie left their local, the Pink Panther Hotel, in the remote town of Larrimah and vanished into thin air.

It was December 16.

Despite an extensive search of the area, police haven't shed any light on the disappearance and fear he may be dead.

Some of the dozen or so residents —who have a history of long-running feuds — are concerned the 70-year-old Irishman may have been killed.

Police have no suspects, but they have turned to a new focus. The loyal red dog Kellie.

The officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Matt Allen, hopes the dog might have been dumped with a shelter or a vet and will lead them to find out what's happened to Mr Moriarty.’

Read more at:

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-...are-paddy-moriarty-and-his-dog-kellie/9380782

Related:

Chances of finding missing Irishman Paddy Moriarty alive in remote NT 'unlikely', detective says
ABC News
ANNA HENDERSON
UPDATED FRI [02 February 2018] AT 6:27PM [AEDT]
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-...dy-moriarty-alive-unlikely-police-say/9391326

Paddy Moriarty: A timeline of his disappearance
ABC News
KRISTY O'BRIEN
FRI [02 February 2018] AT 8:03PM [AEDT]
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-02/paddy-moriarty-disappearance-timeline-police/9391576

 

[they'll get you]

The Pink Panther Hotel where Paddy was last seen.
https://larrimahwaysideinn.wordpress.com/gallery/


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Meryl12]

In small rural communities like Larrimah NT, the local population can either be respectful and friendly, or very disrupted and divided within - like Larrimah seems to be. Decades ago I traveled and worked in many small rural communities, they were all welcoming, and I enjoyed myself. I realise now how lucky I was that I never came to any harm. Some of these communities were like Larrimah,I think it only takes one unbalanced local to start an argument, then gradually they all start arguing. Now the whole town is arguing and no-one know how to make it stop. It is such a shame. (Governments cannot legislate against insanity).

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Paddy had been in Australia since the 1960s so virtually his entire adult life:

70-year-old Paddy Moriarty, who emigrated from Ireland in the 1960s, disappeared in his home town of Larrimah on 16 December.

http://www.thejournal.ie/paddy-moriarty-missing-australia-3829699-Feb2018/

Surely he has Aussie citizenship by now so it's strange they mention the Irish element other than to find any surviving kin in Ireland.

I've not seen anything to indicate how long he had been living in Larrimah. Had he been there long enough to get caught up in one of the local feuds or could his disappearance be down to an entirely personal issue with an individual?

According to Wikipedia, the population of Larrimah is 11. Presumably 10 excluding Paddy. There can't be many suspects.

 

[Bohemian]

Paddy had been in Australia since the 1960s so virtually his entire adult life:



http://www.thejournal.ie/paddy-moriarty-missing-australia-3829699-Feb2018/

Surely he has Aussie citizenship by now so it's strange they mention the Irish element other than to find any surviving kin in Ireland.

I've not seen anything to indicate how long he had been living in Larrimah. Had he been there long enough to get caught up in one of the local feuds or could his disappearance be down to an entirely personal issue with an individual?

According to Wikipedia, the population of Larrimah is 11. Presumably 10 excluding Paddy. There can't be many suspects.

BBM. He may have an Irish accent, even if only a slight one. Enough of one to notice if someone came across him.

I suppose that’s the mystery. Was his disappearance due to his own hand, by misadventure or by design?

There may not be many suspects but concealing the truth is entirely possible. Members of remote communities stick together like glue or they fall apart spectacularly. Also, they usually have their own brand of justice, from my experience.

Only time will tell what happened to Paddy and Kellie. If not, their disappearance will become the stuff of Aussie legends.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Extensive article about the town's feuds:

https://griffithreview.com/articles/were-all-eccentrics-here/

A bit more:

http://stand.uow.edu.au/small-town-blues/

What's clear is that Larrimah is a dying town. It seems to have had 40 residents in the 1970s and 20 hanging on 20 years ago. No doubt much of the decline is economic, but it's possible the feuds have driven some away.

 

[Bohemian]

Extensive article about the town's feuds:

https://griffithreview.com/articles/were-all-eccentrics-here/

A bit more:

http://stand.uow.edu.au/small-town-blues/

What's clear is that Larrimah is a dying town. It seems to have had 40 residents in the 1970s and 20 hanging on 20 years ago. No doubt much of the decline is economic, but it's possible the feuds have driven some away.

