Fourteen years is a long time to wait for answers. For the family of Brendan Breen, that wait took another turn on Tuesday when Victorian detectives travelled to Brisbane and arrested a 42-year-old man in connection with the cold case disappearance of the brother of St Kilda football great Barry Breen.
According to 9News, detectives from Victoria Police's Missing Persons Squad crossed state lines to make the arrest, interviewing the man before releasing him pending further enquiries. No charges have yet been laid.
Brendan Breen was last seen by his girlfriend at the Hilton hotel in South Wharf, Melbourne, on 12 April 2012. He was then reported missing to police on 9 May that year by his separated spouse, after he cancelled a dinner arrangement with her via an out-of-character text message and stopped answering his phone. Police were initially unsure whether Brendan had chosen to disappear of his own accord. His daughter's wedding came and went without him a month later, and the doubts deepened further still.
The moment that shifted the investigation decisively was one of extraordinary sadness. In October 2018, Brendan failed to appear at his daughter's funeral, and his family believed this to be out of character as the pair were close. Police describe this as "really the catalyst for the Missing Persons Squad taking over the investigation."
Investigators now believe Brendan's disappearance is suspicious and that he most likely met with foul play. His bank accounts and phone have never been accessed, and there has never been any reported sighting of him.
The arrest comes just weeks after Brendan's twin sister Fiona made an emotional public plea for information on behalf of the family, and follows a renewed appeal by Victoria Police in late February. All unsolved missing persons cases in Victoria are subject to regular review, and detectives re-examined Brendan's case last year, leading to a number of avenues of enquiry being revisited in the hope of fresh leads.
Missing Persons Squad Inspector Dave Dunstan has previously stated that police remain confident there are people who hold crucial information. "While 14 years have passed, we strongly believe there are still people out there who know what has happened to Brendan, who is involved and why this has happened. Even the smallest detail could be what leads us to a breakthrough."
Barry Breen remains one of Australian rules football's most cherished figures. He kicked a wobbly punt that bounced through for a behind, breaking the deadlock with Collingwood late in the 1966 Grand Final to deliver St Kilda's first and, to date, only premiership. He was later club captain in 1979 and a former club games record holder, having played 300 career games. The match, attended by 101,655 spectators at the MCG, was won by St Kilda by a margin of one point.
Brendan Breen was known to police and had previously been charged with fraud offences, spending several years in a correctional facility. He had also operated under a number of aliases, including Brendan Green, Brian Greer and Brendan Lacombe. Over the past 14 years, police have spoken to a range of his friends and associates in an effort to determine his whereabouts, identify who may be involved in his disappearance, and establish any possible motive for causing him harm.
The investigation highlights the capacity and commitment of Victoria Police's Missing Persons Squad to pursue cold cases across jurisdictions. As of 2024, there are 200 homicide cold cases in Victoria according to Victoria Police, a reminder of both the scale of the challenge and the persistence required to see families receive answers. The Queensland arrest signals that investigators believe they are closer to understanding what happened to Brendan Breen in the autumn of 2012.
Anyone with information regarding Brendan's disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.