Victorian police are baffled by the disappearance of Melbourne’s property investor Herman Rockefeller, who has not been seen since 21 January.
Rockefeller, a prominent company director and property investor in Australia and New Zealand, returned from a business trip to Newcastle on Thursday evening, and was last seen leaving the car park at Melbourne Airport in his late-model Toyota Prius.
But he has not contacted his family since and his credit card and bank account has not been touched.
Detectives are baffled at the disappearance and have appealed for public help to try and locate Rockefeller.
”There is nothing to indicate he has been a victim of foul play,” Detective Senior Constable Peter Towner told reporters in Melbourne.
”He hasn’t been involved in any accident, he hasn’t had access to any of his bank accounts, his phone is not operating. He is healthy, [with] a family, he doesn’t drink.”
”It just doesn’t make sense. We’re at a loss to know where to take it.”
Rockefeller was carrying a small business bag, a laptop and a bag with three grapefruit when he left Melbourne Airport after touching down around 9pm on Thursday evening.
His wife Vicky Rockefeller, who went to police on Thursday night, said she did not know of any business conflicts Rockefeller may have been involved with.
While Rockefeller (no relation to the wealthy American family of the same name) has kept a relatively low profile in Melbourne, his CV is impressive.
The Harvard graduate was formerly a director of Carlton & United Breweries and chief financial officer at the Pratt family’s paper and packaging business, Visy Industries.
Rockefeller was perhaps better known in New Zealand, where he worked as a director of casino group Sky City, was chief financial officer at Visy Industries and was the co-founder of Genesis Research and Development Corporation.
In recent years Rockefeller has focused on Tasmania. Back in 2006, he and his brother Robert were named as the buyers of a $13.5 million property portfolio sold off by the University of Tasmania.
Herman Rockefeller was also listed as the developer for the Myer store in the Tasmanian town of Burnie.
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
