Police divers travelling to Geraldton to help search for missing man Brenton Shar after shorts found at beach

Distraught yet hopeful family members of a Geraldton man who has been missing for three weeks have issued a public plea, calling for witnesses to come forward and urging their son and partner to come home. Specialist police divers arrived in Geraldton on Wednesday to search Midalia Beach in Beresford after a pair of shorts believed to belong to 37-year-old Brenton Shar was found by the water by his partner 10 days ago. Mr Shar was last seen at his home in Rangeway on May 1, and police hold concerns for his welfare. The divers were in the waters of Midalia Beach until about 5.30pm on Wednesday, but found no trace of Mr Shar nor anything of interest. At this stage, it’s understood they will not be back in the water on Thursday. Mr Shar’s partner Kasey Burns found a pair of black shorts at a rock groyne at Midalia Beach on May 12 after she was contacted by people who said they saw Mr Shar in the area. Ms Burns bravely stood in front of TV cameras on Wednesday, hopeful a message would get to her missing partner and father of six children. “Brenton, if you are watching, or if you see this, can you please contact mum, dad, or me. We all miss you, love you and want you to come home,” she said. “Your babies Zendaya, Konstanz, Bennie, Evie, Emily and Dwight, are all worried for you. Can you contact somebody please? “If anybody is watching, or knows where he is, or seen him, please contact Geraldton Police.” Ms Burns said her partner had not called or texted like he usually would, but she was still hopeful he was alive and in the community somewhere. “I got hope. I got hope that he’s out there,” she said. On Wednesday afternoon, Det. Sgt. Gareth Lewis said the shorts had been sent to Perth for analysis and they were increasing their search for Mr Shar. “We’ve decided to search the water as a line of inquiry, we are not 100 per cent sure he has been in the water,” he said. Det. Sgt Lewis said Mr Shar left the hospital earlier on May 1, the day he went missing, after being treated for an injured finger, wearing a pair of shorts matching the description of those found by his partner on the rock groyne. “We still need to get DNA testing because they are a generic pair of shorts,” he said. Det. Sgt Lewis said there had been no activity on Mr Shar’s bank account or mobile phone. With tears in his eyes, Mr Shar’s father Jimmie Mongoo said his son’s mother and three brothers missed him. “They’re all missing him heaps. We just want him to contact one of us or the police, just let us know he is safe and everything,” he said. “Any family members out there, that see or know anything, let us know.” Mr Shar is described as about 179cm tall, of medium build, with brown eyes and short brown hair. Family members first raised the alarm on May 9, when they told police they had not seen Mr Shar in almost 10 days. Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444.