Yes, they are cohesive communities or they fall into dysfunction quite spectacularly. A microcosm of our societies.

But dysfunctional enough to lead to a community member’s murder? I’m not so sure at this stage. I tend to think maybe Paddy was the victim of misadventure and his loyal companion Kellie stayed by his side. Either she perished too, she will be found wandering, or she has been picked up by someone travelling the roads in their car. Whatever the outcome, I hope Paddy and Kellie are found.

Thank you for the links. I’ve just read Kylie Stevenson’s article on Larrimar — very insightful. I want to know more so will read Andrew McMillan’s article later.

 

[webaddict]

Thank you so much for finding and posting these.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

So Paddy himself was involved in at least one of the town's feuds:

Mrs Hodgetts' [Fran of the Devonshire Tea House] business is across the road from Mr Moriarty's house. The neighbours were once amicable but things turned sour.

Mrs Hodgetts accused Mr Moriarty of waging a vendetta against her in an interview with the ABC before Christmas.

"I stopped him coming here and that's where all the trouble started. He started pinching stuff, pinching umbrellas from here, damaging my property and give me big heaps of cheek and telling customers not to come in, putting broken glass under car wheels…" she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/larrimah-where-are-paddy-moriarty-and-his-dog-kellie/9380782

This also pinpoints the location of Paddy's house, which appears to be little more than a shack next to what looks like an abandoned petrol station (There's reference to an abandoned petrol station in the above article):

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@-15....4!1syc_BdFOCKPF48RqAfl35VQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Another interesting thing. In the article linked above it's mentioned that Paddy habitually drank around 8 mid-strength beers a day. That's 56 beers a week, and at least 100 units of alcohol a week. So Paddy was an alcoholic which means that misadventure or natural causes wouldn't ordinarily be unlikely except that his body has not been found at home or in or near the settlement. That strongly suggests that his body has been concealed somewhere.

It also seems unlikely to me that anyone willing to kill Paddy would go to the effort and expense of taking his dog to a shelter or vet. It's reported that Darwin is 6 hours drive away. Alice Springs is probably 12-18 hours away. With Paddy's disappearance being widely reported any shelter or vet being handed a dog matching Kellie's description is going to report it to the police. If Paddy has been murdered and buried in the bush, it's almost certain his dog was killed and buried with him.

 

[Bohemian]

So Paddy himself was involved in at least one of the town's feuds:



http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/larrimah-where-are-paddy-moriarty-and-his-dog-kellie/9380782

This also pinpoints the location of Paddy's house, which appears to be little more than a shack next to what looks like an abandoned petrol station (There's reference to an abandoned petrol station in the above article):

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@-15....4!1syc_BdFOCKPF48RqAfl35VQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Another interesting thing. In the article linked above it's mentioned that Paddy habitually drank around 8 mid-strength beers a day. That's 56 beers a week, and at least 100 units of alcohol a week. So Paddy was an alcoholic which means that misadventure or natural causes wouldn't ordinarily be unlikely except that his body has not been found at home or in or near the settlement. That strongly suggests that his body has been concealed somewhere.

It also seems unlikely to me that anyone willing to kill Paddy would go to the effort and expense of taking his dog to a shelter or vet. It's reported that Darwin is 6 hours drive away. Alice Springs is probably 12-18 hours away. With Paddy's disappearance being widely reported any shelter or vet being handed a dog matching Kellie's description is going to report it to the police. If Paddy has been murdered and buried in the bush, it's almost certain his dog was killed and buried with him.

Ah. The plot thickens.

 

[Bohemian]

Mrs Hodgetts. Is there a Mr Hodgetts?

 

[JLZ]

Mrs Hodgetts. Is there a Mr Hodgetts?

