The Strange Disappearance of Jim Donnelly

12 Apr

Jim Donnelly, who disappeared from Glenbrook Steel Mill, in 2004. Photo: Times

Jim Donnelly went missing from the Glenbrook Steel Mill in Waiuku, New Zealand on Monday, June 21, 2004. He has not been seen since, leaving his family devastated and police puzzled.

Who was Jim Donnelly?

Jim Donnelly pictured with his children Siobhan and Liam Donnelly. Photo: RNZ

At the time of his disappearance, Jim resided in Dannemora with his wife Tracey and their two young children. Jim held a supervisory engineering position at Glenbrook Steel Mill in Waiuku, where he had been employed for 19 years. He was 43 years old.

Strange Behavior Leading up to Jim Donnelly’s Disappearance

Jim's behavior had been unusual leading up to his disappearance.

Tracey and Jim had made plans to stay overnight at a hotel in Auckland on Saturday, but unexpectedly, Jim claimed he had a meeting to attend.

Tracey found it strange that he would have a meeting on a Saturday night and tried to inquire further, but Jim refused to disclose where he was going. He rented a suit and left, leaving Tracey puzzled as to why he needed it.

The following day, Jim mentioned a "crisis and a waste" that he had to attend to, but would not explain further. This left Tracey feeling bewildered.

The Day Jim Donnelly went missing

The Glenbrook Steel Mill where Jim Donnelly worked.

June 21, 2004 was the last day anyone saw Jim Donnelly. He woke up between 4.30am and 5am and informed Tracey about a computer game he had purchased for their son's birthday. She thought this was a bit strange as her son’s birthday was not for a few months.

Jim mentioned sorting out the payment later that night before leaving for work as usual.

Upon arriving at Glenbrook Steel Mill, he spent several minutes in the locker room before being observed heading up some stairs about 15-20 minutes later.

The shift supervisor greeted him, but Jim appeared unresponsive and motionless. His supervisor said Jim appeared to be ‘frozen’.

He was then seen in a nearby area appearing indecisive about his destination.

At around 8am, Tracey attempted to contact him on his work phone, but her efforts were unsuccessful. He didn't have a mobile phone.

Another worker sighted Jim at approximately 8.30am from a distance of 10-15 meters wearing an orange fleece jacket, yellow hard hat, and glasses.

Throughout the morning, Tracey and others made numerous attempts to contact him, but they were all in vain.

Growing concern for Jim's whereabouts led to a search at Glenbrook Steel Mill.

By 6pm on the same day, June 21, Jim was officially declared a missing person to the police.

The Search for Jim Donnelly

After Jim was declared missing, thorough searches were conducted in the steel mill and its neighboring regions with the assistance of various entities such as the police, search and rescue teams, Air Force personnel, St John Ambulance, and steel mill employees.

On June 26, 2004, a worker at the steel mill discovered a yellow protective helmet labeled with Jim's last name behind a protective cage near an acid tank.

Further searches of the area yielded other belongings of Jim's, including his personal electronic diary, glasses, money, credit cards, and a library card. Additional investigations were conducted, including the draining and searching of two other acid tanks, but no further evidence was found.

Jim had no known significant health issues, he had been dealing with depression since the deaths of family members several years prior to his disappearance.

There was no indication of any serious financial stress or debts, nor did he have the means to support himself independently or re-establish his life. Police inquiries and alerts revealed no evidence of financial transactions or legitimate travel outside of New Zealand by Jim.

Grimstone’s Report on the Disappearance of Jim Donnelly

A video telling the story of the disappearance of Jim Donnelly

The evidence in the case was collated and presented by the officer then in charge of the case, detective senior sergeant Neil Grimstone.

In late 2005, Grimstone confirmed that he had reviewed the investigation into Jim's disappearance and identified four possible scenarios: accident, suicide, staged disappearance, or foul play.

Although the steel mill where Jim worked posed potential risks and hazards, Grimstone believed it was unlikely that Jim had suffered an accident there. He reasoned that if Jim had been in an accident at work, his body would have been discovered during the searches.

Grimstone considered suicide as a strong possibility, given Jim's mental state and unusual behavior before his disappearance. He did not find any evidence to suggest that Donnelly had a secret life or had engaged in forward planning.

There was also no apparent reason why Jim would have taken such drastic action, especially considering that he was a devoted father to his two children and would have likely made contact with them if he were still alive.

After reviewing the police file for evidence of foul play, Grimstone concluded that there was nothing to support this theory. Herdson's report ultimately concludes that the available evidence suggests that Jim's death was likely the result of either suicide or accident.

Do you think Jim Donnelly’s disappearance was a suicide or something more sinister? Let us know in the comments.