Rumours have run wild since loving father Richard Roe, caught up in the dark underworld of Darwin's murky drug scene, disappeared without a trace almost a decade ago.
Police found the front door of the 40-year-old's home chained and bolted shut with small blood drops on the floor, the lights left on and the air conditioning still whizzing cold air – but no sign of life.
An extensive air and land search through the bush turned up no trace and a $250,000 reward for information still stands, leaving Mr Roe's family reeling from the unknown.
Was Richard Roe murdered — or did he simply wander off into the expansive Northern Territory bushland?
A three-day inquest in Darwin has this week aimed to answer this question.
But at it's conclusion, Mr Roe's family saythey are still no closer to an answer.
Mr Roe's cousin Theresa Roe says there won't be closure until his body is found.
"He had a dark side to his life, but he's a beautiful person, and there's a lot of things to celebrate about his life," she said.
"For our family, to listen and hear about the [drug] underbelly in Darwin is really significant.
"I think there's an epidemic here that a lot of people probably are not aware of.
"This ice and meth doesn't discriminate, it affects a lot of families and it's causing a lot of damage."
NT police cold case investigator Glen Chatto has spent years retracing Mr Roe's last steps.
He told the coronerMr Roe was last seen near the turn-off to the scenic rural holiday spot Lake Bennett, an hour south of Darwin, on November 2, 2016 after his car broke down.
He said some residents recalled seeing a man working on the car, while others saw him carrying a blue Esky.
A formal missing person's report was made by Mr Roe's mother about 20 days later.
"It became apparent we were looking at a high-risk missing person … that Richard was involved in drug use, elevated the risk," Senior Sergeant Chatto told coroner Stephen Geary.
Over 11 days inDecember 2016, the NT's elite police force carried out extensive searches and drones scoured the air – but nothing was found.
"We were searching for body parts, keys, batteries," Senior Sergeant Chatto said.
He conceded that the search, despite an abundance of resources, did not cover all ground.
But in the absence of bank account withdrawals and Centrelink payments, Senior Sergeant Chatto said there was no doubt Mr Roe was dead.
"I can't rule out suspicious circ*mstances … we have established potential motives and there are people who want to harm Richard," he said.
"But right now, in the absence of credible information, or anyone coming forward … I think it's quite credible that he's potentially wandered off."
Over three days, the coronerheard from members of Darwin's aging drug cartel, Mr Roe's former prison mates and his then-partner.
Peter Reid, who evaded the hearing for over a day and was eventually seized by police and brought in, told the coroner that Mr Roe, who he's known his entire life, had been earning between $1,000 and $6,000 a day selling drugs and using up to two grams of meth a day.
Mr Reid said Mr Roe owed money to a number of people including the Hells Angels and Rebels bikie gangs and was on edge in the days before his disappearance because "he thought someone was after him".
He said rumours Mr Roe had been "hacked into pieces" and dumped in the Adelaide River and that his body had been left in a "barrel of acid" had spread like wildfire after he went missing.
A number of witnesses testified that Mr Roe was debt collecting for former meth dealer Jeffrey "Kenny" Drennan – who, during questioning, denied the association or that he had anything to do with Mr Roe's disappearance.
Counsel assisting the coroner Sally Ozolins also quizzed former rural area drug dealer Wayne Purtell over whether he killed Mr Roe.
She said the inquest had received some evidence the pair had a fight and Mr Roe was buried at his property.
"That's definitely rumour … people are talking s**t," Mr Purtell told the coroner.
Mr Roe's former partner, Margaret Hewitt, with whom he had a tumultuous and violent relationship centred around meth, told the coroner that he would often go on aimless drives and walk long distances.
For Theresa Roe, there's no doubt in her mind that a murder took place and she wants the reward for information raised to encourage those who know what happened to break their silence.
"I think he would have been found by now if he had disappeared in the bush," she said at the conclusion of the inquest.
The coroner is expected to hand down his findings before the end of the year.
