A desperate Australian mum has refused to leave the tropical island her son went missing on more than two weeks ago after he was behaving erratically.
Jackie Burgess is remaining with her daughter Shiralee Rosario on Magnetic Island, in the hope that her son, Ben Chisholm, 22, will be found, even as police scaled back their search.
He went missing in rugged bushland on the famous holiday island, offshore from Townsville, north Queensland, on the morning of July 13.
His family described his disappearance as 'out of character' saying he'd never wander off for so long.
But as his terrified mum and sister refuse to give up, it's been revealed Mr Chisholm was picked up by police the night before he vanished.
'We will not give up hope, mum is not leaving the island, she needs you to be found and brought home. We all need you to come home, Ms Rosario posted on Tuesday.
'We will not give up on finding you Ben!'
Ms Rosario and Mr Chisholm both live on Magnetic Island and their mum is from Melbourne.
Mr Chisholm was last seen walking toward the trails inland from the Arcadia area of Magnetic Island.
Ms Rosario has admitted her brother was displaying 'unstable' behaviour the night before he went missing.
She said residents in Picnic Bay phoned police because he was 'door knocking on a random house', the Townsville Bulletin reported.
Officers 'didn't pick up' on his bad mental state and dropped him off at home. He went missing the next morning, last being seen wandering towards trails.
'We’ll progress it as we go through, and if there are lessons to be learned, well, there are lessons to be learned,' Queensland Police Service Acting Inspector Mark Camilleri said when questioned about Ms Rosario's claims.
In a Magnetic Island community Facebook page several community members wondered if Mr Chisholm had left the island before being reported missing.
But several clues found ended that possibility.
Clothing, including a dark green jacket/pullover and shorts, and a hat belonging to Mr Chisholm, were found over the next eight days.
His desperate family fear he 'may have slipped and not be able to get up'.
Police officers, the dog squad and SES search teams scoured bushland, including the Nelly-Arcadia bush track on foot, by QGAir Rescue 521 helicopter and with drone cameras.
The Rural Fire Service and Parks and Wildlife teams are also assisting police with search efforts.
But when acting inspector Camilleri admitted the search was now being 'scaled back', Ms Rosario pleaded for more volunteers to join the search effort.
'SOS we are putting a call out to any trained personnel who are available to assist in specialized searches like cliff faces and boulders with crevices and caves.
'[We've had] no helicopter since Thursday the sniffer dog was in for one day, the best trackers have not been able to find any sign of him no broken twigs no hair, no blood, now they have left also.