Local woman Dawn Wells, 70, was last seen by her husband, George Wells, at the Booran Drive bus stop on Kingston Road, Woodridge, at 8.30pm on 9 December 2025.
“He tried to encourage her to go home, but she didn’t want to go,” Linda Mielnikowski, a friend of Ms Wells’ said.
“She continued to stay at the Booran Drive bus stop while he crossed the road to the Monte Street bus stop to catch the last bus to Kingston, thinking she would follow.
“He caught the bus and went straight home.”
Ms Wells hasn’t been seen since.
According to Ms Wells’ missing persons report, she “is Caucasian, 160cm tall, with a slim petite build, short brown curly hair and hazel eyes.
“She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with the words “Justice Compassion Love” on the front, light blue jeans shorts, a brown bum bag, brown runners and may be wearing a black cap.”
Linda Mielnikowski grew up in the same area, Kingston, Inala and Goodna, as Ms Wells, and the two are close family friends, Ms Mielnikowski said.
Ms Mielnikowski last saw Ms Wells on 24 November 2025, when she ran into Ms Wells and her husband George, who asked after Mielnikowski’s daughter, who at the time was travelling overseas.
Ms Mielnikowski remembers taking a picture of Mr and Ms Wells and sending it to her daughter.
Three weeks later, Ms Mielnikowski read on the internet that Ms Wells had gone missing.
“I went straight over to George’s house to talk to him and find out what’s happening,” Ms Mielnikowski said.
“He was feeling very hurt, and he doesn’t understand what’s going on or why she left.
“He’s feeling that her medication has been there’s something happening with her in those last couple of weeks.”
Ms Wells takes prescribed daily medication to treat her medical conditions, one of which is schizophrenia.
Ms Mielnikowski said she didn’t notice a difference in Ms Wells’ behaviour in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, but that Mr Wells had noticed her appetite levels had changed and that her mind was not clear.
Both Mr Wells and Ms Mielnikowski are concerned that while Ms Wells has been missing, she has been unable to take her medications.
“Nothing like this has happened before,” Ms Meilniowski said. “In the 25 years that they’ve [Mr and Ms Wells] been married, she has never done this before.”
Weeks before her disappearance, Ms Wells stopped employing her carers who regularly helped her complete daily tasks, Ms Mielnikowski said.
“She’s never driven, and she’s never had a car,” Ms Mielnikowski said. “Her transport is walking, catching the train or bus, and prior to stopping her carer, they would drive her places.”
Ms Wells is known to frequent areas which include Kingston, Inala, Surfer’s Paradise, Wynnum and Marsden. Ms Mielnikowski said Ms Wells attended an Adventist Church every Saturday.
Police said they believed Ms Wells may be in the Springwood or Yarrabilba areas.
Over the last six weeks, Ms Mielnikowski and Ms Wells have handed out police flyers with the details of Ms Wells’ disappearance in Ipswich, Fortitude Valley, Southbank, Redbank, Browns Plains, Inala, Waterford, Beenleigh and Wynnum.
Ms Mielnikowski urged members of the public to hand out official police flyers and ring the police straight away if they see Ms Wells.
Ms Mielnikowski said the police were doing everything they could to try to bring Ms Wells home, and that they gave Ms Wells’ family regular updates about the case.
Image: Dawn Wells and her husband, George Wells. Linda Mielnikowski.