Billy Hodgetts met Mr Moriarty 30 years ago working on stations — he's also Fran's ex-husband. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-01/larrimah-where-are-paddy-moriarty-and-his-dog-kellie/9380782

On the western side of the highway is the old police station and cells that opened in 1958 and closed in 1981. For the past 22 years, it's been home to 64-year-old "Billy Light Can" Hodgetts and his wife, Fran.
. . .
AS THE TOURIST trade dwindles in late afternoon, the locals start rolling in: a couple of ringers in big hats, drill shirts, shorts and work boots propped on stools at the bar, three kids, four dogs and a procession of characters in thongs, shorts and singlets. There's Billy Light Can. He used to drink two cartons a day 'til he switched to lights 25 years ago.
https://griffithreview.com/articles/were-all-eccentrics-here/

The Griffith Review article was published in 2006 I believe.

 

[JLZ]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-11/gardener-questioned-over-paddy-moriaty-disappearance/9419380
Police question reclusive gardener in search for missing NT man Paddy Moriarty

 

[symbah]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-...es-forward-as-police-request-dna-test/9469622

Paddy Moriarty's Irish family comes forward as NT police request DNA tests to confirm link

By political reporter Anna Henderson
Posted February 21, 2018 15:44:04

Northern Territory Police believe they have made a breakthrough in locating the family of missing Irish-born man Paddy Moriarty, as locals raise concerns his house is being damaged by scavengers.

PHOTO: Mae Screeney believes she is the cousin of Paddy Moriarty's mother.

 

[webaddict]

Oh my! That video interview. It almost makes me want to go visit this place


(I couldn't get it to open though until I set my VPN location to Australia. It just adds to the intrigue ,,,, )

 

[webaddict]

This just gets more interesting. I really hope that they find out what happened to this man. (I didn't do this post right - referring to the family history in Ireland.)

 

[spangled]

I have actually driven through Larrimah, plus worked on a cattle station a few hundred kms from it. Lots of bush land but more than you would think belongs to stations. The road through itself is pretty busy, would have thought that the dog would have showed up.

Some pretty wild characters out there (or so it seemed to me as a British woman!!). Wonder what happened

 

[symbah]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-...rs-seize-hammer-and-hacksaws-from-pie/9473156

Paddy Moriarty investigators seize hammers and hacksaw from Northern Territory pie shop

By Anna Henderson
Updated February 22, 2018 12:00:26

A Northern Territory pie shop owner says police have seized a hacksaw and two hammers from her property, but maintains she had nothing to do with the disappearance of a missing man.
Fran Hodgetts was a neighbour of Irish-born stockman Paddy Moriarty, who vanished in December.
Police have no suspects but believe his disappearance may be suspicious.

 

[Hotchips]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-...es-forward-as-police-request-dna-test/9469622

Paddy Moriarty's Irish family comes forward as NT police request DNA tests to confirm link

By political reporter Anna Henderson
Posted February 21, 2018 15:44:04

Northern Territory Police believe they have made a breakthrough in locating the family of missing Irish-born man Paddy Moriarty, as locals raise concerns his house is being damaged by scavengers.

PHOTO: Mae Screeney believes she is the cousin of Paddy Moriarty's mother.

Odd if he were adopted in Ireland he would be using his birth name and birth certificate or indeed would have known his birth mothers name, children given up for adoption in Ireland are given new names and an adoption certificate in place of a birth certificate. Adoption certificates do not refer to birth mothers or father's at all. Adoption was and still is shrouded in secrecy in Ireland. Police should exercise caution here, lots of Moriarty's in Ireland , lots of chancers too! It's possible although slim possibility if his mother was unmarried he was not adopted out but cared by extended family or friends or had been unfortunate enough to be placed in state care when very young until he was eighteen then he left Ireland immediately for the UK and onwards to Australia.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-...rs-seize-hammer-and-hacksaws-from-pie/9473156

Paddy Moriarty investigators seize hammers and hacksaw from Northern Territory pie shop

By Anna Henderson
Updated February 22, 2018 12:00:26

A Northern Territory pie shop owner says police have seized a hacksaw and two hammers from her property, but maintains she had nothing to do with the disappearance of a missing man.
Fran Hodgetts was a neighbour of Irish-born stockman Paddy Moriarty, who vanished in December.
Police have no suspects but believe his disappearance may be suspicious.

Blimey. We're into Sweeney Todd country here. All we need is a Mrs Lovatt.