General News
27 June, 2024
Push for justice continues 49 years on
Today marks nearly half a century since Maryborough boy Terry Floyd went missing, but unlike the last five decades, 2024 could finally be the year of resolution for the boy’s family. That’s what Terry’s brother, Daryl is hoping for. On this...
Today marks nearly half a century since Maryborough boy Terry Floyd went missing, but unlike the last five decades, 2024 could finally be the year of resolution for the boy’s family.
That’s what Terry’s brother, Daryl is hoping for.
On this date, 49 years ago, back in 1975, the 12-year-old boy disappeared — he was last seen on the Pyrenees Highway, about five-kilometres out of Maryborough.
Since then, a colossal amount of work has been undertaken by Daryl to preserve his brother’s legacy and to seek out answers — with the latter now potentially within arm’s reach.
“We’re closer now than ever before,” Daryl said.
“June 28 is a [painful] anniversary, but at the same time, it feels like the resolution is near.
“We hope that by the time we come around to the 50th anniversary of Terry’s disappearance, we will finally be able to put everything to air and that everyone will know what happened.”
While optimistic about the future, it’s a “struggle” to keep fighting the good fight, Daryl said.
“But you do what you have to,” he said.
“Even in the middle of all of it, the Terry Floyd Foundation is still going from strength to strength since it started in 2019 — and we believe that although Terry didn’t get a chance to live out his childhood dreams, through the foundation, other kids are, and that’s his legacy.”
The philanthropic work and the push for justice keeps Daryl resolute but he is also contending with a significant amount of trauma.
Soon after Terry was abducted, The Advertiser at the time reported that police “brought Daryl Floyd who is very similar to his missing brother” and they had him “stand on the side of the Pyrenees Highway...at the spot Terrence was last seen”.
“At least on six occasions I’ve had to put on clothes similar to what Terry was wearing — they would come get me from school and they would dress me in the attire,” Daryl said.
“At one point I was taken to the Pentridge prison and I still remember that cold chilling feeling.
“When I was going through that, even though I was a child, I knew my brother had gone missing and I thought the same thing was going to happen to me — I remember it like it was yesterday, it’s so traumatic and I can go back to that moment in the blink of an eye.”
Although these distressing memories may never go away, Daryl believes bringing the person responsible to justice could ease the pain.
And helping with that is retired homicide detective Charlie Bezzina, who took on the case as a private investigator last year.
“I have already submitted a report with a number of recommendations to the Missing Persons Squad,” Mr Bezzina said.
“Now I’m hoping they’ll take a certain line of inquiry in relation to my report — we’re waiting to hear back from them so we find those answers and find Terry’s remains.”
Anyone with information regarding Terry’s disappearancecan contact findingterryfloyd@gmail.com
