Family calls for police to re-open case mystery death case of Warrnambool's Allan Chapman

Allan Chapman, then 41, went missing after attending a buck's party on a Saturday night in September 1990.

His body was found a week later in a muddy lagoon near Levys Point.

Wife Cathy and daughter Joylene believe someone knows something about the circumstances surrounding Mr Chapman's disappearance.

In never-before revealed details Cathy recalls questions that were left unanswered.

Mr Chapman's post mortem revealed alcohol and, more disturbing, sedatives in his system.

Mrs Chapman said her husband was not on medication.

She said she was also called in by police in the weeks after her husband's disappearance.

"I was asked to listen to a call to police, during which the caller said the police were 'useless' if they couldn't solve the case," Mrs Chapman said.

"I didn't recognise the man's voice."

Mr Chapman's daughter Joylene requested anyone with information about her father to come forward to police. "We've had to live with this for more than 30 years," she said.

"We believe someone knows something. It's time to come forward and finally reveal what really happened."

The death of the father-of-three in September 1990 after a night out at a buck's party stunned Warrnambool.

A week-long search ended with his body found in a small lagoon near Levys Point. He had suffered a small cut above one eye.

Mr Chapman went to Jens Flaherty's buck's party at the Merrivale football club on Saturday, September 15, and left about 1am the next morning.

It was thought he might have been heading towards the Lady Bay Hotel at the foreshore but mystery surrounds his final movements.

The truck driver never returned to his house in Membrey Way in the city's west.

In a public appeal for information at the time of his disappearance, Cathy said: "He is somewhere. No way would he just go out on us."

"I'm sure he's not far away. He could be lying in someone's backyard unconscious. It's just not knowing ... ," she said.

Mrs Chapman described her husband of 19 years as a devoted father who loved his business, Chapman's Meat Transports.

She said he was proud of their three children, who had all left home.

"We have no money worries. I am a nurse and there's only two of us. He was happy with everything," she said at the time.

Mrs Chapman dropped her husband off at the footy club as he was expecting to have a few drinks.

She said he probably had $100 on him. "All he had on him were the clothes on his back," she said.

Friends at the function said Mr Chapman was one of the first to leave.

Mrs Chapman said she was really worried when her husband had not returned by the following afternoon to prepare a delivery.

"He had never once let his business down, it was completely out of character," she said.

Mr Chapman had six brothers and two sisters, most of whom still lived in the Warrnambool district at the time.

"My husband has lived in Warrnambool all his life," Mrs Chapman said.

Mr Chapman was described as being 175cms tall of solid build with a tanned complexion and greying hair.

He was wearing a diamond pattern cream shirt and blue denim jeans.

By the end of the week following Mr Chapman's disappearance a search was focused on the Merri River but at that stage failed to find any trace of him.

Police began their search near the Younger Street bridge where then Senior Sergeant Ian Armstrong said there had been a possible sighting.

Police received a report at 1.15am on the Sunday of the buck's party there was a man asleep near the corner of Harris and Elliot streets.

But by the time police arrived, that person was gone.

There was also another possible sighting of Mr Chapman near the Younger Street bridge about 1am.

That matched the police theory Mr Chapman had been heading to the Lady Bay Hotel.

The body of Mr Chapman was found in water near the then-knackery, a week after his disappearance, about 5pm on the Sunday.

Two State Emergency Service volunteers recovered Mr Chapman's fully-clothed body from a small lagoon.

Police said at the time there were no suspicious circumstances.

Former long-time Warrnambool police detective Fred Hughson said it was a big night at the buck's party and a few of those in attendance went to the Lady Bay Hotel.

"Mr Chapman was found a few days later at a lagoon near the knackery," he said.

"(Detective) John Norris and I went down towards Levys Point. There was only one set of footprints leading in. It was very, very muddy and there were no signs of foul play.

"There was no argument at the buck's party. There was no suggestion of foul play and we thought the death was accidental."

The Herald Sun soon after ran a front page story featuring a Gippsland politician who claimed a then Warrnambool meat industry/criminal identity had been involved in Mr Chapman's disappearance.

Mr Hughson said it appeared the story was aimed at the Victorian meat industry and it was surprising to local police it was front page news statewide.

"I don't know how the politician came to that conclusion or who provided the information," he said.

"That identity was later jailed for five years on charges of standing over drug dealers.

"From our point of view there was no suggestion anyone else was involved.

"The one set of footprints was highly relevant. The level of decomposition was in line with being in the water for a week and there were no obvious signs of physical injuries.

"There were no signs of foul play. That was our general opinion.

"We couldn't say how he died at the time but there was no physical evidence that anything untoward happened."

A long-time Warrnambool police sergeant said he remembered going to Levys Point and seeing where Mr Chapman's body had been found. "I just found it strange. I got out of the van and walked along," he said.

"It was swamp with thick, long grass and a five-strand fence to get through to get to the water.

"To get there you would have to have been on a mission. I wasn't going in there, you would have been a good chance of getting bit by a snake."

The retired sergeant said he was intrigued how quickly Mr Chapman's death was written off as not suspicious.

"I heard that he got tied up with the wrong mob, with a dodgy p...," he said.

"But, what really got me was how he got into that lagoon. It was like something out of the Everglades, minus the alligators.

"It was a great spot to put someone if you never wanted them to be found again.

"And then there was the talk about the dodgy bloke, that he didn't live far from there. Nothing was ever proved but there seemed to be a lot of unanswered questions."

Mr Flaherty said like a few people in attendance at his buck's party, Mr Chapman may have had too much to drink.

"No one could work out how Allan came to be where he was found," he said.

"I don't know where he went. I went home. I only had about 500 metres to go. Then no one could find him.

"We all worked at the abs back in the day and knew each other. Allan was a meat lumper."

Chapman's brother Brian said he always believed someone else was involved in his brother's disappearance. "He walked past an uncle's place and would always call in regardless of the time," he said.

"I was in Geelong but came back to help with the search. Cathy organised the helicopter search.

"I was the youngest of eight kids, two girls and six boys. There's a few of us who thought the same as me.

"There was also a drug in his system, something to calm down aggressive people. Allan was not on medication.

"I definitely thought it was all very suss (suspicious). I swore I would not rest until I found out what happened."

Warrnambool police said they would work with the family if any new information came to light.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.