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Police are again searching for Brisbane mother Allison Baden-Clay, who’s been missing since Friday.
ALLISON Baden-Clay speaks six languages, is a former beauty queen and ballet star, corporate high-flyer and successful businesswoman, and the mother of three beautiful daughters.
Now her grieving family, and police trying to piece together the mystery of Mrs Baden-Clay’s disappearance, are struggling to reason why the 43-year-old would voluntarily walk away from the world she had created.
The search for Mrs Baden-Clay will resume today with a huge contingent of police officers, some on motorbikes and horses, police academy recruits and SES volunteers desperately looking for any clue to the Brookfield woman’s disappearance.
The search was extended yesterday to include nearby bushland and industrial garbage bins.
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Despite Mrs Baden-Clay being missing since Thursday night, Inspector Mark Laing said his team was still positive about finding her alive.
“From my perspective she is still alive,” he said. “I do not believe she has met her demise. We have three specific search sites at Bellbowrie, Pullenvale and Kenmore Hills.”
Neighbours reported hearing what sounded like arguing from the family home on Brookfield Rd at Brookfield not long before she disappeared about 10pm on Thursday, April 19.
Friends claim she suffered from depression but would have returned home for her daughters’ sake by now.
Before marrying Gerard Baden-Clay in 1997, Mrs Baden-Clay had carved a successful life and career, including being crowned Miss Brisbane as Allison Dickie in 1993.
She was also a member of the Australian Youth Ballet for five years – a passion she passed on to her girls, 10, 8 and 5, who dance at Kenmore.
At high school she was the perfect student, becoming vice head girl in her senior year at Ipswich Girls Grammar School.
She travelled extensively as an exchange student in Denmark after leaving school, and was fluent in Japanese, French, German, Danish and Swiss-German.
Mrs Baden-Clay was also a high achiever in her professional career, working her way up from manager at the Ipswich Flight Centre store to become the company’s State Human Resource manager, responsible for 450 employees.
At 27, she was promoted to Global Human Resource manager, overseeing 3000 workers in six countries, before attending Dale Carnegie Training and becoming staff recruiter at the International Scout Centre in Switzerland.
While the search for his wife continued yesterday, Mr Baden-Clay – who has hired a lawyer – sought solace with his family, including the couple’s three daughters, at his parents’ home in Kenmore after being released from hospital following a car crash on Sunday.
The 41-year-old real estate principal suffered minor injuries after crashing into the bus terminal at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.
It is understood he was on his way to Indooroopilly police station when the accident occurred.
A tearful Mr Baden-Clay told Channel 9 yesterday he was co-operating with police and was distressed that his wife hadn’t contacted him.
“I’m trying to look after my children at the moment; we’ve got three young girls,” Mr Baden-Clay said.
“We really trust that the police are doing everything they can to find my wife.
“I’ve tried to help the police as much as I can.”
Mr Baden-Clay’s sister, Olivia Walton, said her brother had been “through the wringer” after events of the past few days, but his primary concern was “obviously for Allison’s return”.
“I just can’t begin to tell you how awful it is,” Ms Walton said.
“No one should have to go through this, it’s horrific.
“I don’t know what more Gerard can say … he’s going through the wringer at the moment.
“The guy’s under enormous stress at the moment and he’s tired.
“He’s spoken to the police endlessly they have all the information about it.”
Ms Walton said the family had been left shattered by Mrs Baden-Clay’s disappearance.
“It’s a nightmare that we hope we wake up from sometime soon,” she said. “We just need her home.”
Locals yesterday brought food packages to the family and friends gathered at the search command post at Brookfield Showgrounds.
Mrs Baden-Clay is described as Caucasian, about 165cm tall, with a proportionate build and blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing grey tracksuit pants and a grey/black top, with white running shoes.
Anyone with information about the disappearance should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Additional reporting by Alison Sandy and Rose Brennan
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