'People go missing and are never found': Mother reveals the chilling final words her son, 21, said before he vanished as police say they believe he was murdered
- Mother reveals chilling words said by her son, 21, before he vanished in 2007
- Gina Merritt claims Jay Brogden said that people 'go missing' and aren't found
- Police have now re-opened his case and are almost certain he was murdered
- Mr Brogden has not been seen since and his body has not been found by police
- Family are 'frustrated' at 'disinterest' from police in solving his suspected death
Jay Anthony Brogden, 21 (pictured), was reported missing in 2007 after chillingly telling is mother 'people go missing and are never found'
A devastated mother has revealed one of the last things her 21-year-old son said to her before he mysteriously vanished 12 years ago.
Jay Anthony Brogden was reported missing in April 2007 after he disappeared in Cannonvale in the coastal region of the Whitsunday Region.
His heartbroken mother Gina Merritt said her son had previously preempted his own disappearance in a chilling conversation they had before he went missing.
'Mum, you don't understand, these people mean business - people go missing up there and are never found,' Mr Brogden is believed to have said to his mother before he vanished, reported The Courier Mail.
His body has never been found, and police have now said they believe he was almost certainly murdered.
His case was reopened on Wednesday.
Despite not hearing from her son, who would now be 33 years old, for over a decade, Ms Merritt still hopes the family can find closure if someone with information steps forward.
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'It's a very traumatic time for all of us. He really loved spending time with family … it hasn't really gotten any easier for us over the 12 years and that's because we have no closure,' Ms Merritt said.
'I guess you just learn to live with it somehow … I'm not sure how you get over something like that but to have that closure would definitely make it easier.
Mr Brogden's (pictured) heartbroken mother Gina Merritt said her son had previously preempted his own disappearance
'We really make a plea for someone to please come forward and give us that information — we need closure,' she added.
In 2015, a coroner ruled Mr Brogden died as a result of foul play and referred his case to homicide detectives.
Mr Brogden's family had previously spoken of their 'frustration' at being let down by police who failed to solve his suspected murder.
But on Wednesday, police said they were now confident Mr Brogden was murdered after new witnesses came forward in January with fresh information about the case.
Police have since erected a billboard (pictured) on the motorway at Cannonvale asking anyone with additional information to come forward
Detective Inspector Damien Hansen said: 'The new information that we were able to obtain this year leaves no doubt in my mind that it's a homicide.'
A $250,000 reward remains in place for any information leading to a conviction and police will provide indemnity for anyone who is not the principal offender.
'I am convinced there are other people who are out in the community who have knowledge of this offence,' Det Hansen said.
He said there were a number of persons of interest in the case, but would not detail their relationship to Mr Brogden.
On the day Mr Brogden went missing, he had fought violently with his partner and had been receiving death threats because of his treatment of her.
On Wednesday, police said they were now confident Mr Brogden (pictured) was murdered
Mr Brogden's aunt, Kate Merritt, previously told The Daily Mercury the family's interaction with police had been 'extremely frustrating', but they just wanted closure.
'As far as the case of Jay, they're still not interested in doing any investigation. It's just totally puzzling us as to why,' Ms Merritt said in January.
Mr Brogden's other aunt, Caroline, also said at the time the family hadn't heard from police since they posted a $250,000 reward for information in 2015.
'We really had to push for that reward too,' she said.
Kate Merritt said the family believes Mr Brogden was murdered and that the case was never properly investigated.
'It's like reading a bad novel. You think, 'How can this happen and how can these people possibly do something and there's no justice?'' she previously said.
With news of fresh information being revealed, police may finally be able to conclusively say what happened to Mr Brogden.
Police have since erected a billboard on the motorway at Cannonvale asking anyone with additional information to come forward.
In her findings during the 2015 inquest into Mr Brogden's death, coroner Jane Bentley was critical of the delay in bringing the matter to her attention.
She said changes needed to be made to Queensland Police Service procedures to ensure missing persons are reported to the coroner the moment officers suspected they were dead.
She also recommended an audit of all files held by the Missing Persons Unit to ensure all disappearances occurring 12 months ago or more have been reported to the coroner.
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