Stewart Willis, 63, was last seen at his Colombo Street home in late July, 2023. Photo: Supplied / NZ police
Before a quiet Christchurch man seemingly vanished from his St Albans home a note was left on his front door with only the word "farm" scrawled across it.
Stewart Willis, 63, left all of his belongings inside his rented house - a unit tucked between others, on Colombo Street, on or about 24 July, 2023, police have said.
There had been no sign of him since, leaving those in the neighbourhood to wonder whether he left to start a new life or if his body was lying somewhere undiscovered.
When Willis first disappeared, police said they had concerns for his welfare, but more than a year on, police confirmed the search for Willis was not currently active.
A police spokesperson said if any new information was given to police about Willis it would be investigated as it was received.
Willis lived in a block of four flats, in a small unit down a long driveway. His former landlord, who did not want to be named, described him as a "quiet man" who seemed to become more reclusive in the last few months before he disappeared.
Willis lived in a unit down this driveway, on St Albans' Colombo Street, in Christchurch. Photo: Google Maps
The landlord said she did not know of Willis having any close friends or family who would visit, so she was unsure who to contact about his belongings, including his car.
"He left all his belongings here. Eventually the tenancy tribunal ruled we were allowed to clear out the unit and we did end up finding an old will inside the house saying he wanted everything to be left to his dad and sister."
The landlord did not know the names of his dad and sister, and was unsure whether police had managed to get in touch with them.
"Stewart was a nice man, he kept to himself and we never had any issues with him as a tenant."
Where did Willis go?
Initially, the landlord said she and her husband assumed Willis had died, but that changed when police mentioned it was believed he had been spotted near Mount Prospect in Southland's Te Anau on 26 October 2023.
"Police said they thought he could still be in the Southland area, and hearing that really changed my outlook on things. I'm not so sure anymore.
"I think it is possible he is alive down there living under the radar. If he is alive he's wasted a lot of police time and resources as well as our own."
The landlord said she had not heard any updates on the case from police since 2023.
Despite the police not actively searching for Willis now, the spokesperson urged anyone who did have information that could help assist in the case to contact police by calling 105, and quoting the file number 230807/7610.
If Willis was still alive, he would be turning 65-years-old at the end of January.
