Corrie Feehan: Mother of missing Mid West man makes emotional public appeal for help to find her son

The mother of a Mid West fisherman missing for almost six weeks is begging for answers, fearing her son could have fallen victim to foul play.

Police say Leeman man Corrie James Feehan, 47, was last seen about 9am on Saturday, April 26, paddling a blue-and-white kayak north in the Indian Ocean, off the coast near Freshwater Point in Arrowsmith.

Despite an extensive land and sea search, Mr Feehan has not been found, and inquiries are ongoing.

His mother Julie Deery made an emotional public appeal on Thursday, pleading for anyone with information to come forward.

“My son Corrie was last seen on Anzac Day,” she said.

“The next day, he was reported paddling his kayak in a northerly direction from his shack, which is approximately 14km from Leeman on the Indian Ocean.

“It was reported there was at least one person with him at the time that saw him get into his kayak and go paddling out to sea.”

Ms Deery said the person with her son had failed to report his disappearance.

Ms Deery said on Anzac Day, her son attended the dawn service before having breakfast with friends in Leeman, after which he went to the local store to buy alcohol.

Mr Feehan and his friends then returned to his shack, where they were drinking throughout the afternoon and into the evening, his mum said.

Later that night, Mr Feehan and a friend were apparently planning to go fishing but after kayaking out to Mr Feehan’s boat, moored a short distance off Leeman, its motor reportedly would not start.

Ms Deery said a witness had told police Mr Feehan then paddled off into the night in his kayak.

Mr Feehan’s employer raised the alarm after the missing man did not show up for work on April 28.

Ms Deery, who lives in Perth, fears her son has met with foul play.

“The reason I think that is because the whole shack was ransacked by the time I got there a week later, and outside, someone had raked it all,” she said.

“In the middle of the bush, you don’t rake leaves. No one does that.

“There are a few things that don’t add up.”

Police have confirmed an upturned kayak was found about 2pm on April 30 near the Abrolhos Islands, about 225km north of Leeman.

“No other items were located around the area,” a police spokesperson said.

“The kayak will form part of police inquiries.”

Ms Deery said it was not confirmed the kayak belonged to her son.

“There were a few abnormalities between the kayak they found and the one I gave Corrie. I don’t think they’re the same,” she said.

“It raises the question: where is Corrie’s kayak and where is Corrie?”

Ms Deery said her son only used his kayak to paddle out to his boat, which was close to shore, and it would have been “highly out of character” for him to venture out to sea in his kayak.

“Six weeks have elapsed since his disappearance, so someone must know something,” she said.

“I’m asking the public to please come forward and report it to Crime Stoppers or the Dongara police, even if this is done anonymously. Not knowing where he is is worse than knowing. Please help us bring him home.”

Ms Deery described her son as a “loveable ratbag” with the “most generous heart” who was a much-loved son, father, brother, uncle and boyfriend.

“He’s a happy-go-lucky person. He’s actually the life of any party. Everyone loved him. He was a hard worker, very loyal to his job. He was fun to be around, he might have given me a few grey hairs, but that’s what kids do,” she said.

Ms Deery said her nightmare began when her other son alerted her to a Facebook report about the disappearance.

“I honestly feel there’s been foul play, but this has not been proven,” she said. “It’s just how I feel. Because none of the stories are adding up.

“Corrie was a fisherman, he loves the ocean, he knew the ocean . . . he would not be so reckless as to take a kayak out into the ocean.”

Ms Deery said the ransacked state of her son’s shack left her fearing the worst.

“Corrie was very proud of his shack, he loved his shack, he would not do that,” she said.

Ms Deery said she and her family were “battling” to keep it together but were incredibly grateful for the community’s support and kind thoughts.

“Someone must know something. Without the public’s help, my son will end up being a cold case,” she said.

“We want him back. No matter how small it is, I’m hoping this will make people think. They might remember something, and I want them to come forward so we can have some sort of closure.

“I’m pleading . . . because without any new leads the (police) can’t keep investigating it.”

Ms Deery said she was a positive person and remained hopeful.

“If something happened, if he’s not with us, I’m sure I would know that. But I don’t feel that . . . I do feel something has happened but I am praying that he is out there and we will find him or we will find the truth,” she said.

Last month, police said they were “aware of community tensions in Leeman surrounding this matter” and wanted to provide reassurance the investigation was being treated as a priority as rumours swirled about Mr Feehan’s fate.

Mr Feehan is described as 175cm tall, of medium build, with green eyes, shoulder-length brown hair, a beard and a moustache.

Police are appealing to anyone who has seen Mr Feehan or has any information regarding his whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online via www.crimestopperswa.com.au.

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