Family of missing schoolboy Terry Floyd accuse government of breaking promise

The brother of a schoolboy who disappeared 50 years ago has accused the Victorian government of breaking its public promise to fund the search for his remains.

Terry Floyd was 12 years old when he went missing from the side of a highway in Avoca in the Central Highlands in 1975.

A coronial inquest in 2001 found Terry was abducted and murdered, but his body has never been recovered.

There is credible evidence to suggest his remains were dumped down a nearby disused goldmine.

For more than a decade, volunteers have been excavating the site, which had been used as a tip by locals.

In 2017, then-premier Daniel Andrews made a pledge to the Floyd family that the Labor government would fund their operation to "finally bring Terry home".

But the victim's younger brother, Daryl Floyd, has revealed to the ABC that he has been ghosted by Premier Jacinta Allan and her police minister, Anthony Carbines, for the past year, putting a stop to the search.

Mr Floyd said his family deserved a straight answer.

"You live a lifetime not knowing what happened to your brother, and all you want are answers — some truth. Yet this government can't even give a simple yes or no," he said.

Emails and letters, seen by the ABC, to both Ms Allan and Mr Carbines show Mr Floyd's multiple requests for the promised funding have either been handballed between departments or ignored entirely.

Retired homicide detective Charlie Bezzina, who reinvestigated the case for Mr Floyd, told the ABC the government's broken promise had "ripped the guts out" of the family.

"This is the abduction and murder of a 12-year-old boy," Mr Bezzina said.

"All we are asking is for the government to fulfil their promise."

The premier's office refused to respond to the ABC's questions.

Years of waiting, cancelled meetings and 'empty assurances'

Daryl Floyd has spent much of his adult life searching for his older brother's remains.

It's the pain of not knowing that drives him. But finding Terry's remains is also the key to cracking open the case.

In June, Victoria Police revealed that new evidence had been unearthed and a new inquest brief submitted to the coroner.

Both Mr Floyd and experienced homicide detectives believe Terry's body was likely dumped down a disused mineshaft about 500 metres from where the schoolboy was last sighted.

The theory is strongly backed by Mr Bezzina, who has worked on the case as a private investigator since 2011.

"I'm certainly very confident we are looking in the right place," Mr Bezzina said.

"But until we get to the bottom of the mineshaft, we cannot walk away from it. It's the only credible location to date as to where Terry could be."

Mr Floyd had spent more than $120,000 of his own money, along with donations from the public and financial support from Victoria Police, when the Labor government stepped in with its offer.

"Then-premier Daniel Andrews rang me and said the government would continue to help fund the search to finally bring my best mate home," Mr Floyd said.

"It was a huge relief knowing I wasn't going to run out of money again."

The former premier was quoted in multiple media outlets at the time stating: "We want to ensure that the focus remains on finding Terry and not on finding the money to do so.

"That's why I promised to Daryl that we would continue to help fund the search to finally bring Terry home," he said.

But since the pandemic delayed the search, and Ms Allan became premier in September 2023, the government has seemingly reneged on its promise.

"Now we find ourselves in the position that we're out of funds and the government won't even respond to my pleas," Mr Floyd said.

"After everything, it feels like they've forgotten that this is about a child who deserves to be found."

The ABC asked the premier's office about Mr Floyd's concerns that his family was being dismissed and ignored by the government.

A spokesperson did not answer the question and responded with a statement that said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with Daryl Floyd and the family of Terry Floyd.

"Any further investigation into the disappearance of Terry Floyd is a matter for Victoria Police," the statement said.

In his letter to Ms Allan in September, Mr Floyd wrote that "After years of waiting, meetings cancelled, and empty assurances, I feel as though my family — and Terry — have been forgotten.

"Premier, I appeal to you not only in your capacity as the leader of this state, but also as a mother," he said.

"My mother lived her life heartbroken at the loss of her little boy. 

Several significant items of interest have so far been recovered from the mine shaft, including a small shoe that matched the size Terry was wearing and a sterling silver necklace like the one he wore.

"These discoveries have reinforced our belief that we are searching in the right location and provided us with a renewed sense of urgency and determination," Mr Floyd said.

"Given these findings, it is now absolutely essential to complete the search, as doing so has the potential to recover Terry's remains."

So far, the state government has reimbursed the family about $145,000 for the search.

Victoria Police has offered a $1 million reward for information that solves the disappearance of Terry Floyd.

Grace Tobin is an unpaid ambassador of a charity founded by Daryl Floyd in memory of his brother, Terry. The charity provides food aid and educational support to disadvantaged children in rural and isolated communities and is not connected to the search for Terry's remains.