Cold Case Files

Dylan Blair often wonders why police refused to listen to him in the days and weeks after his father Kerry disappeared in March 2014. The seasoned fisherman could be heard regularly telling anyone who would listen that he was “living the dream in paradise” by working in a secluded bay in New Zealand’s Marlborough Sounds. The 55-year-old was also a stickler for following the rules of the sea and the first one is to always tell someone where you’re going. That’s why Dylan can’t understand why his father’s boat was found drifting about 90 nautical miles off New Plymouth – about 340km away from where he supposedly set off from.

The story goes that Kerry told the caretaker who worked on the island that he was taking his boat to go and get some fish and chips. The offer was made to her to accompany him, but she said she declined this request. Dylan didn’t know anything was awry until he received a call from his sister. She told her brother she had been trying to get in contact with her father and had been told he set off a day earlier and hadn’t been seen or heard from since. “She asked me if I had heard from dad recently and I told her I had been talking to him on Friday.” As she spoke the words, a shiver ran down Dylan’s spine. “As she asked that question – I don’t know why – but I thought something was wrong.”

Dylan says he heard a number of different versions of the caretaker’s story, which was a redflag. He began to think about some of the recent conversations he had shared with his dad and remembered one about a man with links to his boss. Dylan said he got the feeling his dad knew too much about some criminal undertakings. The man had been known to frequent the secluded bay where Kerry worked. “Dad had talked about how he didn’t like that guy and called him an unwanted visitor whenever he was there,” Dylan said.” Dad was one of those people who would probably talk about things and then think ‘oh shit I probably shouldn’t be talking about that. “I’m guessing dad knew too much.”

Dylan said he felt like the police did little to search for his father in the days after his disappearance. “The police reckon he shot himself and has gone over the side,” he said.” But there was no trace of blood, no trace of a shotgun, no trace of a shell – nothing.” Dylan said it was three or four days before police agreed to send a plane to look for Kerry’s missing vessel. When they finally did spot it, they sent a boat and circled it for 20 minutes, sounding the horn. “They got no response so they left it,” Dylan said. He was beyond shocked and angered by this. “I said what is he has collapsed and is lying on the floor and needs assistance?”

In the years that have passed, Dylan has heard whispers that his dad may have had an altercation with someone in the Bay before he disappeared. “There’s no evidence that dad left on the boat – just that the boat left,” he said. Dylan said he would continue to search for answers even though he believes the police have no interest in doing so. “If the roles were reversed my old man wouldn’t stop until he found out the truth,” he said. “I feel obliged to turn around and do the same for him.”

Dylan said 2019 had probably been the hardest. “I always hold on to a glimmer of hope that day may return but now that five years have passed it seems less likely.” He urged anyone with information to come forward. “It’s not going to bring the old man back but I would appreciate anyone involved to confess.”

Until then, he feels like he is locked in limbo. “It’s kind of hard because you’ve got nowhere to go to mourn,” Dylan said.