By Melissa Blewitt

Twenty-seven years after Condobolin man James Earl Patrick Rice disappeared, his family is still waiting for answers.
National Missing Persons Week (NMPW) aims to raise national awareness in the hope that the Australian community can help connect the missing pieces of the puzzle. It during the first week of August each year.
Mr Rice was last seen in July 1999 when a neighbour dropped him off near his property at Condobolin. Family and friends became concerned after they had not heard from him for an extended period, something they said was completely out of character.
Aged 66 at the time of his disappearance, Mr Rice was described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 175 centimetres tall, with an olive complexion, brown hair and brown eyes.
A coronial inquest in 2006 found Mr Rice had died, but the circumstances surrounding his death could not be determined.
Police renewed their appeal for information in 2022 after establishing Strike Force Jungarra in September 2021 following new information about the case. His disappearance is now being treated as suspicious.
Police are also continuing to seek information about the disappearance of Ronald Pye, who vanished almost 60 years ago.
Mr Pye, then aged 33, was last seen by family in the Condobolin area in 1966. It is believed he later travelled to the Hervey Bay area of Queensland but has not been seen or heard from since. At the time of his disappearance, he was described as having brown hair and a fair complexion.
Another long-running investigation is the disappearance of Judith Young from Gunningbland, west of Parkes.
Ms Young was last seen on Sunday, December 5, 1999, after purchasing a Palomino mare and returning home to Gunningbland, about 25 kilometres west of Parkes.
She would now be 66 years old. At the time she disappeared, she was described as about 160 centimetres tall, with a solid build, brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.
An inquest into her disappearance and suspected death was held in the NSW Coroner’s Court at Glebe in 2015. Magistrate Sharon Freund found that Ms Young died sometime after December 5, 1999, but made an open finding on the cause and manner of her death before referring the matter to the Unsolved Homicide Squad.
The inquest heard Ms Young’s disappearance was not reported to police until 25 August, 2001, when her brother, William Henry, raised concerns after not hearing from her for about two years.
Police are also appealing for information about Max William Day, who disappeared in 2017.
Mr Day was last seen on the Newell Highway near Parkes and would now be 62 years old. At the time of his disappearance, he was described as about 170 centimetres tall, with a medium build, grey hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion.
According to the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre, Mr Day left his Peak Hill home on January 7, 2017. His green Ford Fairmont was later found abandoned in Forbes.
On January 25, 2017, he was picked up while hitchhiking near Forbes before being dropped at the Gooloogong Caravan Park. Police believe, but have not confirmed, that he was later seen hitchhiking at a truck stop on the Newell Highway about 10 kilometres north of Parkes on February 5, 2017.
He has not been seen or heard from since, and police hold serious concerns for his welfare.
Anyone with information about the disappearances of James Rice, Ronald Pye, Judith Young or Max Day is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.