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Fifteen years ago, Kirrilee Wells went with her mum and brother to a pub in northern NSW to catch up with her dad.
It wasn't unusual for them to go months or even years without seeing him after her parents' marriage broke down.
But that would be the last time she ever saw him.
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"We didn't get to see dad that often," the now 28-year-old told 9news.com.au.
"He kept saying he was going to come and then he didn't, that's just what it was like, which was sad.
"But when we saw he had been reported missing, we thought that was a bit weird and when we reflected back on that night we realised there were a few strange things he said."
Garry John Wells had reached out to his ex-wife Michelle in order to meet with her, Kirrilee and her brother Ben at the Chinderah Tavern on June 10, 2009.
He met briefly with his ex-wife again at the Cudgen Surf Club the following day.
But he wasn't reported missing until almost a year later by his mother Joan in Muswelbrook, who became concerned when he missed several important family events.
Wells had moved to Muswelbrook after his marriage to Kirrilee's mother broke down in the late '90s and he travelled back and forth to Chinderah sporadically.
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Kirrilee said she remembers giving statements at the police station after he was reported missing but that after that, they heard nothing.
A coronial inquest was held into Wells' disappearance and suspected death in April 2013.
Kirrilee didn't know there had been an inquest until almost a decade later, when she went looking for answers as an adult.
"I decided that I really wanted to try and find him because I felt like we just needed some closure," she said.
"I think (police) stayed in contact with my nan (Wells' mother Joan) but we weren't in really great contact with her."
It took Kirrilee three years to obtain the findings and brief of evidence from the inquest after initially contacting Muswelbrook police, who directed her to the Coroner's Court.
The brief of evidence revealed that in the years before his disappearance, Wells had been a heavy drinker who led an itinerant lifestyle, moving between family and friends.
His last card transaction was at the Dolphins Hotel in Tweed Heads, a 15-minute drive from Chinderah, on June 12, 2009.
The car he was driving at the time, a red Ford Telstar sedan, has never been found.
According to a transcript of the hearing, Detective Sergeant Mardi Boardman told the inquest she believed Wells "committed suicide sometime after the last meeting with his ex-wife".
Deputy State Coroner Sharon Freund ruled that Wells died sometime after June 1, 2009, but left an open finding as to the manner and cause of his death.
"I burst into tears when I read that (police suspected he had committed suicide)," Kirrilee said.
"My mum burst into tears too.
"I think it's the way they worded it, that he tried to take his life due to an unwelcoming meeting with his family. I just don't believe it."
Kirrilee and her brother believe their dad could be alive and hiding from someone or may have been murdered.
"I'm not too sure why he didn't really want us in his life, but at the end of the day, he's still my dad and I want to know what happened and have a bit of closure."
In New South Wales, a missing person case is referred to the coroner when the investigating police believe the missing person is dead or when no further inquiries can be made about whether they are alive or not.
Family members can be kept up to date about the investigation by keeping in contact with police.
"Realising that we weren't notified about the coroner's court, it definitely hurt," Kirrilee said.
"We are his only children so it just felt really, really strange that we weren't notified."
Only recently, Kirrilee's aunt Carolyn Neilsen received a phone call from a woman who wanted to tell her about a strange encounter she'd had with Wells at a Muswelbrook pub before he went missing.
The woman said Wells had seemed afraid of another woman at the venue and that the encounter had been on her mind for years.
"I don't know if it's a lead or anything, it was super random but I thought, wow, someone is speaking out now, after all this time, so I wanted to get the story out there again."
Do you have a story? Contact reporter Rebecca Masters at rmasters@nine.com.au
A spokesman for NSW Police told 9news.com.au that as Wells' remains have not been located, he is still listed as a missing person.
"Police will investigate any new leads and urge anyone who might have information about Garry's disappearance to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000," the spokesman said.
Going missing is not a crime. If you have been reported as a missing person and make contact with police, your privacy will be maintained.
If you have information about a missing person contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.
