THE search for the remains of anti-drugs campaigner Don Mackay is continuing near Hay today.
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A search warrant was executed at a residential property on Maude Road for the remains of Griffith anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay yesterday.
Griffith police, Australian Federal Police and Unsolved Crimes Unit Homicide Squad detectives arrived in the morning and spent all day searching the land, focusing on a mine shaft and former pig sty, which is now a lettuce patch.
Police confirmed last night in a statement that the search was for the remains of the father-of-four after information was received that Mr Mackay's remains could be located at the property.
Police were seen in town buying hundreds of dollars worth of shovels before heading to the property west of Hay.
Tents were erected and an excavator was brought in at about 4pm to assist with the search.
It is expected that work will come to a standstill on the property for close to a week as the investigation continues.
It is understood that the property has been in the same family for several decades and is currently leased by the owner, Con Fattore, 79.
Mr Fattore was contacted on Wednesday night and asked if it was his property that police were searching and he said, "Yeah what do you want to know that for?"
Mr Fattore does not live on the property and refused to comment on how long he had owned it or the nature of the search.
"It's my property but ask the police," he said.
"I got nothing to do with it."
Neighbour John Mirabelli said Griffith detectives questioned him on Tuesday and said they were looking for a well or bore about three or four kilometres out of Hay.
"They asked me about whether we had a well on our property. It was obvious they had a tip-off of some description," he said.
Social media was rife with speculation all afternoon that the search could be for the remains of Mr Mackay, who went missing almost 36 years ago.
Mr Mackay was last seen having drinks with friends at the Griffith Hotel on July 15, 1977.
Blood and bullet cases were found near his mini-van, which was parked in the hotel's car park, but his body has never been recovered.
A $200,000 reward was offered last July for any information relating to Mr Mackay's death or disappearance.
Anyone with information about Mr Mackay's murder should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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