A major twist in the search for Evan Sinclair. A distinctive car linked to the missing Victorian man has been found hundreds of kilometres from where he was last seen, leaving his family desperate for answers and investigators with a troubling new lead. The discovery raises a haunting question about his final movements — because someone appears to have taken that car a very long way from where Evan was last seen…
The distinctive bright yellow Holden Commodore belonging to missing Belgrave man Evan Sinclair has been located in remote bushland hundreds of kilometres from where he was last seen, yet the 24-year-old remains unaccounted for. Victoria Police confirmed the vehicle was found on Saturday in the Wingan State Forest in East Gippsland, approximately 330 kilometres east of Sinclair’s home in the Dandenong Ranges suburb of Belgrave. Despite a thorough multi-agency search of the forest over the weekend involving specialist units, no sign of Sinclair has been discovered. The search has now expanded into the adjacent Croajingolong National Park.
Sinclair was last seen leaving his home on McNicol Road in Belgrave after midnight on Friday, 31 July 2026. He drove away in his highly recognisable 2010 yellow Holden Commodore sedan fitted with black rims. In the early hours of Saturday, 1 August, the vehicle was captured on traffic cameras travelling east through Bairnsdale at around 3.30am and later through Cann River on the Princes Highway. After those sightings the trail went cold until the car was located more than a week later deep in the Wingan State Forest.
Police and Sinclair’s family have expressed serious concerns for his welfare. His disappearance is described as completely out of character. Checks of his bank accounts and social media profiles have revealed no activity since the early hours of 1 August. His phone and laptop were left behind at home. Investigators have released photographs of Sinclair and of a distinctive tattoo on one of his wrists that reads “veni, vidi, vici” in the hope that someone may recognise him.
Sinclair is described as Caucasian, approximately 183 centimetres tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. The bright yellow colour of his car has been a key factor in earlier public appeals, as the vehicle stands out sharply against ordinary traffic. Family members, including his mother Margaret, have previously made emotional public pleas for information, describing him as her youngest child and “one of the good guys.” In earlier statements she spoke of the sudden silence after he left home and the growing fear when his phone went unanswered and messages failed to deliver normally.
The discovery of the car in Wingan State Forest has shifted the focus of the search to one of Victoria’s more remote and rugged regions. East Gippsland’s forests and national parks are characterised by dense bush, steep terrain, limited mobile coverage in places, and long distances between settlements. Wingan State Forest and the neighbouring Croajingolong National Park form part of a significant natural area that includes coastal and inland bushland. Searchers face challenges of accessibility, weather, and the sheer scale of the landscape. Over the weekend uniformed officers were joined by Victoria Police Search and Rescue, the Air Wing, K9 units, the State Emergency Service and representatives from Fisheries Victoria. Air and ground searches yielded no trace of Sinclair. Operations were scheduled to continue into the following week with the expanded footprint into Croajingolong National Park.
The distance between Belgrave and the location of the car is significant. The drive east along the Princes Highway through the Latrobe Valley, past Bairnsdale and into the far east of the state covers more than 300 kilometres. That Sinclair’s vehicle reached the Wingan area indicates he continued travelling well beyond the last confirmed camera sightings. Why he drove to that remote location, and what happened after he arrived, remain central unanswered questions. Police have not publicly indicated whether the car was abandoned, locked, or showed any signs of disturbance, nor have they released details about its precise position within the forest.
Evan Sinclair has been missing for nearly two weeks. Victoria Police
Sinclair’s distinctive tattoo on one of his wrists. Victoria Police
Missing persons investigations of this kind typically examine multiple possibilities. A person may become lost or injured in remote terrain, experience a medical event, choose to go off-grid, or encounter foul play. In Sinclair’s case the complete lack of financial or digital activity, the abandonment of personal devices at home, and the out-of-character nature of the journey have heightened concern. The fact that the car was found but its driver was not has intensified the urgency of the ground and air searches.
Victoria Police have appealed to the public for any information, no matter how minor it may seem. Anyone who saw the yellow Commodore on the Princes Highway or in East Gippsland between 31 July and the discovery of the vehicle, or who has any knowledge of Sinclair’s movements or plans, is urged to come forward. Sightings of a person matching his description in the Wingan or Croajingolong areas are of particular interest. Contact can be made via Triple Zero in an emergency or by calling Lilydale Police Station on (03) 9739 2300.
The case has drawn attention across Victoria because of the distinctive vehicle and the sudden, unexplained journey of a young man from a suburban home into remote forest. Belgrave sits in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, a popular area for Melbourne residents seeking a semi-rural lifestyle within commuting distance of the city. The contrast between that setting and the isolation of Wingan State Forest underscores the puzzling nature of Sinclair’s movements. Family and friends have described him as a reliable and well-liked person, making the silence that followed his departure all the more alarming.
As search teams continue their work in difficult terrain, the focus remains on locating Evan Sinclair safe and well. The recovery of his car provides a critical geographic anchor for the investigation but has not yet produced the breakthrough of finding the missing man himself. Specialist searchers will persist in systematic coverage of the forest and national park, using both human teams and technological support including aircraft and dogs. Parallel inquiries into any possible contacts, destinations or stressors in Sinclair’s life continue in the background.
For his family the days since 31 July have been marked by rising anxiety, public appeals, and now the mixed development of the car’s discovery without any accompanying news of his whereabouts. The coming days of expanded searching in East Gippsland will be critical. Victoria Police continue to treat the matter with urgency and have left open every avenue of inquiry. The public is asked to remain alert for any information that might help bring Evan Sinclair home.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Triple Zero (000) or Lilydale Police Station on (03) 9739 2300. Even small details about the yellow Commodore’s movements or a possible sighting of a young man matching Sinclair’s description in the far east of the state could prove valuable. The search for Evan Sinclair continues.
