Police have previously said Jayleb was last seen about 10.30pm \u201cwalking off up the stream and \u2026 never seen again\u201d.<\/p>\n
He has not been seen for 171 days, despite searchers combing the area.<\/p>\n
Police say they have exhausted search options and thoroughly investigated the case, including speaking extensively to the man Jayleb was with, who was helpful and co-operative.<\/p>\n
Police do not believe Jayleb\u2019s disappearance involved foul play, but the case remains open if new information emerges.<\/p>\n
Aaron said he is sceptical about the man\u2019s version of events. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe stuff he was saying didn\u2019t make sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Missing Tokoroa teacher Jayleb-Che Dean (left) with his brother, Aaron Dean, who is holding his daughter. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Aaron said they obtained the man\u2019s name and address and visited his Rotorua home soon after Jayleb went missing.<\/p>\n
He said the man was shocked to see them, but they spoke amicably.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just told us, \u2018oh, your brother went down in the stream and just walked off in the dark\u2019 \u2026 That didn\u2019t sit right with us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hasn\u2019t come to any searches<\/a>. I understand why, but I don\u2019t understand why,\u201d Aaron said.<\/p>\n Jayleb, whose 37th birthday is tomorrow, is an adored Tokoroa Intermediate teacher who, along with his extended Tokoroa family, belongs to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.<\/p>\n The night he disappeared, he was seen on CCTV at the Rotorua BP on Fenton St at 10.03pm. <\/p>\n Police were alerted to his disappearance on Friday, October 3, and found his car near the Hot & Cold pools on Waiotapu Loop Rd.<\/p>\n Search and Rescue teams and family members searched the bush, waterways and farmland surrounding the pools in the following weeks.<\/p>\n The search<\/a> involved air and land crews, dog teams<\/a> and drones. It was called off at the end of October.<\/p>\n Siblings meet key witness<\/p>\n Aaron said the man told them Jayleb picked him up and they stopped at the Fenton St BP before going to the pools. <\/p>\n Other people were already there.<\/p>\n Aaron claimed the man said the pair did not argue before Jayleb walked off down the stream. <\/p>\n The man sent Jayleb messages but Aaron understood his brother\u2019s phone was left in his car.<\/p>\n Aaron claimed the man said that when Jayleb did not return by 5am, he drove Jayleb\u2019s car around looking for him before eventually leaving the car at the hot pools and walking to catch a bus home in the late afternoon.<\/p>\n Aaron claimed the man did not call police to raise the alarm.<\/p>\n Concerns for Jayleb<\/p>\n Aaron said it was the school holidays and people at Tokoroa Intermediate became worried when Jayleb missed a kapa haka practice that week.<\/p>\n They alerted Jayleb\u2019s flatmate, who contacted the family. The family reported Jayleb missing to police.<\/p>\n The family were able to access Jayleb\u2019s messages with the Rotorua man and passed the information to police, who found his car near the pools.<\/p>\n Aaron said while the family respectfully understood the police\u2019s position, he felt his brother\u2019s disappearance wasn\u2019t treated as a priority.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt they were trying, to a degree. I understand they have other jobs but I felt it wasn\u2019t a priority to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron believes there were \u201cred flags\u201d in the case that did not sit right with the family.<\/p>\n They found it strange Jayleb apparently did not take his phone to the pools when arriving after dark, and the man he had been with not raising an alarm when Jayleb did not return.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you notify anyone he was missing? Did you just go home and live your normal life, knowing that that person hadn\u2019t come back?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He said investigators examined Jayleb\u2019s vehicle and returned it to his family.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when we looked through it ourselves, we found items we believed were important to the investigation, things that made us question how and why they were still in the vehicle? When we brought this to the investigation team\u2019s attention, they apologised they had missed the items.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a family, that hurts deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n The police response<\/p>\n Detective Sergeant Mahara Alcock told the Rotorua Daily Post a full forensic examination of the vehicle was completed. <\/p>\n \u201cRegrettably, contraband items believed to belong to the occupants were inadvertently left inside the vehicle by attending police staff.\u201d<\/p>\n Alcock confirmed the family brought this to police attention.<\/p>\n Police had since recovered the items, which remained in police custody.<\/p>\n Asked about forensic testing in the case, she said police had sent \u201crelevant items\u201d to the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (formerly ESR) for forensic analysis. <\/p>\n \u201cAs further testing is required, police will liaise directly with family members to provide updates and discuss the results once they become available.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to confirm Aaron\u2019s account from the man with Jayleb at the pools matched what this witness told police, she said police had spoken to this man and other witnesses.<\/p>\n The man had been \u201cco-operative and helpful to the inquiry\u201d. <\/p>\n Bay of Plenty Police district field crime manager Detective Inspector Lindsay Pilbrow said significant resources and effort were invested when Jayleb disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cThe investigation and search for Jayleb were treated as a high priority by both the investigation team and Search and Rescue [SAR] team.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the search included SAR teams, specialist resources such as aerial searching and police search dogs. One dog was seriously injured<\/a> after falling into geothermal waters during the search.<\/p>\n He said that reflected the level of commitment at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I appreciate this is an incredibly difficult period for the family as they seek answers, there is nothing at this stage to suggest foul play in Jayleb\u2019s disappearance.\u201d<\/p>\n He said police had spent considerable time speaking with the family and updating them on the investigation. Police remained available to answer any of the family\u2019s questions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe remain committed to locating Jayleb and will continue to follow up on any positive lines of inquiry that may arise.\u201d<\/p>\n What the witness said<\/p>\n The man Jayleb met the night he disappeared, who the Rotorua Daily Post has elected not to name, was contacted for this story.<\/p>\n He said it was \u201cstill unreal\u201d to him that Jayleb disappeared. <\/p>\n \u201cI still struggle to come to terms with a situation that still is a mystery to me too.<\/p>\n \u201cI am thankful to have the backing of the Rotorua Police, who were great to me throughout the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n He declined to comment further and did not respond to a request to corroborate Aaron\u2019s account of their conversation.<\/p>\n Where to now?<\/p>\n Aaron said the family met this month to plan a new search, which they would be inviting the public to join.<\/p>\n The search date and area would be announced soon.<\/p>\n The family this week started a Givealittle page<\/a> aiming to raise $60,000 to enable them to hire a private investigator.<\/p>\n Aaron said there were still people who could come forward with information, including others at the hot pools that night.<\/p>\n They might not want to disclose they were there for whatever reason, but he said their information could be crucial.<\/p>\nA CCTV image of Jayleb-Che Dean at the Fenton St Rotorua BP Service Station. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Thermal pools at Waiotapu where Jayleb-Che Dean had been before his disappearance. Photo \/ File<\/p>\n
Tokoroa teacher Jayleb-Che Dean, 36, has been missing since September 30. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Search and Rescue teams and members of Jayleb-Che Dean’s family during the search. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers (left) and Constable Adam Johannsen visit police dog Teo, who was recovering from injuries after falling into geothermal water. Photo \/ NZ Police<\/p>\n
Jayleb-Che Dean’s family has not given up the search for him. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n