North: Hunt for second-hand car dealer
Detectives in the North were examining business records today to locate a second-hand car dealer who vanished over a week ago.
Ronald Todd, 30, was last seen leaving a village pub in Maghaberry, County Antrim on December 21.
The red Land Rover Freelander he was in was found on fire 24-hours later on Thursday night.
As police stepped up their hunt for the father-of-one, the officer heading the investigation admitted he had no idea why he would have disappeared.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Dunwoody said: “Mr Todd seems by all accounts to be a devoted family man.
“He has an eight-month-old son to his partner and they are distraught.
“We have no indications why he should go missing.”
Mr Todd, who is from Lisburn, County Antrim, had been in the Maghaberry Arms, close to where he operates his car selling business, on the night he was last seen.
He is believed to have left alone, but after that his movements remain a mystery.
There is no evidence of any dispute and he is not know to police, Mr Dunwoody confirmed.
Detectives have carried out a number of searches in the area and taken control of a number of vehicles and documents in a attempt to yield a clue over what happened.
Mr Dunwoody also revealed that several people phoned police to report Mr Todd’s Freelander on fire, including a woman named either Karen or Kathleen, who police want to contact them again.
“I have got a missing person who may be somewhere needing help,” said Mr Dunwoody.
“I need to find out why he went missing.”
Mr Todd is described as being around 5ft 10ins tall, medium build with short brown spiked hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.
He wears gold earrings in both ears and has tribal bands tattooed on his upper arms.
Anyone with any information on his whereabouts has been urged to contact police on 02890 700311.
