source : the age
Detectives have travelled interstate and arrested a man who may have been involved in the “suspicious disappearance” of a St Kilda football star’s brother – just two weeks after concluding he was likely to have been the victim of foul play.
Brendan Breen – brother of football star Barry Breen – was last seen with his girlfriend at the Hilton hotel in South Wharf on April 12, 2012, where the pair had been staying after flying back from a three-week holiday in Thailand and Singapore.
Last month, police investigating his disappearance said a recent re-examination of his case had led them to believe Breen was likely to have been the victim of foul play.
On Wednesday, police confirmed detectives from the missing persons squad had travelled to Queensland and arrested a 42-year-old Brisbane man. He was interviewed and released, pending further inquiries. No charges have been laid.
Breen, a father of two, who was unemployed at the time and staying at different addresses, was due to catch up for dinner with his ex-partner the night he disappeared, but cancelled at the last minute via text message. He was never seen or heard from again.
The convicted fraudster also went by the surnames Green and Lacombe, and the alias Brian Green. His family reported him missing the following month, having grown increasingly concerned about his welfare when he failed to attend his daughter’s wedding.
Breen is a member of a large and supportive extended family that includes brother Barry, who famously kicked the last-gasp behind in the 1966 grand final that led St Kilda to its only ever flag, and several other siblings.
Suspicions among his loved ones that something was badly wrong grew in 2018, when Breen did not attend his daughter’s funeral. His phone and bank accounts have not been accessed since 2012.
“Despite a number of inquiries over the next few years, Brendan could not be located,” police said on Wednesday.
“Over the past 14 years, police have spoken to a range of Brendan’s friends and associates in an effort to try and determine his whereabouts, who may be involved in his disappearance and any possible motivation for causing him harm.”
With Marta Pascual Juanola and Sarah Danckert
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