Husband of missing Melbourne mum Karen Ristevski says they fought over money
The husband of missing Melbourne mum Karen Ristevski has broken his silence and said her disappearance 'had nothing to do with their financial situation'.
Ms Ristevski, 47, has not been seen since June 29, when she left her Avondale Heights home after an argument with her husband.
Karen Ristevski is pictured with her daughter Sarah and husband Borce. Photo: 7 News
Police hold grave fears for her welfare and have searched the Maribyrnong River for her body on at least two occasions.
Borce Ristevski told the Herald Sun they argued over a "sum of hundreds of dollars" before her mysterious disappearance.
"My main concern is getting everyone to understand that Karen hasn't done a runner on the basis of our finances," Mr Ristevski told the newspaper.
He said the argument was about the takings from their business on the previous day and "had nothing to do with our financial situation."
Karen Ristevski, 47, vanished over two weeks ago. Photo: 7 News
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Mr Ristevski also dismissed claims by his estranged son Anthony Rickard, a confessed ice user, that he overheard Ms Ristevski talking about leaving Borce when their daughter Sarah turned 21.
Sarah celebrated her birthday earlier this year.
A friend of Mrs Ristevski, who wishes to remain anonymous, told news.com that she can’t understand why anyone would harm such a “gentle soul”.
Borce Ristevski (centre right) the husband of Karen Ristevski and their daughter, Sarah, leave a press conference after pleading for information. Photo: AAP
She said it was "guaranteed" that 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,” she said.
"But then I really thought about it and knew she would have made contact."
Borce is seen with his daughter Sarah during a media press conference. Photo: 7 News
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.
Earlier this month police stepped up their search for the missing mum, setting up an information caravan in the hope it would generate some fresh leads.
They also took the unusual step to call on anyone who had information, including family members or people that knew the Ristevski family, to have the "courage" to come forward.
