The ex-partner of a missing Queensland mother, Jana Armstrong, stated he had no knowledge of her whereabouts when questioned about her disappearance by a news team. Armstrong, 30, was last seen on Tuesday, July 7, at a unit on Gordon Avenue in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown.
Dharminder Singh, a former partner of Armstrong, is among several individuals assisting police with the investigation. Singh was approached by a news crew outside court on Friday while facing unrelated charges. When asked if he knew where Armstrong was, he replied, "I have no idea. No idea."
Police confirmed they have no suspects in the ongoing investigation. "We have an open mind because we're conducting an investigation, and we're trying to work out how she disappeared," Darling Downs District Acting Detective Inspector Brian Collins stated Friday. "It's very alarming that a 30-year-old woman with a four-month-old child disappears overnight. We are suspicious of the way in which she has disappeared."
Armstrong's white Hyundai Kona was discovered unlocked and parked in the middle of a road on the corner of Jellicoe Street and Gordon Avenue around 6 a.m. on Wednesday. "It's very concerning that Ms. Armstrong's car was then discovered unlocked and parked in the middle of a road," Det. Insp. Collins added.
CCTV footage released by police on Friday shows Armstrong arriving at a cafe to have brunch with her younger sister, Faith Isaacs, on Tuesday morning. Armstrong was seen pushing her four-month-old son, Deshal, in a pram. The brunch occurred hours before her disappearance.
Isaacs, who is caring for Armstrong's infant son while the search continues, has expressed strong concerns, believing her sister may be the victim of foul play. She noted that Armstrong's disappearance is "completely out of character for her" and that she would "never willingly leave her son."
Police have stated that Armstrong was not known to them prior to her disappearance and that no concerns had been raised about her wellbeing. Speculation on social media suggesting she was suffering from a mental illness post-birth has been dismissed by her sister and a family friend.
"Jana has been a brick wall for her family and basically helped raise Faith and her brother Dean after their parents died within two months of each other a few years ago," an anonymous family friend said.
Specialist police, including the Homicide Investigation Unit, are assisting SES crews in the search. Authorities have conducted extensive searches in various areas around Toowoomba. Police are seeking public assistance, including CCTV and dashcam footage, of Armstrong's vehicle movements on the evening of July 7, particularly along Tabletop Drive, Preston Road, and Charker Street, as well as Gordon Avenue in Newtown early on July 8.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.