Daniel James O'Keeffe, 24, left his parent's home in Highton about 9am on Friday and has not been seen since.
His family and girlfriend made a tearful plea for information this morning, saying they did not believe Mr O'Keeffe would have harmed himself despite suffering from depression.
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Missing... Daniel O'Keeffe "Daniel has lately been trying to assimilate with homeless people, that could well be one further avenue of inquiry," Sergeant Forehan said.
"It's quite possible that he may be seeking to assimilate with some homeless people in order to understand their plight and how they exist on a daily basis.
"He seemed to enjoy speaking to homeless people whenever he had the opportunity."
Sergeant Forehan said there had been no confirmed sightings of Mr O'Keeffe and there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the disappearance. His family say it is unlikely he is in the city and there have been sightings reported in Ballarat and Apollo Bay.
Lorraine O'Keeffe said her son had always been interested in the downtrodden and unfortunate.
"He's always been a very sensitive and caring person towards others and their feelings," Mrs O'Keeffe said.
"He's very in tune to others' plights. He's just a very caring, beautiful young man.
"Please find him. Please help find my son."
Father Des, who was the last person to see Mr O'Keeffe, said his son may have been feeling overwhelmed about starting a carpentry apprenticeship on Monday.
He had also recently opened a martial arts academy in Werribee and lived between his parents' house and his girlfriend Susie Mansfield's Docklands apartment.
"There's a lot of changes in Dan's life I guess," Ms Mansfield said.
"He recently started a martial arts academy in Werribee which we all participated in as well. It meant a lot to Dan."
Mr O'Keeffe is believed to have his mobile phone, but police have been unable to track it as it has been switched off. He does not have his medication or his wallet.
Mrs O'Keeffe said Mr O'Keeffe had recently spent three days at the Dalai Lama's Melbourne conference.
"It appeared he was making progress to understanding life as a young adult," she said.
His sister Loren said a social media campaign to find Mr O'Keeffe had "spread like wildfire".
"It just doesn't make sense that no one's seen him," she said.
Mr O'Keeffe may have struggled to sleep without his medication and may have thick stubble. He is about 180cm tall and was last seen wearing a grey-hooded jumper and ugg boots.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/hunt-among-homeless-for-missing-daniel-20110720-1ho4m.html#ixzz1SciA1dEa
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