Police seek Jorgensen ‘to assist inquiries’

Press, 26 December 1984, Page 1

Police seek Jorgensen ‘to assist inquiries’

The police announced yesterday that they are seeking the missing convicted murderer, Ronald Jorgensen, to “assist them with certain inquiries.” Detective Inspector Neville Stokes, who is heading the inquiry that began when Jorgensen’s wrecked car was found at the foot of a 20m cliff just south of Kaikoura a week ago apparently pushed over by another vehicle, said, “There is no evidence to suggest that he has been murdered. “All the evidence we have found so far is inconsistent with his having been in the car when it went over the cliff. We cannot be absolutely certain, but we don’t believe he was in the car.” Mr Stokes declined to specify what the police wanted to interview Jorgensen about, but it was clear it was in addition to any parole offences with which Jorgensen may be charged. Several associates of Jorgensen have already been

charged with receiving stolen property after the police recovered between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of goods in Kaikoura, mainly television and video equipment from Christchurch. A Kaikoura woman was arrested in Christchurch yesterday, charged with cultivating cannabis at Kaikoura. Mr Stokes said yesterday that further arrests' were probable. Inquiries were continuing in Christchurch and Kaikoura. Jorgensen, who has been convicted of murder, drug dealing, and receiving stolen goods in a long life of crime, was last seen in Kaikoura on the evening of Monday, December 17. Mr Stokes said that the last time Jorgensen was heard from was when he telephoned a Christchurch person from Kaikoura at 10.45 p.m. the next day. His car was found on Wednesday morning by a local fisherman. Under the terms of his

parole he was not allowed to leave Kaikoura without the permission of his probation officer, the local policeman. “The car was not tampered with in any way,” said Mr Stokes. He has declined to speculate publicly on what has happened to Jorgensen, but agreed yesterday with a reporter’s suggestion that there were only three possibilities: that Jorgensen had had an accident, that he had been murdered, or that his car had been pushed over the cliff to make it look like an accident. He added, “If the accident theory is ruled out, that leaves' only two possibilities, and our inquiries reveal nothing whatsoever to cause us to commence a homicide inquiry.” All four doors of the car were jammed shut when it’ was found. “Because the roof was crushed in we believe that anybody inside would have been jammed

in. The car landed at the base of the cliff. It obviously wasn’t travelling at any speed when it went over. “The angle of the wheel marks on the shingle verge doesn’t relate to the road traffic flow and is not consistent with a car going out of control. “This one set of wheel marks leads to the edge of the cliff. Dug into them are three separate pairs of deep power marks in the shingle where it appears a vehicle has dug its driving wheels in,” said Mr Stokes. “It appears that power marks of this depth would be caused by a vehicle pressing against added resistance. Without excluding other possibilities, the power skids are consistent with one vehicle pushing another.” The police are seeking another person who may help to explain the disappearance, but will not be drawn on who it is or how they may assist.