For over ten years, Cathy Wood has grappled with a haunting question: “What happened to Dad?”
Cathy’s father, Richard Wood, an accomplished sailor, went missing after leaving for a sailing trip. He had moved from Canberra to Brisbane for work and had sent routine emails to Cathy and her brother, which gave no indication of any trouble.
Mr. Wood served as a senior official in the Commonwealth Treasury from the 1990s until 2001 and represented Australia at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He was later promoted to assistant secretary of the department’s special projects unit in 1997.
Remembering her father, Cathy described him as a hardworking individual who dedicated long hours to his job. After resigning from the Treasury in 2001, he was working as a private consultant and lecturing in macroeconomics when he vanished.
His boat was discovered moored in Moreton Bay, Queensland, but there was no sign of him. The police called off the search after eight days, prompting a coronial inquest into his disappearance.
“My dad was a gentle, kind, and brilliant man who was very devoted to his family,” Cathy reflected. “It’s a question I think about every single day, and the lack of a clear answer is challenging.” She expressed the emotional burden of living with continuous uncertainty about her father’s fate, describing it as a source of profound distress.
This experience has led Cathy to feel what psychologists term “ambiguous loss,” a deep sense of grief without closure. According to Lauren O’Keeffe, CEO of The Missed Foundation, such situations create a mental struggle as families ruminate over every possible scenario regarding their missing loved ones. Ambiguous loss is regarded as one of the most traumatic forms of grief.
In Australia, over 49,000 reports of missing persons were filed last year, averaging one report every 11 minutes. Crime Stoppers Australia defines a missing person as someone whose whereabouts are unknown and for whom there are concerns for their safety.
While most cases are resolved within a week, there were 2,827 individuals who remained missing for over three months as of the end of 2025, categorized as ‘long-term missing.’ For families of these individuals, finding specialized support can be a challenge.
Cathy mentioned that after her father’s case, the only support offered was an opportunity to visit the site where his boat was found, which did little to provide ongoing comfort. In her search for help, she felt she had exhausted available resources.
Her situation led her to discover The Missed Foundation, founded by O’Keeffe, who started the organization to provide the support her own family needed when her brother disappeared in 2011. O’Keeffe recalled the lack of guidance from authorities during her brother’s disappearance, which motivated her to create a platform for assistance.
Initially launched under the name ‘Dan Come Home,’ the initiative evolved into the Missing Persons Advocacy Network and rebranded as The Missed Foundation in 2023 to better represent its mission. The foundation offers a range of services from specialized counseling and legal advice to public awareness campaigns aimed at humanizing missing individuals and supporting their families.
O’Keeffe emphasized that their focus is on long-term cases, which often lack support as police resources dwindle and media interest fades. The Missed Foundation aims to assist families during what is often their most challenging time.
Cathy expressed that connecting with someone who understands her experience brings a sense of relief, knowing she is not alone in her struggle. Meanwhile, O’Keeffe revealed that The Missed Foundation is currently collaborating with around 100 families across Australia, each facing unique circumstances and needs.
O’Keeffe noted that they are also receiving inquiries from government agencies, law enforcement, and healthcare professionals who seek guidance on how to support families dealing with the complexities of ambiguous loss, highlighting the need for trained specialists in this area.
