It has now been more than 46 years since 12-year-old Maryborough boy Terry Floyd was last seen alive.
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A coroner determined in 2001 that Terry was murdered, but his body has not been found and no one has been charged in relation to his disappearance.
For many years, North East man Daryl Floyd has fought to find answers to his brother's fate.
He wants to continue to raise awareness around the rising number of missing Australians along with educating the community on the hardships placed on family members.
This week marks National Missing Persons Week and Mr Floyd said it was an important week for all family members and friends of missing Australians.
"For me, this week is about raising awareness of so many missing Australians and especially in Victoria," he said.
"The numbers of long term missing people are increasing each year."
Mr Floyd said it was important to raise awareness of missing persons but also of the heartache families encounter on a daily basis.
IN OTHER NEWS:
More than 100 Australians are reported missing every day. Of these, between two to five per cent become long-term missing and research shows at least 12 of their loved ones are directly affected by their disappearance.
The rate of Australians being reported missing increased by more than 25 per cent in the past year, which saw many impacted by lockdown and restrictions as a result of COVID-19.
Mr Floyd frequently travels from the North East to the area he believes his late brother's body was dumped.
"Unfortunately families are the ones that carry the burden of finding answers and they always live in hope," he said.
"It doesn't seem to be enough to help families, they always want answers and I believe a lot more could be done to help and support them."
Seeing support was few and far between, Mr Floyd created a support group more than 10 years ago for family members of missing loved ones. He said there are about 14 different family units as part of the group.
"It's so important to have this support because what you endure and go through on a day-to-day basis is very hard to explain," he said.
"No one wants to be apart of this group but we understand each others' pain and torture and it does help for that reason.
"With family members, we never give up hope and that's something that family members do hold onto and that hope is about finding answers."
If you have any information on missing persons, please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Support for families and friends can be found at www.missingpersons.gov.au
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