The search for Queensland man Luke Fergusson has been scaled back, 10 days after his disappearance in rural bushland.
Fergusson, 28, has been missing near his rural Stalworth home, in the South Burnett region west of Gympie, since the morning of Friday, June 9.
His mother previously revealed Fergusson, who is “profoundly autistic”, had left home during a meltdown.
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“With Luke’s autism, when his routine becomes unsettled because we’ve recently moved here, he can have a meltdown,” Sue Bedey told 7NEWS last week.
“Usually, we are able to calm him down to a point where he’s happy and returns to the Luke we normally have.
“But on Friday, he had quite a significant meltdown and, even with our best efforts, he’s obviously become agitated and walked off and got himself lost.
“Normally, Luke is pretty familiar with his surroundings. Because we’ve only been here such a short time, he simply doesn’t know where he is.”
Police said it was a “difficult decision” to scale back the search on Sunday.
“This outcome is heartbreaking for Luke’s loved ones and I offer them my condolences on behalf of the service, search party and the community,” Inspector Scott Stahlhut said.
He said searchers, including members of the public, ADF, police and SES, battled “very difficult terrain over extended periods” and “bouts of inclement weather”.
‘Luke’s family have continually expressed their gratitude to everyone involved, particularly the local community who have turned out in force to help,” Stahlhut said.
‘Valiant efforts’
“I know how strong their resolve was to bring him home to his loved ones and I thank them their valiant efforts.
“Their support has buoyed Luke’s family during this most difficult time.”
The search for Luke had centred on a 27sqkm area in the townships of Proston, Stalworth, Abbeywood and surrounds.
Police have continued to appeal to residents in the South Burnett area to check their properties or CCTV for signs of Luke.
Luke is approximately 175cm tall, with brown hair and brown eyes.