Appeal for info on missing 24-year-old student from US
Investigators are appealing for information about a 24-year-old American aviation student who was last seen in Palmerston North over a week ago.
William Henry Johnson, known as Will to his friends and family, was last seen by friends between May 30 and June 1 in the Takaro area of Palmerston North.
His last communication with family was on Thursday, June 5, and he has not responded to any contact attempts since.
The 24-year-old American was enrolled in the aviation program at Massey University.
His family from Seattle have retained The Investigators New Zealand to work alongside the official police investigation to find their son.
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Johnson's mother has travelled to New Zealand to assist with the search efforts.
William Henry Johnson, a 24-year-old American aviation student. (Source: Supplied)
Will drives a 2013 silver Mazda 6, registration MJK496, which is also missing and could provide crucial leads to his whereabouts.
Director at The Investigators New Zealand Mike Gillam said his disappearance was "completely out of character".
"This is a young man who maintained regular contact with his family and whose sudden silence has caused grave concern for his welfare. We are treating this as a high-priority investigation and urging anyone with information to come forward immediately."
William Henry Johnson, a 24-year-old American aviation student. (Source: Supplied)
The investigation team was conducting inquiries throughout the Palmerston North region and have since expanded to Auckland.
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The investigators are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen Johnson since May 30, or anyone with information about his possible whereabouts.
"Even seemingly minor details could prove crucial to the investigation," Gillam said.
Police said they have received a missing persons report. They are making initial inquiries and gathering information.
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RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Missing student Will Johnson found safe and well
Will Johnson who has not been heard from for a week. Photo: Supplied Private investigators looking for an American aviation student missing from Palmerston North for more than a week say he has been found. Massey University student William Henry Johnson, known as Will, was last seen in Palmerston North between 30 May and 1 June. The 24-year-old's last communication with family was on 5 June and he had not responded to any attempts to contact him since. His parents hired private investigators to find him and Johnson's mother arrived in New Zealand from Seattle this morning. On Wednesday afternoon Mike Gillam, of The Investigators New Zealand, said after a tip they received at about 4pm, the investigators successfully located Will Johnson. "We are delighted to confirm that William has been found and is in good health. He has been reunited with his mother and the family is understandably relieved that this ordeal has come to a positive conclusion," he said in a statement. Gillam said William was located in Palmerston North following information provided by a member of the public who responded to media appeals for assistance. Earlier Gillam said that The Investigators New Zealand were working with police. His disappearance was "really traumatising" for his family, who were distraught, Gillam said earlier. His company had three investigators working on the matter full time. On Tuesday, Gillam said it was out of character for Johnson not to have contact with his family for such a period of time. Gillam on Wednesday said the positive outcome demonstrated the importance of community cooperation in missing person cases. The family had requested privacy at this time, he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
No immediate safety concerns for missing Will Johnson
Will Johnson who has not been heard from for a week. Photo: Supplied Private investigators trying to find a US aviation student missing for more than a week now say they have no immediate safety concerns for him. Massey University student William Henry Johnson, known as Will, was last seen in Palmerston North between 30 May and 1 June. The 24-year-old's last communication with family was on 5 June and he had not responded to any attempts to contact him since. His parents hired private investigators to find him, and early on Wednesday afternoon Mike Gillam, of The Investigators New Zealand, issued an update on the search efforts. "Following extensive investigations and recent developments, we now have no immediate concerns for William's physical safety or wellbeing," he said. "While we cannot release specific details at this time, information received during the investigation indicates that William appears to be safe." Gillam said the investigation remained active and The Investigators New Zealand were still working with police. Earlier on Wednesday he told RNZ investigators had received information that potentially confirmed a sighting of Johnson in the central North Island. "We do want to hear from anyone with information that could be beneficial," he said. "A lot of the time is spent filtering through and sorting what may be a priority and what may be historic and not of interest to our timeline. "Certainly, we've appreciated the public outreach and there are a number of lines of inquiry that we're looking into." Johnson's mother was arriving in New Zealand from Seattle this morning. William Henry Johnson. Photo: Supplied Johnson was last seen in the Takaro area of Palmerston North. Gillam said his disappearance was "really traumatising" for his family, who were distraught. His company had three investigators working on the matter full time. On Tuesday, Gillam said it was out of character for Johnson not to have contact with his family for such a period of time. Johnson was known to make off-the-cuff trips to Auckland. Police have said they received a missing person report on 9 June. "Police have made a number of various area inquiries in possible locations of interest in the Palmerston North area," a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. "We would encourage William, or anyone who knows his whereabouts, to get in touch with police to confirm he is safe." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
a day ago
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'No immediate concerns' for missing US student
Investigators say there are now "no immediate concerns" for a 24-year-old American aviation student who was reported missing. Investigators New Zealand shared an update this afternoon into the ongoing search for William Henry Johnson. "Following extensive investigations and recent developments, we now have no immediate concerns for William's physical safety or wellbeing." "While we cannot release specific details at this time, information received during the investigation indicates that William appears to be safe." The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Austrian school shooting, Kiwisaver deadline, and Warriors injury worry. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT A spokesperson said the investigation remained active and the team would continue to work with New Zealand Police to bring this matter to a resolution.
