By CASEY NEILL
IT’S been almost three months since Jake Lyons mysteriously left his Dandenong North home.
His father Rick went out with friends on 25 August and returned to find his Scullin Street house unlocked and the gas stove on.
There was no sign of 20-year-old Jake and he hasn’t contacted family or friends since.
Rick, Jake’s sister Janessa, 19, and cousin Kim last Wednesday made an impassioned plea for him to come home – or at least let them know he’s OK.
Kim said he was suffering from depression and “wasn’t in a good place” before he disappeared.
“He’s either not with us,” she said, choking back tears, “or he’s gone somewhere else to work.”
“He mentioned going to a rural area and just, basically, hiding away, in a quiet town with not many people.
“He didn’t like being around crowds.”
Kim described Jake as very intelligent, caring, thoughtful and loving.
“It’s hard for us to get on with our lives because we don’t know where he is,” she said.
“We really hope that if someone sees him they can please just contact the police, just to let us know he’s OK.”
Rick said his son had “a strong character” and was sorely missed.
“Just having his presence there and knowing he’s safe and he’s got somewhere warm to sleep,” he said.
“Not knowing that is what tears you apart inside.”
Rick said Janessa, who has cerebral palsy, hadn’t said much about her brother’s disappearance.
“I spoke to her a few weeks ago and I said ‘pray for Jake, pray for him to come home safely’,” he said.
“She said ‘I’m really worried about Jake now, Dad’.
“But then she turns around and she says ‘don’t worry, Dad, he’ll be alright, he’ll come home’.
“It made me shed a tear.”
Greater Dandenong CIU Detective Sergeant Hayes described Jake’s disappearance as “an unusual case” and said he’d never gone missing before.
He said police had interviewed his friends and family, and Jake had not accessed his bank account.
“We’re here for you,” Rick said.
“We love you and we miss you. We’re worried sick about you.”
Jake is described as Caucasian and 178 centimetres tall with a medium build and straight brown hair.
He was last seen wearing green-coloured jeans, a blue jumper and black runners.
Det Sgt Hayes urged anyone who saw Jake to immediately call triple zero.
