Where is Dakota Nagel? Inside the search for missing 24-year-old woman that has captivated a nation
DONCASTER, MELBOURNE: Police are urgently appealing for public assistance to help find a 24-year-old Australian woman, who went missing nearly a week ago during a night out with her friends. Dakota Lee Nagel was reported missing by her mother on Wednesday, January 11.
Nagel was with her friends when she left her home in Doncaster, a Melbourne suburb, at 2 am on January 8. She then visited a number of licensed clubs and bars with friends in the Prahran and South Yarra areas. Later that afternoon, the young woman left her friends and has not been heard from or seen since then.
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"During the latter part of Sunday afternoon on 8 January, Dakota parted company with friends she had been with earlier," a police spokesperson said. They added, "She has not contacted friends or loved ones since that time. [Ms. Nagel] has a wide circle of friends and often attends licensed venues in the Prahran area. At times friends will not hear from her for a day or two, however, it is unusual for her not to have contacted anyone for this length of time."
The tensed family of the woman said her sudden disappearance is out of her character. One of her close family members on social media wrote, “Our Family is worried sick and her puggy furbabies are distraught. She would not have left them this long. Her furkids are her life and mean as much to her as ours do. She’s also about to become an aunty and is so excited, so there’s no way she would miss it. This is out of character for her to not contact someone.”
Police hold grave concerns for her welfare and have urged anyone with information to come forward. The Missing Persons Squad has taken over the investigation. The squad officials believe Nagel has been seen in the Prahran, South Yarra, CBD, and Southbank areas since January 8, according to ABC news.
Nagel has been described as being about 157cm petite build woman with blonde hair and blue/gray eyes. She was last seen wearing a hot pink crop top with a playboy logo in front. But officials believe she has changed her clothes since her disappearance. Anyone with information is urged to contact local police or contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
The disappearance of Nagel came after a Queensland woman was reported missing by her family. Kate Mandala, 74, was last seen on December 30 when she wandered away from her family home in Augustine Heights, southwest of Brisbane. A mammoth search operation has been coordinated since Mandala vanished.