Missing woman who set out on 3-day 'cleansing' boat trip with son may have already been dead, say police
The mysterious disappearance of an Australian mother-son duo out in the ocean after they set out on a three-day "cleansing ritual" has continued to baffle authorities, who are said to be considering the possibility that the mother was dead even before they got onto their boat. Felicity Loveday, 83, and her son Adrian Meneveau, 56, went missing after they set sail for a three-day voyage in a small boat from Olivers Hill Boat Ramp in Frankston, South Melbourne, at around 7 am on December 11, 2019.
Loveday's daughter, Christina, was the last person to see the pair alive, according to Daily Mail. She had been at the boat ramp to see them off and said she felt comforted knowing that her brother, who was described as "gentle and caring" and had looked after their mother for the last seven years, would keep in touch during the voyage. The last time she would talk to either of them would be Friday, December 13, when he messaged her and said they were having a "good time." They were reported missing the next day after they failed to return home.
One day after that, a fisherman found their empty boat submerged near Ricketts Point, around 24 km north of where they had initially set off, but saw no signs of either the mother or the son. They have remained missing since, and in the following months, several details have emerged that have led to investigators questioning the nature of their disappearance.
For one, they have questioned if Loveday, who suffered from severe dementia, was dead in the last picture taken of her and Meneveau before they set out on their journey. The photo showed the 83-year-old seated in an upright position and wearing a lifejacket, but looking extremely pale and staring straight ahead instead of the camera.
The duo is also said to have told other family members that they were going on the trip to cleanse Loveday from "evil spirits" she had acquired while they were practicing meditation. Loveday was formerly a "worshipful master", the most powerful elected official in the Masonic lodge at the Co-Freemasonry, which is an offshoot of Freemasonry with religious roots and admits both men and women.
"Adrian and Felicity were practicing meditation for some time and believed Felicity had woken black magic and Adrian felt responsible for it," Victoria Police Marine Investigation Unit Senior Constable Chris Obst told the Herald Sun. "The boat trip was a means of reversing it – they needed to be on the saltwater to get rid of the black magic." While police have found no evidence to suggest either of them are alive, they have insisted they are not ruling out the possibility. "There are many aspects to this investigation that appear suspicious and strange," Obst said. "We just can't rule anything out at this stage."
Indeed, while the boat Meneveau and Loveday set out in had neither any sleeping quarters or shelter of ay kind, investigators found that he had bought a second vessel from an online seller between Melbourne and Adelaide weeks before the voyage. He had driven to Adelaide to collect his purchase, which is now missing, and which police believe could hold the key to solving their disappearance. Investigators have urged anyone with information on the whereabouts of either the boat or Meneveau and Loveday to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800-333-000.