Friend of missing Melbourne mum Karen Ristevski says she would not have run away
A friend of missing Melbourne mother Karen Ristevski believes she didn't run away otherwise "would have made contact" with her daughter if she had.
Mrs Ristevski, 47, was last seen on June 29 at her Avondale Heights home after an argument about money with her husband Borce Ristevski.
Six weeks on, her disappearance has prompted large-scale police searches and speculation on whether she ran away or met foul play.
Ms Ristevski's baffled friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she can’t understand why anyone would harm such a “gentle soul”.
"No, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't do it to her daughter (Sarah), number one," she told news.com.
The friend said Sarah was the mother's life and "guaranteed" Mrs Ristevski would have made a phone call to her daughter.
“When her daughter asked me to let her know if I heard from her because she ‘didn’t come home yesterday’, I thought maybe she is cooling down,” the anonymous friend said.
"But then I really thought about it and knew she would have made contact."
The friend also claimed she met with Mrs Ristevski weeks before she disappeared and said the missing mother didn't notice any hint of stress or troubles with her husband.
"Everything was normal, there was nothing out of the ordinary at all, that made me think, what's going on here?" the friend said.
The speculation comes as Mrs Ristevski's stepson earlier said his mother "ran away from her dysfunctional family".
Anthony Rickard defended his father, Mr Ristevski, and said he did not believe he had anything to do with her disappearance.
The 32-year-old told authorities the relationship between his father and step-mother was “fake” and was only kept together to maintain their image, wealth and stability for their daughter Sarah, The Australian reported.
A man battling ice addiction, Mr Rickard reportedly confronted his father about the “situation with Karen” in 2006 but it was unable to be resolved and instead saw him kicked out of home.
He said the family problems were “swept under the carpet”, but about a fortnight before Karen's disappearance he wanted to confront her about his past and phoned her.
Mr Rickard questioned whether or not the phone call triggered her disappearance.
“I had nothing to do with that [the disappearance] besides calling her to confront her — the next thing I know she’s gone,” he said.
“Then I felt the guilt that it was because of me, ringing up to confront her.”
Mrs Ristevski and her husband are reportedly partners in a business Bella Bleu and the mother is listed as a sole shareholder, The Australian reports.
The events in the lead up to Mrs Ristevski’s disappearance have conflicting versions, with Mr Ristevski saying his wife had gone for a walk to cool down after a heated argument.
Security footage from outside the home did not capture Mrs Ristevski leaving the home.
Police reignited the search campaign in July to mark one month since the Melbourne mother had been seen.
A new search of the Maribyrnong River was conducted in the hopes of finding her body, but nothing was found.
Earlier this week, a forensic investigator said the case could go cold and may never be solved.
"Once all avenues of inquiry have been exhausted, it becomes a waiting game," he said.
"Once you have spoken to all the family, all the friends, so forth and so on, the time comes when there is a line in the sand,” former homicide investigator Charlie Bezzina said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
