DEVELOPING: Police Intensify Missing Mum Probe as Ex-Partner Faces Court on Separate Charges and Is Confronted Over Her Disappearance
The ex-partner of a missing Queensland mother said he had ‘no idea’ of her whereabouts when questioned about her mysterious disappearance by a news team outside court while facing unrelated charges.
Jana Armstrong, 30, was last seen at a unit on Gordon Avenue in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown, in south-east Queensland, on Tuesday, July 7.
Her white Hyundai Kona was found on the corner of Jellicoe Street and Gordon Avenue about 6am on Wednesday.
Dharminder Singh, a former partner of Ms Armstrong, is one of several people linked to Ms Armstrong who police said is assisting with the investigation.
While appearing at a court for unrelated charges on Friday, he was approached by 7News about whether he had any idea where she is.
‘Who?’ he said. When the reporter named Ms Armstrong, he said: ‘I have no idea. No idea.’
Police have said there are no suspects in their investigation.
A friend told the Daily Mail Ms Armstrong had shared brunch with her younger sister, Faith Isaacs, whose newborn daughter is terminally ill, on Tuesday morning, hours before her disappearance.
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Jana Armstrong, 30, was last seen at a unit on Gordon Avenue in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown, in south-east Queensland, on Tuesday, July 7
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Dharminder Singh, a former partner of Ms Armstrong, is one of several people linked to Ms Armstrong who police said is assisting with the investigation
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Ms Armstrong had shared brunch with her younger sister, Faith Isaacs on Tuesday morning and police have since released CCTV footage of her arrival at the cafe
CCTV from the meet-up was released by police on Friday, showing her arriving and parking at a cafe to see her sister.
Dressed in a green-and-white striped Country Road shirt, jeans and thongs, the mother can be seen pushing her four-month-old son, Deshal, in a pram.
She can then be seen holding her baby while walking through the cafe.
‘We hope that Jana’s still alive, but we have serious concerns about her welfare at this point in time,’ Darling Downs District Acting Detective Inspector Brian Collins said on Friday.
‘It’s very alarming that a 30-year-old woman with a four-month-old child disappears overnight … We are suspicious of the way in which she has disappeared.’
Det Insp Collins said it was also concerning that Ms Armstrong’s car was then discovered unlocked and parked in the middle of a road.
In a public Facebook post on Thursday, Faith indicated she ‘strongly believes’ Ms Armstrong was the victim of foul play.
‘We’ve got an open mind because we’re conducting an investigation, and we’re trying to work out how she disappeared,’ Det Insp Collins said when asked about the claim.
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She was dressed in a green-and-white striped Country Road shirt, jeans and thongs
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Jana, left, and her sister Faith, right, were looking forward to raising their babies together
The Homicide Investigation Unit, which provides support in missing persons cases, is among the specialist police assisting the search for Ms Armstrong alongside SES crews.
Since Ms Armstrong’s disappearance, social media has been flooded with baseless speculation that she was suffering from a mental illness after giving birth to her son, Deshal, in February.
Police said Ms Armstrong was not known to them before her disappearance and there had been no concerns raised or reports made about her wellbeing.
Faith said there was no way her sister would ‘willingly leave’ Deshal and a family friend, who wished to remain anonymous, also rejected the speculation.
They said Ms Armstrong would ‘never abandon’ her sister.
‘Jana has been a brick wall for her family and basically helped raise Faith and her brother Dean after their parents died within two months of each other a few years ago,’ the friend added.
It is understood Faith, who is caring for baby Deshal as the search continues, recently moved back to Toowoomba from Townsville with her family to be closer to Jana.
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Darling Downs District Acting Detective Inspector Brian Collins said police have serious concerns for Ms Armstrong’s welfare
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The Homicide Investigation Unit, which provides support in missing persons cases, is among the specialist police assisting the search for Ms Armstrong alongside SES crews
‘They were both pregnant at the same time,’ the friend said.
Faith underwent an emergency caesarean section in Toowoomba after suffering a placental abruption on May 7.
When her daughter, Lehara Jill Isaacs, was born, she was given the devastating news the baby had suffered severe brain damage and would be placed on palliative care.
Now Faith is grappling with the unthinkable: a terminally ill newborn, a missing sister and caring for her young nephew, who police said is safe and well.
Concerned for her sister, Faith said in a social media post that Ms Armstrong’s disappearance is ‘completely out of character for her’.
‘She would never just disappear, and she would never willingly leave her son,’ she said.
‘Being a mum is the most important thing to her, which is why we’re so incredibly worried.
‘We are asking everyone to please check your backyards, nearby gullies, creeks, bushland, and anywhere someone may not be easily seen. She has to be somewhere, and we’re desperately hoping someone can help us find her.’
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Ms Armstrong’s white Hyundai Kona was found on the corner of Jellicoe Street and Gordon Avenue about 6am on Wednesday
Det Insp Collins confirmed Ms Armstrong’s family, associates and the father of her son, who she is understood not to be in a relationship with, are cooperating with police.
Forensic investigators descended on the Gordon Avenue unit on Wednesday afternoon, which is understood to be Jana’s home.
Authorities scoured an area along Tabletop Drive at Rangeville on Friday after conducting extensive searches of Black Gully Reserve at Newtown on Thursday.
Ms Armstrong’s white Hyundai is believed to have travelled through several locations around Toowoomba on the evening of July 7.
As a result, investigators have asked for the public’s help to identify the vehicle’s movements and appealed for information, relevant CCTV footage and dashcam vision from several locations during that night.
This includes Tabletop Drive between 9pm and 10pm, Preston Road in Preston around 10pm, and Charker Street in Darling Heights at around 10.15pm.
Police have also asked for information or footage from the public from Gordon Avenue in Newtown between 3am and 5am on July 8.
Anyone with information on Ms Armstrong’s whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15969703/missing-mum-jana-armstrong-toowoomba-queensland.html
