A mother-of-two missing for 11 days in Central Australia has not accessed her bank accounts or social media since her disappearance, as police and emergency services continue to scour rugged terrain for any sign of her.
Angie Fuller, 30, was last seen along the Tanami Road, north-west of Alice Springs, on afternoon of Monday, January 9.
Investigators have said for the first time they have been running a criminal investigation alongside their search-and-rescue efforts, since she was reported missing.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Michael White said authorities were approaching a "critical" decision as to whether to transition away from a search-and-rescue mission.
He said police hold "serious concerns" for her welfare but added she could still be alive, given recent rains in the region.
"We have conducted significant aerial searches, with helicopters, drones, foot searches, ATVs, motorbikes and associated searching," he said.
"We have conducted an extensive search [of] about 380 square kilometres of that area … we have not found any sign of her.
"We believe she was in that area at the time."
Ms Fuller has not accessed her bank accounts or social media since her disappearance, which authorities believe is out of character.
"It's possible that she's still out there walking around. It's possible that she's avoiding us. It's possible that something untoward happened to her, or that she's succumbed to the environment that she's walking in," Assistant Commissioner White said.
"If she is still out there walking around, there's a possibility that she could be surviving because of the groundwater that's out there. So we are hopeful, obviously, that we will find her alive."
Police investigating 'incident' involving two cars
Assistant Commissioner White said investigators were "working closely with family" and were looking at a number of lines of inquiry.
He said a man who claimed to have been with Ms Fuller prior to her disappearance had been interviewed by police.
"We don't have any suspects at this stage," he said.
Assistant Commissioner White said Ms Fuller was last seen during an "incident" along the Tanami Road.
"About the time of her disappearance there was an incident involving two vehicles, which we believe involved the vehicle Angie was driving, and another vehicle," he said.
"We're continuing to investigate evidence in relation to that incident and see whether they are fully involved with each other."
Social media causing family 'angst and harm'
NT Police has moved to reassure the public that authorities were conducting a robust investigation.
Assistant Commissioner White said it was important members of the public take evidence to police first, rather than posting on social media, warning that comments had the potential to "create angst and further pain and harm for the family".
"Certainly social media, it is what it is," he said.
He said police were continuing to support the family, including Ms Fuller's two children.
Ms Fuller was reported missing on Wednesday, January 11, two days after her last reported sighting. Authorities are asking anyone who was in the area on the Tanami Road between 10pm on January 9, and 9am on Tuesday, January 10, to contact police.
Police made their first of several public pleas for information on Friday, January 13.
At least 20 police officers, as well as a drone and helicopters, were deployed to scour a large area of bushland along the Tanami Road, north-west of Alice Springs.
In an interview with the ABC on Monday, Ms Fuller's father Tony Fuller said he was "devastated" by her disappearance and was becoming more worried for her welfare.
He said his main wish was for his daughter to "come home".
