An American tourist who vanished from northern Australia five years ago was found alive and well this weekend by police investigating a routine burglary.
"Friends, family and police were unable to make contact with him since 2010," Queensland state police said in a Monday statement,
AFP reported via Yahoo News.
"On Saturday night, officers investigating a matter stumbled across the now 60-year-old man where he allegedly confessed to police that he had been listed as a missing person."
The man, Kenneth Rodman, was last seen by a friend in 2010 near Port Douglas, north of the popular tourist town of Cairns. He is thought to have staged his own death, as his kayak was later found submerged off the coast, and police said the plugs had been removed.
According to The Courier Mail, an investigation into his disappearance turned up unconfirmed sightings in Ingham, Airlie Beach, Sydney, and Darwin, but he was never found until now.
"The matter was never closed as a missing person case but inquiries led police to believe he was avoiding contact with authorities to stay in Australia, despite his visa expiring," said Far Northern police Acting Detective Inspector Glenn Horan.
On Saturday, Rodman was reportedly riding his bike near a crime scene.
"He went off into the bush ... the dog found him hiding in the grass, said Horan.
Immigration officials expect to put Rodman on a flight back to the U.S. in the coming days.
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