Imagine your beloved father, vulnerable and disorientated, lost in the dark.
That’s the living nightmare Victoria Jakus has endured for over three weeks, as her 75-year-old dad Ivan, a man living with early-stage dementia, remains missing.
Victoria is pleading with people in western Sydney to check their dashcam and CCTV footage, believing a crucial piece of the puzzle – a potential sighting of Ivan at 4.24am on April 13 – may have been overlooked, and time is running out.
She is pleading with people to put themselves in her shoes – not just scroll past her story, dismissing it as “just another missing person”.
“He’s a human, he’s my Dad and we miss and love him dearly. Please help us.”
The family’s hope centres on CCTV footage from Kelvin Park Drive.
Victoria told news.com that footage from a friend’s home in the street reveals two distinct individuals.
One man was seen with a flashlight at 12.05am on April 13, believed by police to be a local resident known for his nocturnal walks. However, a second, crucial sighting shows a man at 4.24am on the same street.
“We can’t rule out whether it’s Dad or not,” Victoria said.
“The detectives spoke to the man who walks around, and he said he’s out at 3am some morning too. But the man at 12.05am is walking with a flashlight, moving quickly.
“The man at 4.24am is different – he’s not walking as fast, he slows down quite a lot, and he doesn’t have a flashlight. It’s a very different walk, and it could be Dad.”
Victoria fears the police may have too quickly dismissed this later sighting, potentially conflating it with the earlier walker.
Given Ivan’s dementia, a slower, more hesitant gait and the absence of a light would be entirely consistent with his disorientated state.
Victoria also recounted an incident where Ivan entered a property, causing dogs to react. When a flashlight was shone on him, he jumped a fence, indicating his fear and disorientation.
He then went to the next property’s driveway, attempting to hide, avoiding lights and people. Despite approximately 50 cars passing him on Bringelly Road that night, Ivan, in his confused state, did not attempt to flag any down for help.
“Past incidents have shown Dad gets confused and easily startled, avoiding lights and people when confused, even jumping fences to hide.
“That would explain why he didn’t try to flag down any of the 50 cars that passed him on Bringelly Road that night, unable to articulate his need for help.”
Victoria has shared the distressing timeline of her father’s last known movements, pieced together from various CCTV footage and police information.
• Sunday, 12 April 2026, 5.30pm: Ivan is last seen leaving the Istra Social Club on Cowpasture Road, Leppington.
• Sunday, 12 April 2026, 7.30pm: He is seen leaving Leppington Railway Station after taking a train to Glenfield and returning.
Sunday, 12 April 2026, 9pm: Ivan is sighted outside a rural property on Emmetts Farm Road, Rossmore.
Sunday, 12 April 2026, 9:14pm: Ivan is sighted outside rural properties in Bellevue Close, Rossmore.
•Sunday, 12 April 2026, 10pm: Ivan is sighted outside a rural property on Ramsay Road, Rossmore.
• Monday, 13 April 2026, 12.45am: New CCTV footage from a nursery at 909 Bringelly Road shows Ivan crossing Bringelly Road, walking through the median strip. A motorist has nearly come to a stop to avoid hitting him.
• Shortly after 12.45am: Ivan continues along Bringelly Road, reaching 1170 Bringelly Road, where he sits for nine minutes. Detectives later found a can of coke at this location.
• After 1170 Bringelly Road: Ivan stands up and heads north towards Kelvin Park Drive and The Northern Road.
• Monday, 13 April 2026, 12.05am (approx.): Footage from Kelvin Park Drive shows a man walking with a flashlight, whom police believe to be a local resident known for his nocturnal walks.
• Monday, 13 April 2026, 4.24am: Crucially, a second man is captured on camera on Kelvin Park Drive. This man is observed walking slower and does not have a flashlight.
Victoria is requesting the driver on Bringelly road at around 12.45am who had to take evasive action to avoid hitting Ivan to please come forward and speak with police and provide any information you have. “Their information is vital, this is the last confirmed sighting of Ivan, how do you just disappear into thin air and not been seen again”.
Police have confirmed that a recent reported sighting of a man matching Ivan’s description on Elizabeth Drive at Cecil Hills on May 2 was not Ivan.
They continue to appeal for public assistance, describing Ivan as being of Caucasian appearance, approximately 165cm tall, of medium build, with short grey hair.
When last seen, he was wearing a white ‘Adidas’ t-shirt, dark navy shorts, white socks, and dark-coloured shoes. Police acknowledge Ivan is highly mobile and familiar with the Leppington area.
Victoria’s heartfelt message to the community is a desperate call for compassion and action: “We need people in the street to check their CCTV cameras. We need to not just give up because this is someone’s father. He would be scared and disorientated, and we just want him home.”
