A re-interview of a co-worker may have led to the mystery disappearance of Northland man Lee Sheppard in London six years ago being solved, British police say.
The 26-year-old went missing while working the nightshift at a northwest London fridge recycling plant on January 31 2003, leaving behind his pregnant wife Juliet.
Despite widespread inquiries, nothing has been heard of him since. He disappeared with only the clothes he was wearing and his bank accounts have remained untouched.
A team of London Metropolitan detectives drew a blank and recently Mr Sheppard's family hired private investigator Ron McQuilter, who reopened the case alongside the police.
He said he now believed that Mr Sheppard may have died in an industrial accident.
Mr McQuilter said Mr Sheppard was busy fixing idle machinery at the plant on the night in question.
Inquiries with workers at the plant established that he was last seen going up an escalator towards a conveyor belt system about 3am.
Mr McQuilter told TVNZ's Close Up last night it was not clear exactly what happened, but it appeared Mr Sheppard had been rendered unconscious and died before being caught up in large, industrial recycling machinery when the plant started up the following morning.
He believed no forensic testing was done at the plant after the disappearance - only visual searches and searches of the wrong waste product.
Mr McQuilter said police initially assumed Mr Sheppard had left the plant on his own accord and the company was happy to back that theory.
"They (the company) were also in the process of being sued, or going through a court case after someone died in another factory. The last thing they would have wanted was health and safety."
Detective Sergeant Andy Goodwin, of the Metropolitan Police, said today the key aspect to turning the case around was being able to reinterview a "significant" witness.
"One of Lee's fellow workers on that night...his interview in 2008 is significantly different to the interview he gave in 2003, with some key issues that were raised and identified," Mr Goodwin told Radio New Zealand.
"And following on from that it became vital to go right back to the beginning and look at the original investigation and the facts and the assumptions that were made in 2003...and effectively re-investigate the matter."
Mr Goodwin said they were not looking at foul play, but there was compelling evidence now available for finding out what had happened.
Mr Sheppard's parents, Ken and Rose, said they were relieved to have learned what happened and could now get closure and put an end to a raft of disturbing rumours and speculation surrounding the disappearance.
"It's so sad that it could have been resolved in 24 hours," Ken Sheppard said.
The family said they were not comfortable with the way the recycling company handled the situation immediately after the disappearance.
"They sacked Lee the following morning at 11 o'clock," Mr Sheppard said.
"They rang up Juliet's phone and left a message to say that he was sacked. He never clocked off..."
