A NECKLACE that could have helped locate Terry Floyd, last seen in 1975 and believed murdered, was never forensically analysed.
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Daryl Floyd said he found the necklace at the Avoca mineshaft where he believes his brother’s body was dumped by a known local paedophile.
Mr Floyd has spent tens of thousands of dollars excavating the mineshaft in the hope of finding his brother’s remains.
He said he sent the necklace, similar to one his brother wore, to Melbourne for analysis late 2010 and was told it had no DNA traces, despite the fact it had been recently handled by two people. He said the envelope was returned unopened, the seal still intact.
Mr Floyd said the incident was just one example of the case being bungled by police over the past 37 years, with only one detective keeping the case alive.
“I have full faith in Ron Iddles, who is investigating the matter,” he said.
“He has gone beyond the call of duty of what’s needed, he’s been nothing short of brilliant.
“But I’ve lost a lot of faith in the Victorian police department, the organisation.”
Mr Floyd said he had worked with police over the years but was sick of inaction.
Police and the state government have said they will no longer support Mr Floyd’s excavation efforts.
“I’ve been pussyfooting around for too long now,” he said.
“The number one thing is to find my brother.
“To be told to shut up and keep my mouth shut, I can’t keep doing that anymore.”
But police have said the investigation remains active and will only be worked on if new information is uncovered.
Detective Senior Sergeant Iddles said there was no direct evidence that indicated Terry Floyd was in the mine shaft.
“Everything that can be done has been done in an effort to charge the person of interest,” he said.
A police spokeswoman said forensic assistance would be provided if the body was found.
She said it was unlikely the necklace would have been useful.
“A necklace was found within the first 25 metres of the original dig, which went down 75 metres,” the spokeswoman said.
“Several people handled the necklace prior to it being given to police.
“Due to the significant number of unrelated people touching the necklace, it was determined the testing of the necklace was unlikely to be of use in the investigation.”
Mr Floyd is organising a fund-raiser in Ballarat on
November 30 to enable him to continue his search.