LAKE Macquarie police conducted operations in bushland on Bayview Street, Warners Bay as the search was renewed for missing man Patrick Thaidy.
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"Today's efforts will focus on aerial searching of bush using drone technology," Detective Acting Inspector Nathan Costello said on Tuesday.
"We also have officers from Police Rescue squad who will access quite steep, clifflike terrain with abseiling equipment."
Mr Thaidy was last seen at his Delasala Drive home in Macquarie Hills about 12am on December 6, 2020.
Police have since released CCTV footage which captured Mr Thaidy on Macquarie Road, Cardiff, at about 9.25am. Nathan Costello said police have identified Mr Thaidy in further CCTV footage on Bayview Street before 11am the same day.
"There's no information that foul play is involved so we've eliminated that as a line of enquiry. Mr Thaidy is 60 years of age and does suffer dementia so we are exploring misadventure," he said.
"Mr Thaidy had been reported on a number of prior occasions wandering the streets of Cardiff, Warners Bay and Macquarie Hills."
Police have also explored "possible sightings" of Mr Thaidy around the Sydney area which, Mr Costello said, have so for "not proven successful".
"Mr Thaidy does have prior connections to the Redfern area of Sydney and to the Wollongong, Lake Illawarra region."
According to Mr Costello, police had conducted a "land search" of the bushland on Bayview Street prior to Tuesday's operation.
"This search included a cadaver dog and identified some quite inaccessible areas which today's search will focus on," he said.
"We have about a dozen officers from Police Rescue operations who will abseil down the cliff ravines."
Amid a community search in January, Mr Thaidy's children Jessie and Tyrone said they felt thankful and proud so many people wanted to help bring their father home.
"He's quite a gentle man, a funny man, a great father," Tyrone said.
"He achieved so much in his life, suffered enough, but in the end he's still a humble unbroken man in this cruel world."
Nathan Costello said as well as being a "much loved family member" Mr Thaidy is well know in the community.
"He is very well regarded in the indigenous community and we would like to bring closure to his family where we possibly can," he said.
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